Ho Chi Minh City or as everyone here calls it Saigon

A short and very interesting transfer from the boat into the city. The roads coming out of the city are  rammed with scooters and motorbikes. Hundreds of them. People are leaving the city to go back to their family’s in the delta, it is a mass exodus for the celebration of TET
Our hotel is very desirable, lovely modern and cool in every meaning of the word. Our room is not ready so we set off to explore. We are a bit wary as it’s been drummed into us about thieves and pick pockets. Do not wear any jewellery and don’t take cameras out with you. Well we have only walked a few yards down the road where everyone has cameras or taking phone photos. Mr F goes back to the hotel to retrieve his beloved camera from the luggage room.
It is a scorcher of a morning, full sun and hot. The streets are thronged with people, the roads are full of cars and scooters and bikes. It is noisy but not in a bad way. It is a buzzy vibrant city, we love it already. We walk down the Hang Dong, stop to look at buildings we have no idea what they are. We are doing a city tour tomorrow so go to a different part of town today. On the way to the market we have to stop for a beer to cool down, rest and rehydrate a bit. The market is bustling, everything is here from toothpaste to live fish or a genuine fake Polo shirt or handbag. We do some serious bargaining and get a few things we are sure to have paid over the odds but hey it’s good fun.
We have to stop for another beer on the way back. We book a restaurant for tonight, dodge the traffic along the way. Ian is an expert jay walker so it’s easy for him. I tend to get half way across and start to scream. Ha ha. You just step out, look the traffic in the eye, hold up your hand, say a little prayer and go for it.
We are very tired, nip up to the roof pool bar for a look around. Sit down ooh lovely. Next thing we wake up. We are surrounded by very young very trendy, very beautiful people. We probably stink as have been sweating profusely all day, might have been dribbling too. Better make a quick escape before we are thrown out as interlopers.
A cup of tea and a shower hardly revives us so a gin and tonic is required. This time. We blend in a little bit better. We go the Lemongrass for dinner. Recommended by Tri our Vietnamese guide. I am disappointed, it looks grubby. We order some fish in ginger and pork in a clay pot. We had pork spring rolls to start with. The food was ok but nothing to write home about.
There is a concert going on outside the opera house and it is like Vietnam’s answer to the Eurovision Song Contest. Fight our way through the people and traffic and literally fall into bed. We have an 8am start in the morning to go to the Cu Chi tunnels.

Shoe repairs on the street