Saigon, Vietnam: Day 46

 Day 46 Saigon Vietnam Sunday, Nov. 19, 2023

We had missed our port yesterday due to feisty seas, so were able to arrive more than two hours earlier
than planned. This allowed for our tours to be moved forward by a couple hours which was great for us
as I was scheduled to lead the 6:00 worship service. Our tour was 5 hours and we hoped for time to go
back into Saigon on the shuttle bus to spend the rest of our Vietnamese money since we leave Vietnam
tomorrow afternoon. Oh, the complicated lives we live!!!

Backing up our schedule to allow for Jerry’s meds meant we set alarm for 5 to eat at 6 so we can leave
by 8-ish. At 5:15 I headed up to the top deck to take pics of the already risen sun and the sail-in which
was among greenery. Surprisingly, there were probably 8 other people already on the walking track
with about 5 others standing by watching the sun and enjoying the sail in. Got my morning walk and
then my morning treat: café latte. Also had time to get to the Catholic service in the Regatta lounge,
presided by a retired priest (Steve) and his two seminary buddies Pete and Joe.

Ours was among the early groups to leave the ship and load onto the dozen or more waiting buses.
Because it was Sunday the traffic was a bit lighter as we drove out of the port and immediately through
District 1, the high-class financial district. Our guide liked to be called “Rambo” and he was full of stories against the government and Ho Chi Minh’s memory while chock-full of stories of his own about the past 50-year history and the US involvement. In 1972 when US pulled out with the final “Miss Saigon” helicopter lifting from the yellow CIA flat rooftop, life was really hard—especially for those who had fought the North Vietnamese (and lost). Their children were not allowed to go to school. The US embargo just about crumbled the country. Then in the early 90s when Pres. Clinton visited and lifted the embargo, the country surged.

The mighty Mekong River continues to be the lifeblood of the country (although it almost became
Cambodian) with the annual flooding and the silt being the only fertilizer needed for 3 crops of rice per
year, agricultural products, etc. Our guide talked at length about the various kinds of coffee for which
Vietnam is well known. Jerry and I began to wonder how many of his stories were true…
Our first stop was to wander through a gigantic Chinese market in Chinatown, Saigon. Our fellow guests who were Chinese enjoyed it immensely. To Jerry and me, it was just another mammoth Chinese
market with all the sights, sounds, smells, and activity.

A few blocks away was a Chinese temple which was the most utilized as any I’ve ever seen. Our guide
explained the “ancestor anniversary” which is when Buddhist families purchase fake money, fake
anything, take it home and burn it because their deceased ancestors who are living in another world will
probably need the money and other items in their other life. Plus, the more generous a person is in this
life, the better the chance of having a successful reincarnation. Inside this temple were rows upon rows
of photos of people who have died; their images are to stay in the temple more than three days and
their spirits live in the family’s home for about three years. Of course there was a large bust of Ho Chi

Minh inside the temple. With incense burning there, too. Do they worship him? Not sure. Many tables
were set inside and food was being delivered. Two other buses also needed to wander through, so we
left. Note the cages with small birds next to the temple. No, they are not for sacrifice; rather, when the
Lunar Calendar denotes an auspicious day, many people flock to the temples to pray. Similar to above,
the more good works one does while they are alive, the more successful they will be in their next life.
The birds? They are to be purchased and let loose as a sign of goodwill.

Next, we toured a lacquer factory and shop to see the many stages of applying the lacquer, insetting the
abalone shell and egg shells(and showing how to slice it just right with old-fashioned tools), perhaps
painting the piece, then how to shine it. We saw many sizes and themes, but we didn’t purchase.
The Imperial Palace is under construction, but we could get inside anyway. It had been built by the
French in the 1859, then the US dropped two bombs just on the periphery in 1962 as the only attack in
the city. The president had fled a week earlier and the VP who was in his place waved the white flag
just after the bombs. Most has been rebuilt. Inside, surprisingly, is a museum of sorts. Many of the war
room/power rooms were still evident, with the most opulent being where guests were welcomed.

(Also named Independence Palace, the name and info within (along with all that we've been reading in Vietnam) needs to be filtered through their communist point of view.  Particularly as we headed into this structure and viewed 1960s furnishings, photos, and everything the US left behind when they vacated Vietnam--Saigon was the last place of evacuation for us.

Many of you will remember these names: Ho Chi Min; Henry Kissinger; Robert McNamara; McGeorge Bundy; General William Westmoreland; Lieutenant William Calley; Senator William Fulbright; George Kennan; Presidents Kennedy, Eisenhower, Nixon, and Johnson; and a slew of Vietnamese names of generals and such.  Some of these names and the tough memories will be revisited tomorrow in another emotional day.  Stay tuned)

There’s a decided Chinese influence in the lush carpeting, filigreed woodwork, and teak furniture. In the lower levels are catacombs of leftover teletype machines, portable communications systems, and walls upon walls of maps with markings for strategies still there. Our guide said that the architect used the theory of feng shui (balance in all things) to build. Yes, there are feng shui masters to be hired.
Our last district to visit had a huge Notre Dame Cathedral whose one side was completely concealed and under reconstruction. We didn’t go inside. Diagonally across the street is the very formal and French looking opera house. Across the street is a huge French building that looks like a train station but is a post office. It was designed by Eiffel. The interior has original furnishings yet is also a small shopping district. 

It was 92 degrees, we were pooped and hot, so I sat on a bench with Jerry to wait for the allotted 25 minutes. Imagine my surprise when a 9-yr-old girl slid onto the bench next to me and asked in perfect English, “May I practice my English with you?” We had a delightful 15 minute conversation that wasn’t memorized on her part. She is learning the language in school but her skills were beyond elementary level. She said she listens on the internet and on Netflix. Huh. Jerry called her fearless. Her name is Huyen with lots of accent marks, pronounced Hoo-in. Her eyes about popped out when she learned we’d be traveling over 77 days. But when I opened my journal to consult where we’d been in Vietnam, she sighed and touched the wording as if it was holy. What a hoot!!!