Saturday, March 17, 2018, Saigon (Ho Chi Min City), Vietnam

Formerly known as Saigon, Ho Chi Minh City is a heady mix of French and Vietnamese cultures, where baguettes and croissants are sold alongside pho, Vietnamese noodle soup, and motor scooters buzz past colonial-era architecture. The city’s wide boulevards are reminiscent of Paris, lined with jewels such as the Opera House, fashioned after the Petit Palais, and the grand Central Post Office, designed by Gustave Eiffel. The enlightening exhibits at the National History Museum chronicle the nation’s past. In addition, the aromatic food stalls and colorful shops along Dong Khoi Street purvey tempting local specialties and all manner of Vietnamese wares, from conical hats to ao dai, the silk tunic worn by women.

Old Saigon is a fascinating blend of French colonial and Vietnamese architecture and culture. Beyond the French flavored cafes and croissants, the empire left a more lasting impression with its masterworks of 19^th century colonial architecture. The Notre Dame Cathedral was built with materials imported from France. The Central Post Office is a masterpiece of Gothic, Renaissance, and French styles. The city’s opera house was built in the same year as the Petit Palais in Paris and exhibits some of its same design elements. A pair of famous hotels also exudes the spirit of France: The Hotel Continental, satellite bureau for some American media during the Vietnam War, and the French Riviera-style Hotel Majestic.

Views coming into the Mekong River at its mouth from the South China Sea.

Initial view of Vung Tau, Vietnam's Miami Beach.

Christ the King, of Vũng Tàu is a statue of Jesus, standing on 550-foot high Mount Nho. The Vietnam Catholic Association built the statue in 1974 and it was completed in 1993.

The statue is 105 ft high, standing on a 13-foot high platform, for a 118-foot total monument height with two outstretched arms spanning 60 feet. There is a 133-step staircase inside the statue.

Oil drilling rig above, downtown Vung Tau below.

Although Vietnam is primarily agrarian we saw quite a bit of manufacturing.

Since we entered the mouth of the Mekong River around 7 AM and it would take several hours to reach our dock up river, our cruise director chose to conduct our weekly church service at 9 AM today even though it was Saturday morning (we are to go into Saigon early Sunday morning). Our cruised director's step father is a retired Methodist minister currently serving a small congregation. Heather is a deacon and choir director for her home church. The two of them jointly prepare the sermons and she does a great job in leading our weekly services; a first we have experienced on cruises. She is also a trained opera singer with an awesome voice.

Almost to our dock for the next 36 hours.

We are to be at this commercial dock still about a 2 hour bus ride to Saigon.

Wood chips presumed to become sheet plywood substitutes.

More than one way to skin a cat and to dump wood chips from a truck.

Our Vietnamese welcoming.

HO CHI MINH CITY BY NIGHT

After our cruise ship was docked around noon today in an industrial area south-east of Saigon, we rode two hours into Saigon.

On our way to Saigon for our first day's shore excursion.

Quite a surprise to Larry with the extremely modern buildings. Of course it's been over 50 years since he was here.

Our first stop was at a lacquer factory where all items are hand made.

More pictures as we will be here again tomorrow.

Our second stop was at the reunification palace which had been the Presidential Palace before 1975.

The palace is open to the public and can be reserved for celebrations, as weddings.

The Saigon Opera House.

The tallest building in Saigon (right background).

City hall.

Our primary purpose for going to Saigon this late afternoon was to attend the water puppet show. We stopped at a local restaurant before attending the show.

New found friends on this cruise. Gary is retire coast guard and Becky retired from a Florida sheriff's office. They grew up in Kansas but retired in Tampa area.

The Vietnamese was quite good; another surprise for Larry.

We could almost not believe this! Uber in Saigon on motorcycles; drivers carry along a helmet for their passenger. The Saigon population is 8 million with 7 million motor scooters and cycles. Very few non-upper class families do not own cars; if both spouses work, they will both have motor scooters/cycles.

We attended the traditional show at the Golden Dragon Water Puppet Theater. The evening began with a performance of the traditional Mua Roi Nuoc water puppet show. This ancient art dates back to the 10th century when, after harvest, the ponds and rice paddies were the stage for impromptu shows. Backed by a Vietnamese orchestra, singers told the story, acted out by the puppets which were controlled by a series of long wooden rods and strings. Often the plays have a rural theme with a strong reference to Vietnamese folklore and spiritual beliefs.

The puppeteers sit in the water behind the green screen behind the water. Someday we hope to show the video of the performance to you.

Homeward (cruise ship) bound we stopped for a quick look at a flower market. We noted a family of three shopping; this is their way of life on wheels.