Saigon

We were pleasantly surprised by Ho Chi Minh City. Although chaotic and filled with motorbikes, it was easy to navigate, clean, and not over priced. It was one of our favorite cosmopolitan cities we've come across. Like most Vietnamese cities, the architecture was a mix of modern and 18th century European. We found a giant room for ten dollars with a balcony in the heart of the Pham Ngu Lao neighborhood, and although the streets were buzzing well into the morning, the people watching couldn't be beat.

We visited the Reunification Palace, built in 1966 for South Vietnam's president, it served as living quarters as well as state control. It was left just as it was when the North Vietnamese tanks crashed through its gates in 1975, forcing the south to surrender, therefore ending the war and uniting the country. If you crossed the White House with a 1960s office building, you can imagine how this place looks. One of the more interesting parts was the bunker basement, comprised of radio rooms, war rooms, living quarters, and secret passage ways. We finished off the day in the War Remnants Museum, which had a courtyard filled with US tanks, airplanes, and artillery - and we could walk right up and touch all of it. Although filled with anti-US propaganda it was nice to be in a real museum (it put Indian museums to shame). Tiger cages and prisoner of war cells were on display, along with a wide array of guns and grenades. There were also several rooms of photographs of Vietnamese soldiers and civilians after the US dropped agent orange and napalm. It was very sobering to see the other side of the story.