Saigon, A Tale of Two Ho Chi Minh Cities

Last Stop

During the planning phase of the trip, there was much uncertainty surrounding what the final city would be before our departure. Southern Vietnam is different than that of Northern, both in culture as well as climate. Eventually opting to visit Ho Chi Minh City to visit the War Remnants Museum, we were surprised by just how stark the differences with the North, actually are.
If cultural immersion had been our goal in Hanoi, comfort and air conditioning were the order of the day here. Using points, we stayed at a modern hotel on the waterfront, located in the heart of the hustle and bustle of the massive sprawl that is Ho Chi Minh City.

What To Do in Saigon

We had two objectives during our stay here, which is limited by time, were arranged in advance of our arrival. The first objective is a private cultural tour, which he had booked via AirBnB Experiences, which was facilitated by an American man from Montana, who had been living there for three years. Fortunately for us, I had arranged this tour with him first, and it was with his guidance that we arranged to start the tour early in the morning (6:30 AM), and again at his suggestion, decided to fulfill our second objective on the following morning.

The Cultural Tour

Rising with the dawn of our first full day, we made our way by taxi to the specified location to meet our tour guide (Matt). It was already hot despite the hour, so we were grateful for having taken his advice and gotten our butts out of bed.

Our guide was friendly and communicated facts and details in a way that as Americans, we would either find especially interesting or would be able to better understand by way of shared national identity. We were accompanied by a friend of his who was also visiting from the US and who also was nearly the victim of the only thing even remotely resembling “lascivious behavior” that we had observed during our entire time in Vietnam. That said, a man of a motorbike tried to grab his iPhone (which was in use) out of his hand as he drove past. Fortunately for our new friend, the attempted thief dropped the phone and chose to keep on driving, allowing the phone to be recovered without damage.

With belongings securely stowed, we continued the tour and arrived at a nearby park in time to watch a group of elderly women performing their daily morning practice of Sword Kata.

A City With Two Names

You may have noticed that this city is often still referred to as “Saigon,” instead of Ho Chi Minh City, and I was grateful to finally get some clarity on this point during our tour.

As you may recall, or even if you don’t, that the city of “Saigon” was the capital city of the briefly independent country of South Vietnam, which was backed by the United States. When the South Vietnamese (and us) lost the war, the communist leadership of the North, renamed the city in honor of their figurehead, Ho Chi Minh. That said, to this day the citizens of the north and south do not get along, and the citizens of the south have fully rejected the new name. To that end, while “Ho Chi Minh City” is the official name, to anyone that lives there, “Saigon” is what is used in the everyday.

It’s not the heat, it’s the humidity

If we had been surprised by the cold while in Hanoi, we were melted into a puddle of mush by the heat in Ho Chi Minh City. A local told us that they have two seasons in southern Vietnam, hot and wet, or hot and wetter, and I believe him.

I suggest doing anything outside, early in the morning, because by the time midday rolls around (and keep in mind that we were there during their winter, in January) it’s entirely too hot to move!

Fortunately, bubble tea is plentiful and provides welcome refreshment as often as needed.

Everyone Celebrate!

Tết, the Vietnamese New Year was going to be occurring shortly after our departure, but decorations were already beginning to appear around the city. We were fortunate enough to get to see some of them while out one evening after being advised to check out a VERY cool rooftop bar at the Hotel des Arts Saigon.

Final Thoughts

While the main purpose of our visit to Saigon was to visit the American War Museum (I talk about this in another post), the city, in general, was entirely overwhelming to me, and if I ever find myself in Vietnam again I would prioritize visiting smaller cities in the surrounding region. That said, the people are very warm, and were VERY happy to see Americans. Several older locals even asked to have their pictures taken with us because they hadn’t seen an American since they were themselves, young children, during the war, it was very touching.

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