January 26,2025

We arrived in the port of Saigon last night and woke to steamy temperatures and this view from our stateroom.

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Dry cleaning and pressing are included in our cruise fare…I usually do a quick load of laundry every other day in the very nicely appointed laundry room -(no snark intended- laundry soap, dryer sheets and spray starch are all available)- then I send the wrinkles off to be ironed…however, I’d failed to include this blouse, so here I am.

Breakfast in Trident.

Then we walked off the ship and met our guide, Hai.

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That’s Mr. D, our driver

The drive from the ship into Saigon proper took about 35 minutes… Along the way Hai previewed our day and offered some history…

Our first stop: the city center…

Hai relayed that because we are only a few days out from the Lunar New Year, Saigon and its people are in full preparation mode. Lots of city residents have already left for their home towns to spend anywhere from 10 days to two weeks in celebration with family.

This is the City Hall, built from 1902-1908 in the French Colonial style. Remnants of old Saigon remain in the French architecture, quaint bakeries, cafes and art galleries.

We crossed the wide street opposite City Hall to take some photos in front Ben Nghe park.

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We would soon learn that Hai is an expert at selfies.

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We walked for a bit …

…Hai told us that this hotel was notorious for housing spies during the American War…Vietnam war to us…but American War to the people of Vietnam. Many journalists also stayed here.

We decided to stop at the Intercontinental hotel for refreshments…Hai continued giving us thoughtful insight into the time surrounding the events leading up to, during and after the war.

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I can think of no better way to experience this city than in a convertible…in the tour description this is referred to as: touring Saigon in a “vintage” car…yikes! Vintage! Timmy owned a 1966 Mustang…similar to this one…so in the future I think I’ll refer to us as “vintage” – sounds so much better than old.

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The convertible allowed for great photos and gave us a real sense of the hustle and bustle.

Please note that we placed Timmy and his tall self in the front seat.

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This is the famous Pink Church of Saigon …it was built during the French Colonial period in the 1870’s …it is pink inside and out. Unfortunately due to the Lunar New Year preparations…we couldn’t visit inside.

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Such a cool city from such a cool vantage point 😊

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One more selfie and we left the Mustang behind for a visit to the Tan Dinh market.

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This market is out of the way from the usual tourist crowds

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Pungent odors abound

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Dried squid

Crabs

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Fresh water circulating for Talapia and other fish

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Hey Timmy smile.

Back out on the street we visited a food court…

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It’s hard to give a sense of the food court…because of the tight quarters and my desire to be respectful of the local folks enjoying their lunch. Those phone numbers indicate that vendors in the market can order food and have it delivered directly to their stall.

Lots of choices and the food smells good …but Hai said “not really for Western tastes”.

So that was the first part of our first day in Saigon.
Next up? The real excitement as we eschew the Mustang for Vespas… yep, we hopped on Vespas so as to be fully immersed in the heart of Saigon…and boy were we immersed…thanks for following along ♥️