The port for Ho Chi Minh City is Phu My and there we had our Vietnam Visitor cards stamped inside the ship by a Vietnamese Immigration official, before debarking the ship. This is a massive port; Marshall counted 38 container cranes as we were sailing in. We took the provided shuttle from the ship to the port gates where we met our guide for the day, Khoa Dang, from Tours by Locals. We boarded a modern 9 passenger van and started the 1.5-hour drive to Saigon, the former capital of South Vietnam.

Ho Chi Minh City, also known as Saigon, is a bustling metropolis of 22M people, most of which drive some type of motorized bike. We’ve been to a lot of cities that embrace scooters, mopeds, motorcycles and everything in between, but this was next level. We’ve never seen so many! What was impressive to note was how orderly and non-aggressive the motorists were. No one drove fast, and everyone used turn signals. Even the traffic signals were next level, telling you how many seconds was remaining on each color.

The drive to the city included a ferry ride across the Saigon River and we drove straight on, with several other vehicles and dozens of motor bikes. It was Sunday and everyone was out, headed to visit family and have a relaxing day. Khoa showed us several educational sites including Vietnam’s Fulbright University, an American School and the Canadian School, all of which are in a section of the city where many ex-pats live. The city has attracted many high-tech firms and considers itself the financial center of Vietnam.

The most populous city in Vietnam, Saigon was founded in 1698 and was once a part of Cambodia. It was later colonized by the French in 1862, and in 1968, during the Tet Offensive, communist forces launched a failed attempt to capture the city. Seven years later, on 30 April 1975, Saigon was captured, ending the Vietnam War, and the city came under the control of the Vietnamese People’s Army. Today, Vietnam remains a communist country, combining strict authoritarian political control with a rapidly growing capitalist economy.

We visited the Ben Thanh Market and enjoyed wandering through the hundreds of stalls. Lunch was at a famous restaurant, PHO 2000, which has seen not one but two US Presidents grace it’s doors. There were photos of President Bill Clinton and daughter Chelsea, and of President George Bush, on the walls. We enjoyed the traditional Pho, a wonderful clear-broth soup with chicken, rice noodles and vegetables, and the spring rolls were out of this world.

Our next stop was the beautiful old Central Post Office, built during the French occupation and now used as a market, its architecture was beautiful and the craftmanship impressive. It was constructed between 1886 and 1891 and sits just blocks from the former US Embassy. 

Next, we visited the location of one of the most iconic photographs of the Vietnam War, and the most iconic photograph of the fall of Saigon. Beginning on April 29, 1975, as North Vietnamese troops were advancing toward Saigon, Americans launched Operation Frequent Wind, the largest helicopter evacuation operation in history. Over some 24 hours, choppers landed at 10-minute intervals at or near the U.S. embassy, eventually ferrying more than 7,000 Americans and Vietnamese away from the soon-to-be-occupied capital. The Pittman Building, which housed several CIA Bureau personnel, was ½ mile away from the US Embassy and also served as an evacuation point. The image, captured by Dutch journalist Hubert Van Es, showed dozens of South Vietnamese being airlifted out of Saigon by a Huey Helicopter from the roof of the Pittman Building.

We also visited the Reunification Palace, the former home and workplace of the South Vietnamese president. It is arguably the most significant war site, where North Vietnamese tanks breached the gates on April 30, 1975.

On our 1.5-hour drive back to the ship, we stopped at a Buddhist temple, Chua Ho Phap. A service was being conducted and we listened to the traditional peace chant. It was a nice ending to the day.

Tomorrow: Cam Rahn, Vietnam

Recommended: Khoa Dang, Tours by Locals, https://www.toursbylocals.com/tour-guides/vietnam/ho-chi-minh-city/guide-profile/khoa–664d21bd96689af343324dfb