The final bus journey in the delta from Can Tho into Saigon was along wonderful flat tarmaced roads, and over huge toll bridges spanning the numerous waterways of the River of Nine Dragons as the Mekong is called here.
The locals still call the city Saigon, although strictly speaking that is just the central part of the city. Now the official name is Ho Chi Min City, renamed after the end of the Vietnam War, or the American War as it is called here.
We headed for the backpacker area of town, and quickly found rooms.... Cheap cheap and clean clean.... No window but actually that was a blessing as we were mostly immune to the street noise below.... And air con did the trick for ventilation.
This was our street and side alleyways in the backpacker area of Pham Ngu Lao... Apparently it's cleaned up a lot from a few years ago....
The Pham Ngu Lao backpacker district from a local rooftop bar
And at night.... The bars just put more and more plastic child size chairs into the street for people to sit on, and the bikes and pedestrians squeeze past on an ever narrowing road!
We explored the town.... The riverfront
The Majestic hotel on the waterfront with the Bitexco Tower behind
The Opera House, now known as the Municipal Theatre, with the Continental Hotel behind it where Graham Greene wrote The Quiet American and which housed the press corps during the French War in the 1950s.
Lunch was needed for energy for more sightseeing...we were actually sitting on the road at a busy cross roads!
The General Post Office.... What a beautiful building! Built by Gustave Eiffel between 1886-91, and is now a tourist attraction as well as a functioning post office.
The former telephone booths have been converted into ATMs now...!
The Ho Chi Min City People's Committee building, unfortunately not open to the public
With a statue of Ho Chi Min in front, by night...
The Bitexco Financial Services tower, opened in 2011. It is designed to look like the lotus bud, and represent the growth and aspirations of Vietnam. The bit sticking out is a helipad with a viewing platform and bar beneath....
The Ben Thanh market by night. This is the emblem of Saigon...
And of course the motor bikes..... The unofficial symbol of Saigon. Most of the pavements were roped off for bike parking for the forthcoming Tet celebrations.... And those pavements that weren't roped off were fair game for bikes to use as well as the road! Eyes in the back of your head is a phrase that comes to mind....
Complete with child seat!
And all the streets were festooned with the Vietnamese flag, and this poster, celebrating 84 years since the founding of the Communist Party in Vietnam....
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