ÀỐ Show in Saigon Opera House

On our first night in Ho Chi Minh City, nothing was planned so we had to find our own entertainment. We found a show at the Opera House. It is world famous and it is amazing.

We were not allowed to take pictures of the show so I had to cheat. I went online and grabbed some shots. I also found some YouTube videos. The link below should allow you to get a sense of the performance. There are more in YouTube if you want to see.

AO Show on YouTube

Goodbye Vietnam

On the last evening we were taken to the Rex hotel for the view and for a drink. The Rooftop Garden Bar was a gathering place for reporters covering the Vietnam War. From here you can see the rooftop where a helicopter was landed to evacuate CIA personnel on the day before Saigon fell.

The moon was almost full.

Deb wore her Viet Cong pyjamas which she bought at Cu Chi.

We were losing the light, so the pictures are getting grainy.

Downtown Pedestrian Mall

Another Royal Palace

Our Final Group Shot

After the bar, we headed to a very elegant restaurant for an extremely tasty farewell dinner.

This was the last time spent with Phiem, our Cruise Director.

Cu Chi Tunnels

On our last day, the highlight was to be the Cu Chi tunnels. I thought the place should be pronounced coochie, but our guide made it sound like cookie.

On the way I had to take some pictures of the motorbikes. They are everywhere and nowhere is safe. To cross the street, you can't wait for a break in the traffic, only for it to ease up a bit. Then you raise your hand and walk slowly. The bikes go around you. This works (I never saw any collisions) because the traffic moves slowly and everyone is willing to give a little.

At Cu Chi, this is the first tunnel we found. It has been opened up and enlarged for tourists.

When in use, none were so open, nor did they have such roofs.

It looks like an anthill, but is actually an air vent.

This is more like a real entrance into the tunnels.
Going!

Going!

GONE!
Do you think you could find him?

Oh! There he is! (about twenty feet away).

An Entrance
Because the Americas could not find the Viet Cong, they developed the defoliant Agent Orange.

At the bottom of this trap, sharpened stakes waited.

The cooking tent did not vent directly outside. Smoke was directed through several
rooms and filtered through vegetation. When it did reach
the surface it was barely visible.

Dining Bunker

Uniforms are created and repaired.

Demonstrating the creation of Ho Chi Minh sandals.

Thinh demonstrates that some sandals were narrower at the front.
A soldier wearing such a sandal would leave a trail that
looked like he was travelling in the opposite direction.

The Viet Cong used unexploded American Bombs to create landmines.

This diagram demonstrates the tunnels were on several levels. At this site, there were more than 200 kilometres of tunnels.

Hello Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam

All of our luggage was loaded onto a large bus and relayed to the centre of this massive city. Here is a huge (11 million population), thriving metropolis. For the first time, we were actually cautioned to keep our passports and valuables secure. No problems ever arose.

Outside the Opera House, this bicycle merely demonstrated the carrying capacity.

The tallest building we could see had a helicopter pad jutting out of the side.

Vietnamese coffee is apparently quite famous. I had some on our very last night.
It was very strong and very sweet. I liked it.

This is the largest post office in Vietnam.

Inside the Post Office.

We visited the Vietnam War Museum. The Vietnamese call it "The American War".

Cooking School: This man stared straight ahead, and smiled as he demonstrated his chopping skills.

We made salad rolls, mixed the spices for a fried chicken dish, and concocted an amazing bowl of pho. All in all, it was a wonderful meal, and great entertainment.

Our room at the Intercontinental Hotel

Sliding doors opened between the bedroom and the bathroom.

Deb especially loved this lounge chair.
I thought it looked like it could have come from Ikea.

Goodbye to Avalon Siem Reap

On our last day aboard ship, we travelled along an incredibly busy canal.

Small channels came in from the side.

Our guide explained that this is the busiest canal in all of Asia. Almost all of the traffic is industrial.

When loaded, some of the gunnels of these barges are often underwater. Empty, they might
rise three or four metres out of the water.

Farewell from the purser and the kitchen staff.

The captain had a few words to say (which I really didn't understand).

Would you believe they forced some people to get up and do the macarena?

A party boat parked next to us as we arrived in Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon to the locals).

Can Be - Floating Market and Food Factory

This floating market is the source of many of the goods you find in the local markets. Buyers come here to get entire shiploads of product for resale.

Poles rise over each ship to show what product they have far sale.

In the food factory, puffed rice is created in a large pot filled with hot black sand. The sand is then sifted out.

Dry noodles are magically created in the same pot.

The final product here looks like a rice crispy square.

Rice paper is spread, steamed, and dried.

Coconut candies are mixed, formed, and wrapped.

The boa constrictor was for the tourists. Linda approved.

Snake wine is made as an "Asian Viagara".

Durian is an asian fruit that "tastes like heaven", but "smells like hell". Many hotels
and restaurants will not allow them because of the odour. We were out on the water
with a steady breeze, so the smell was bearable. They tasted great.

Fruit Stall

Rambutan (a variety of litchi)