Ho Chi Minh City!

First impressions of Ho Chi Minh City/Saigon: it's almost like we're in a different country than the north and central Vietnam. Hanoi seemed fast-paced but managable; it had a definite order amid the chaos there. Here we're in a city with even more traffic and chaos. Saigon has a much more cosmopolitan and urbane feel. We saw very little graffiti in Hanoi; in Saigon there's graffiti. There are more ethnic restaurants (lots of American restaurants/chains), high rise buildings, glitz and neon, and more tourists. There are even the "tourist police" at intersections to help us wind our way through the overwhelming traffic as we cross the street.

One of the students called this New York City on LSD. He clarified that it's not just crack (as the saying usually goes.) It's clearly much stronger than that. I have to agree.

On the way from the airport to the hotel, Ken talked a bit about the history of the south. The north has always been the center of life and government and power. The people who moved south were (much like those who moved west in the U.S.) the ones looking for more freedom and space and less oversight. So there is a different feel and spirit to the place. He likened the difference beteeen Hanoi and Saigon to the difference between Washington, D. C. and L.A.

So now I'm anticipating three great days around and in Ho Chi Minh City. It should be good.

The photos are all out the bus window on the ride from the airport to our hotel.