Ho Chi Minh City (HCMC)

We flew from Danang and landed in a balmy 91F Ho Chi Minh City (aka Saigon).  Unlike the colonial feel of Hanoi, HCMC was modern, young and dynamic.  Home to lots of skyscrapers, with development everywhere, it has a distinct international feel–Communist slogans may emanate from loudspeakers set atop government vans driving around the city, but there’s no mistaking that this is a land that embraces capitalism.

In the heart of town we checked into the venerable Continental Hotel, a real throwback to the colonial era, which also served as the headquarters of  TIME  and Newsweek magazines during the war.  First thing we did as a group was take a cyclo (rickshaw) tour of the town, ending at the Independence Palace, the cool white mid-century building which once housed the South Vietnamese government; this is where on April 30, 1975 the North Vietnamese tanks broke through the gates, finally ending the war.  Early the next morning, Sebbie and I walked back to the Independence Palace to check it out inside.  The Vietnamese government turned it into a museum, frozen in time in April 1975:  Shag carpets, lime green and orange abound. But we were searching for the war room somewhere in the basement…finally found it–a war bunker with yellowed maps covering the walls and table, also as the Communists found it in 1975.

We also went to the War Remnants Museum, a very sobering exhibit of the effects of the war, told from the Communists’ viewpoint.  So many displays of the weaponry of war, bombing locations and the impact on humans.  Yes, this is the victor’s side of things (no mention of atrocities by the Vietcong), but the extensive displays accurately show the destruction wrought by the US fighting and bombing.

The Mekong Delta

Our touring resumed with two nights in the Mekong Delta, which featured a “homestay” with a local Vietnamese family…a bungalow style camp in the country, we enjoyed their hospitality and delicious seafood meal.  The Delta is the rice bowl of Vietnam and full of fish farms on the major rivers and in small canals. Our lunches included local fruit and coconut, with grilled shrimp with heads on, all very tasty.  In the one-room coconut candy factory that we toured, workers wrapped each candy in waxed paper by hand at lightning speed, and we sampled the tasty product along with some local moonshine (evidently cobra flavored).

It was now New Year’s Eve in our little village and we welcomed 2020 (at midnight Sydney time…hey, we were tired!) with silly string and fireworks and a nice meal.

We made our way back to HCMC after the Mekong Delta trip and got a chance to check out the night markets and rooftop bars.  Rooftop bars are are a big thing in HCMC…a great place to relax with a drink, which we did at the Caravelle Hotel (another cool mid-century design) rooftop bar one evening and and the Rex Hotel Bar with the group on another night.  We also rode the elevator up to the restaurant near the top of the Bitexpo Financial Tower with our group–amazing views  at sunset and the beers were only $3!

Phu Quoc Island

Trips always speed up towards the end, and soon it was time to say goodbye to our new friends after breakfast. We hugged and went on our way to the next part of the trip: Phu Quoc island in the gulf of Thailand.

Phu Quoc is famous for its fish sauce but in recent years has exploded in sun and fun tourism, especially popular with Russians. We decompressed at the beach for a day then took an excursion on a snorkeling boat, which featured a delicious grilled shrimp lunch on the beach.  We got a chance to fish with trotlines, pulling up a dozen little fish…which became the grilled dinner for our crew.

The next day we rented a car (with driver – a requirement), and visited several out-of-the-way places including Starfish Beach which truly had hundreds of beautiful red starfish.  We had also heard rumor of an Australian beach bar on the other side of the island called Rory’s.  As we walked in, ELO was playing…they had us at h-ELO-o.  It was a beautiful last night…we drank beer, cosmos and coca-colas and dined on burgers and spaghetti bolognese…heaven!

It was now our 17th day in Vietnam and we were all ready to go home.  So we started our loooooong journey back to JFK by way of Phu Quoc to Ho Chi Minh City, then to Singapore, where we boarded the A380 on the top deck to Frankfurt.  Got out and stretched for one hour and then back in the plane to JFK.  When we look back on the trip a couple things come to mind: the optimism of the Vietnamese despite their history and the wonderful camaraderie of our tour group.  We have all been in touch via our WhatsApp group chat to share photos, life back home, and now what’s going on with Coronavirus.  We can definitely recommend G Adventures and when it’s ok to travel post-pandemic, Vietnam offers so much…check it out!