Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon)
May 6-12, 2001

These pictures were actually taken in Bangkok, Thailand, where we had a 1 day stopover en route to Vietnam.

Brian hanging on for dear life on Bangkok's new light rail train.  One can only hope the new system will help alleviate Bangkok's choking traffic.

Brian in front of the Cabbages and Condoms Restaurant, whose slogan is, "Our food is guaranteed not to cause pregnancy."  It is a restaurant whose highly unique theme is contraception.  Actually, it features very good regional food from around Thailand and a lush tropical garden in which to dine.  And it has a gift shop which sells (you guessed it!) a wide variety of condoms.  Check out this link for more info.

 

And now on to Ho Chi Minh....

Where to go for "FPT" access in Ho Chi Minh.	The view from our room at the Rex Hotel.
Another fine example of French architecture in HCMC, the Hôtel de Ville (People's Committee Building).	The Hôtel de Ville at night.	Hanging out with the Virgin Mary in front of the Notre Dame cathedral.	Nice car!
Inside the main Ho Chi Minh City post office. This has got to be the most beautiful post offices I've ever been in.  It was designed in French baroque style with vaulted ceilings and a huge portrait of the man himself, Ho Chi Minh.	Enjoying a fine Vietnamese dinner.	The famous and flashy Rex Hotel, where we stayed.	Some US military hardware left over from the war on display at the War Remnants Museum.  This museum does not paint a pretty picture of US actions during what the Vietnamese refer to as the "American War."
These two ladies are selling me Vietnamese coffee in Ho Chi Minh City's Ben Thanh Market.  Vietnamese coffee beans are roasted in butter and the taste is simply out of this world.	Pho Binh, at 7 Ly Chinh Thang, is more than just your everyday soup shop.  During the Vietnam war, it secretly housed the headquarters of the Vietcong, and it was here that the VC planned the attack on the US Embassy during the 1968 Tet Offensive. While you eat your soup, which is not bad at all, you can thumb thru photo albums and other memorabilia that the proprietor (an old VC member) has compiled.	Rush hour on the streets of Ho Chi Minh.  Chaos reigns, despite the policeman who is real hard at work directing traffic.  You can often see entire families riding on one scooter, including small children fast asleep!  I read that the Vietnamese government was about to require helmets... not a bad idea.	"Ready, set....."  Motorists waiting for the light to change at one of Ho Chi Minh City's many busy intersections.  This is one of the very few traffic signals that was actually working when we visited.