Onward Ho to Saigon!

Ho Chi Minh City ("HCM"), or otherwise known as Saigon, beckoned last Friday 15 June 2007. Was up early, at an unheard of hour, to travel to the airport, but the flight, originally scheduled for 8:00am, was delayed to 8:45am. Darn, could have slept in for another good 45 minutes! HCM is situated in Southern Vietnam, and has a violent history of war with the Americans. My last trip to Vietnam was to Hanoi (Northern Vietnam) and my previous chronicles can be found via:

a. Hunting for food
b. Halong Bay
c. Back to Hanoi and Shopping
d. On to Tam Coc!
e. Free and Easy

Arrived in Tan Son Nhut International Airport, and first impression was that it was crowded, and it was hot. Think there's a new terminal going to be opened soon also. And guess what!, there was a blackout at the airport. Apparently quite common in the city as I noticed during the trip there. Also noticed that my luggage had been tampered with. The lock and luggage zipper were broken, and later, I found out that the luggage was rummaged through, but nothing was taken. Guess whoever was involved was looking for expensive items. All I had in the luggage were clothers, a pair of shoes and some toiletries. Been a while since I took a flight from the main airport, as I usually travel on the budget airline, and this was the consequence.

First stop was the War Remnants Museum, which documented the atrocities of the Vietnam War. There were disturbing displays of human cruelty during the war which included numerous gruesome photographs, a real guillotine (which I found very eerie), a simulated "tiger cage" prison and jars of deformed feotuses blamed on Agent Orange. I personally found this not a good start to the trip, due to the depressing consequences of war, and as though Saigon remembered the atrocities, the heavens opened and cried bucketsful, drenching some of us somewhat as we rushed to get back to the coach.

After checking in at the New World Hotel, the afternoon's sojourn was just a few minutes walk away to the nearby Ben Thanh market, which opens from 6:00am to 6:00pm daily. Spent more than 3 hours there, yet didn't manage to finish shopping! Only finished shopping because there was a blackout, and the shops were in effect, forced to closed early. Overspent "a bit", and I found that the stuffs here were generally cheaper than Hanoi's. And you know what? The traders at Ben Thanh market will accept either Vietnamese Dong or US Dollar, and even Malaysian Ringgit at certain outlets! A calculator came in handy (I used my handphone), to do the various currency conversions to eeke out the best deal! :)

Actually, I wasn't the only one who didn't have enough time shopping at this market. There were many talks among my travel mates during dinner of squeezing another trip to the Ben Thanh market at 6:00am the following day and then return just in time for breakfast at the hotel! As to whether I really did that or not, stay tuned! :)