Good Morning Vietnam!

As soon as I touched down in Saigon I knew things were starting to look up. No lost luggage this time and I got a free ride downtown (which is one of the only expensive things over here) with an American freelance photographer who was on assignment so she just put it on her tab. The people are friendly, the food is nice, and everything is so cheap. Probably the cheapest place I've been so far. But apparently not for too much longer. I've been told several times that the cost of everything is starting to go up and new construction is going on everywhere. Apparently Vietnam plays host to a booming economy. Its the second fastest growing economy in Asia, just behind China. In other words, it might not be such a deal in a couple of years.



My plane arrived late so I just had time to grab some food and settle in for an early night. The next day I made my way through the city to see some of the sites. Ho Chi Minh City, or Saigon as the locals still call it, is the largest city in Vietnam and this is evident in the number of motos running throughout the streets. I started off with a morning tour of the Cu Chi tunnels outside the city. These are just a small part of a maze of over 200 km of tunnels that the Vietnamese used during the war to travel, hide, and ambush from. Going through the tunnels gives you an understanding of how resilient these people are. Its so easy to get lost and having the patience to excavate that much earth is pretty amazing. The tunnels are pretty small though so if you're claustrophobic you might want to think twice before heading there. I've heard these tunnels were actually widened a little for the tourists.

The afternoon consisted of heading to the War Museum. Here is mostly photos by photojournalists and different aid organizations of the American War (as its known in Vietnam) from both sides of the field. Reading into the stories you get a sense of what war does to you emotionally. Some of the pictures and stories revealed some things that are simply hard to swallow but after being in a place fighting for that long I think it really messes with your head. Just ask those crazy vets in the retirement homes. The saddest part had to be the pictures of the direct victims and their children of defoliants (mainly Agent Orange) used by the US during the war. The destruction to the people, their children, and the environment are pretty gruesome. Not even the US troops were lucky enough to escape unscathed from the effects of the poisons. Whoever thought those were a good idea was a real genius.

The next few days I spent in the Mekong Delta where the mighty Mekong River empties into the sea after traveling thousands of miles through China, Laos, Cambodia, and Vietnam. Its a step back in time from the lights and modern buildings in Saigon. The area is full of fertile grounds in which rice and tons of fruit are grown. The Mekong supplies southern Vietnam with abundant seafood. The highlight of the trip was the floating market. Unlike the floating market in Bangkok, this one is not geared towards tourists. The locals still barter and trade using their boats on the river. There you can get products at wholesale prices like the fresh pineapple I got for about a quarter. Afterwards, we made our way back to Saigon so I could grab the rest of my stuff before heading up to Dalat.