Saigon, I’m still only in Saigon
Re: Saigon, I’m still only in Saigon
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Re: Saigon, I’m still only in Saigon
The Ho Chi Minh Mausoleum, the Presidential house, his home and the Stilt house
After security where no liquid or drinking water is allowed, there was a one hour standing wait line to get into the Mausoleum where the body of Ho Chi Minh is kept under glass. Everyone was made to line up in three perfect single lanes with soldiers pointing out any deviations of more than a few inches. It seemed to me that neat lines are meant to show respect to HCM. After seeing HCM It takes another hour to go through the path for the other sights, among school kids and tours. Thankfully, it was not too hot this morning, I only saw a couple of people that fainted.
No pictures are allowed inside the Mausoleum. The body looks good, it's like looking at a glow in the dark Ho Chi Minh, and better than Mao in Beijing. My wife, who is smaller than I, did me a favour of taking a quick picture of the dead Ho Chi Minh as we were walking around the body. A guard obviously saw her and pointed her to the others. We were arrested by the guards and brought into a small back room with 4 officers looking at us. They were very nice, friendly and polite, they just wanted the IPhone to be unlocked. The older officer who took the phone did not know how it worked and a younger one came to help and they inspected the pictures. There was no fine, and they let us go after the picture of HCM was deleted. Still, I was not too sure what would happen to us for about 1 minute in that room. In the end, it was a memorable experience. Considering that we had been previously warned multiple times of not taking any pictures of HCM and I had been quite insensitive to their greatest hero, these guys were cool. Deep inside me, I think that after being made to wait in line for one hour like school kids in the heat, I just wanted to test the process and see what would happen.
The Ho Chi Minh house and car collection are badly presented but the stilt house is nicer and a lot more photogenic. I understand why he preferred to live there.
The museum is quite modern and has attractive displays, with everything someone would like to know about HCM.
After security where no liquid or drinking water is allowed, there was a one hour standing wait line to get into the Mausoleum where the body of Ho Chi Minh is kept under glass. Everyone was made to line up in three perfect single lanes with soldiers pointing out any deviations of more than a few inches. It seemed to me that neat lines are meant to show respect to HCM. After seeing HCM It takes another hour to go through the path for the other sights, among school kids and tours. Thankfully, it was not too hot this morning, I only saw a couple of people that fainted.
No pictures are allowed inside the Mausoleum. The body looks good, it's like looking at a glow in the dark Ho Chi Minh, and better than Mao in Beijing. My wife, who is smaller than I, did me a favour of taking a quick picture of the dead Ho Chi Minh as we were walking around the body. A guard obviously saw her and pointed her to the others. We were arrested by the guards and brought into a small back room with 4 officers looking at us. They were very nice, friendly and polite, they just wanted the IPhone to be unlocked. The older officer who took the phone did not know how it worked and a younger one came to help and they inspected the pictures. There was no fine, and they let us go after the picture of HCM was deleted. Still, I was not too sure what would happen to us for about 1 minute in that room. In the end, it was a memorable experience. Considering that we had been previously warned multiple times of not taking any pictures of HCM and I had been quite insensitive to their greatest hero, these guys were cool. Deep inside me, I think that after being made to wait in line for one hour like school kids in the heat, I just wanted to test the process and see what would happen.
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The Ho Chi Minh house and car collection are badly presented but the stilt house is nicer and a lot more photogenic. I understand why he preferred to live there.
- IMG_2575-compressed.jpeg (1.67 MiB) Viewed 215 times
- IMG_2603-compressed.jpeg (879.82 KiB) Viewed 215 times
- IMG_2592-compressed.jpeg (813.46 KiB) Viewed 215 times
The museum is quite modern and has attractive displays, with everything someone would like to know about HCM.
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Last edited by lmcq11 on Mon Apr 01, 2024 4:20 pm, edited 5 times in total.
Re: Saigon, I’m still only in Saigon
Presidential home, HCM home and car collection
Decades after his death, Ho Chi Minh is definitely still the biggest thing going on in Hanoi.
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Re: Saigon, I’m still only in Saigon
And with that, the trip is over. Hope it was interesting.
Some final thoughts;
This was a very interesting but tiring 25 day trip. Vietnam and Cambodia are big countries, very hot and humid. Someone can burn out fast if he does not rest. I had made plans to use the free time to visit many places on my own, the plan was thrown overboard fast. Every free minute was used for rest and to conserve energy for the following day. Whenever I pushed myself and visited something extra in the late hot afternoon, I would wake up with a headache the following morning.
The idea for a good time is to remain healthy but it did not happen. I had spider bites that got infected on the first week. Then I had a stomach bug for 1 week that kept me miserable and looking for a happy room at every opportunity. Not easy on a organized trip. Then everyone without exception got a respiratory illness of some various degrees. Fine dust particles in Vietnamese air increase the coughing and caused my wife to develop some bad asthma for which we had no medications. I learned from the locals and started wearing a face mask when walking on streets, symptoms improved immediately. But pollution had a big impact on the overall visiting experience. Some are not bothered by pollution that much but for Canadians like us used to fresh air, it has taken a toll on the health.
Road system is mostly bad and slow, averaging no more than 35km/h. I was flying between most cities but on local tours that do inland transportation, these 4 to 6 hour rides were agonizing, especially on buses designed for 5 feet tall asians. I recommend flying with the least bus rides as possible. If not, 9 to 12 hour bus rides will be terrible. There are rarely any scenic drives in Vietnam. Most roads in south Vietnam are urbanized dwellings, like an endless village with local traffic and people living on streets.
I never got used to Vietnamese food. I had simple fried rice with chicken or shrimps at least half the time. Breakfasts in hotels were surprisingly good.
I ended up liking Cambodia more than Vietnam. Cambodia is more relax. But the Chinese are going to own the country and with all the high rises building in every cities in past 5 years and on going, Cambodian cities will end up looking like mini Shanghai soon, losing local culture and charm.
I ended up not getting what I was looking for in Vietnam. It’s not a green destination at all, it’s badly polluted, dusty and noisy. The charm that was existing maybe 50 or 100 years ago for a foreigner like me has been replaced by a motor bike culture, everywhere, millions of them. Pollution increased five folds in past 20 years and from the number of shops everywhere selling motor bikes, air quality is not about to improve. When the streets are full, they run on sidewalks, which are just parking areas for them. It’s just another developping country, overpopulated and paying the price.
At the end of the trip, everyone in the group of 10 is dead tired. The Australians are quieter now and stopped talking a week ago, even between themselves. The American was revived a bit after being fed with a steak 2 days ago but it did not last long. It time to go home.
After 25 days in Vietnam and Cambodia, Louis is now signing off.
Some final thoughts;
This was a very interesting but tiring 25 day trip. Vietnam and Cambodia are big countries, very hot and humid. Someone can burn out fast if he does not rest. I had made plans to use the free time to visit many places on my own, the plan was thrown overboard fast. Every free minute was used for rest and to conserve energy for the following day. Whenever I pushed myself and visited something extra in the late hot afternoon, I would wake up with a headache the following morning.
The idea for a good time is to remain healthy but it did not happen. I had spider bites that got infected on the first week. Then I had a stomach bug for 1 week that kept me miserable and looking for a happy room at every opportunity. Not easy on a organized trip. Then everyone without exception got a respiratory illness of some various degrees. Fine dust particles in Vietnamese air increase the coughing and caused my wife to develop some bad asthma for which we had no medications. I learned from the locals and started wearing a face mask when walking on streets, symptoms improved immediately. But pollution had a big impact on the overall visiting experience. Some are not bothered by pollution that much but for Canadians like us used to fresh air, it has taken a toll on the health.
Road system is mostly bad and slow, averaging no more than 35km/h. I was flying between most cities but on local tours that do inland transportation, these 4 to 6 hour rides were agonizing, especially on buses designed for 5 feet tall asians. I recommend flying with the least bus rides as possible. If not, 9 to 12 hour bus rides will be terrible. There are rarely any scenic drives in Vietnam. Most roads in south Vietnam are urbanized dwellings, like an endless village with local traffic and people living on streets.
I never got used to Vietnamese food. I had simple fried rice with chicken or shrimps at least half the time. Breakfasts in hotels were surprisingly good.
I ended up liking Cambodia more than Vietnam. Cambodia is more relax. But the Chinese are going to own the country and with all the high rises building in every cities in past 5 years and on going, Cambodian cities will end up looking like mini Shanghai soon, losing local culture and charm.
I ended up not getting what I was looking for in Vietnam. It’s not a green destination at all, it’s badly polluted, dusty and noisy. The charm that was existing maybe 50 or 100 years ago for a foreigner like me has been replaced by a motor bike culture, everywhere, millions of them. Pollution increased five folds in past 20 years and from the number of shops everywhere selling motor bikes, air quality is not about to improve. When the streets are full, they run on sidewalks, which are just parking areas for them. It’s just another developping country, overpopulated and paying the price.
At the end of the trip, everyone in the group of 10 is dead tired. The Australians are quieter now and stopped talking a week ago, even between themselves. The American was revived a bit after being fed with a steak 2 days ago but it did not last long. It time to go home.
After 25 days in Vietnam and Cambodia, Louis is now signing off.
Last edited by lmcq11 on Mon Apr 01, 2024 3:29 pm, edited 6 times in total.
Re: Saigon, I’m still only in Saigon
Hey Louis,
thank you very much for this wonderful travelogue.
thank you very much for this wonderful travelogue.
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Herr Dr. Professor
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Re: Saigon, I’m still only in Saigon
Louis, I will be glad when you are rested 
, but I admire your fortitude and was eager each day for your photos and comments. Thank you.
, but I admire your fortitude and was eager each day for your photos and comments. Thank you.
Last edited by Herr Dr. Professor on Sat Mar 30, 2024 9:03 pm, edited 1 time in total.
Re: Saigon, I’m still only in Saigon
An entertaining insight into a country I will probably never visit! Thank you!
