I really liked Saigon, and I really like the name “Saigon.” I think the traffic was one of the sights to see; it was crazy, so I rode in it, and took photos.
Here’s a self-timed portrait with my host, Charles. Look how dope we are chillin’ for the camera and holding up two fingers. It was great staying with him, and not in a guesthouse or hostel; it made me feel slightly legitimate.
I spent 3 days in Saigon. I liked the city a lot and it was cool to stay in Charles’ apartment instead of some hotel or hostel.
I did some touristy stuff. I went to the Reunification Palace which I remembered from war movies – you know that footage where a helicopter is on top of the building and it’s overrun with people trying to get out. When this place got taken over by the North, it marked the end of the war – the Fall of Saigon. Visiting it was pretty boring though.
I went on an organized tour to visit the Cu Chi tunnels (yeah, “coochie”). The idea of this large network of tunnels underground that the Vietcong used for living in and for attacking the Americans is pretty awesome, but I didn’t get a whole lot out of visiting them. Plus there was a really annoying American guy in my tour group who thought he was really interesting and had a question about everything, like he spoke for the group. And his wrist was stacked with bracelets – very free-flowing, wannabe, Southeast Asia tourist. The booby traps were cool though.
I think the best tourist thing I did in Saigon was to visit the War Remnants Museum. I already wrote about it in the Aftermath of Agent Orange post, but it was really eye-opening to see photos of the war – some really gruesome ones I’d never seen before. Did you know that three Americans burned themselves in protest of the war?
I needed a shave so Charles brought me to this massage place because he and his friend wanted to get facials there. I wish I had had the courage to take a photo of this place. It was packed with beautiful Vietnamese girls wearing bright-red skimpy dresses and looking bored. Their boobs were busting out, and I felt nervous walking in. I felt my heart beating faster. While Charles and his friend got worked on by these girls, I was assigned a guy to shave my face.
On Valentine’s Day (it’s celebrated in Vietnam too), I went out with Charles and his friends to a club named Lush. We got a plush table with bottle service. Totally not my style but I guess you have to be a little showy in Saigon. I noticed a lot of older white guys there with young Vietnamese girls. That’s pretty cool.
Yeah, I know this photo sucks.
In between my meals at KFC and Pizza Hut, I went to some authentic places to eat.
We had some chicken wings and this crepe with shrimp, egg, and sprouts. French influence with a lot of Vietnamese modification?
That’s Charles.
Charles’ apartment where I spent some time recovering and eating.
Zip-locked napkins from the delivery place. Now I wouldn’t dream of using a napkin that didn’t have an airtight seal.
The view of Saigon from Charles’ apartment.
I took the taxi in Saigon when I was going somewhere with Charles, but I cycled otherwise. Bicycling in Saigon was much better. I needed my iPhone with GPS to navigate around but the city is quite manageable and small enough.
And the traffic in Saigon is exciting. Definitely like a video game. You have to anticipate the potential moves of lots of motor scooters, and you have to throw yourself into oncoming traffic if you need to make a left turn. I feel quite accomplished for surviving it and actually getting used to it. Now I think I could manage cycling in any city in the world.
I took this photo during 5 pm rush hour in Saigon
I made it to Saigon today! The Pearl of the Orient. I used to be an R.A. at Georgia Tech, and it’s paid off because I met up with one of my former residents, Charles, and I’ll be staying at his place for a few days here.
Hanoi to Saigon! I’ve cycled 1,350 miles in 17 cycling days. That’s an average of ~80 miles per day. Over those 17 days I’ve logged about 97 hours of on-the-saddle cycling time, so that’s an average speed of 14 miles per hour.
My best day so far has been 105 miles at an average speed of 17 miles per hour. My hardest day was the one where I climbed into the mountains and slept in the teen-party shack: 79 miles in 7 hours 23 minutes and climbing to 4,200 feet.
