VIETNAM

DAY 61 — March 6,  2017 – Nha Trang, VIETNAM

Our intro to Vietnam was in the beachside city of Nha Trang where we visited an embroidery and silk paintings workshop, a big Buddha, the ancient Po Nagar temples and a market, of course.

The workers here reminded me of the artists at the Herend porcelain factory in Hungary.  Their fine, precision work takes a toll on the eyes of the young embroiderers.

The work is exquisite and you cannot help but marvel at the patience, the stamina and the skill required to create such beautiful works of art.  The prices of the pieces were exquisite also. Alas, we will not be bringing one home.

The 30 foot tall white Buddha statue at the Long Son Pagoda overlooks Nha Trang and can be seen from many parts of the city

Starting the 376 step climb to the white Buddha.  Tourists get a good workout visiting the temples, shrines, pagodas, and caves of Asia because everything is always high on a hill.  I am logging 12 -15,000 steps daily, much of them straight up.

The Cham Towers at the Po Nagar Temple complex are breathtaking in size and design..  Originally there were 8 of these towers standing on the granite hilltop overlooking the Nha Trang region.  Only four remain.   They were built between the 7^th and 12^th centuries out of wood, which burned easily, then were rebuilt in stone. Ornamentation was not carved into the stone, however, but simply attached.  It was all easy to steal and many of the statues and decorative pieces have been found far from the original towers.

Our first impressions of Vietnam were pleasant. Although it is a little scruffier that Hong Kong and Shanghai, it had a vibrant air and its beach location was so pleasant.  Plus, it was a beautiful day with light  breezes that minimized the heat.

DAY 62 — March 7,  2017 – Ho Chi Minh City, VIETNAM

Ho Chi Minh City, formerly known as Saigon (and still referred to as Saigon by most residents) was our destination on our second day on Vietnam.  Ho Chi Minh (above in front of city hall) was the revered communist leader during the 1930’s when Vietnam was still under French colonial rule.  The civil war between the north (supported by Russia and China) and the south (supported by the US) in what the Vietnamese refer to as the American War ended with the Viet Cong taking over in 1972 as the US pulled out.

The Saigon post office was designed by 

Gustav Eiffel and featured beautiful interior vaulted ceilings.

Saigon’s Notre Dame Cathedral sits on the same square with the post office.  Both buildings were built as a statement of power by the French during the colonial period in the 1800s.

The former Presidential Palace, now known as Independence/Reunification Hall was made famous in 1975 when cameras from around the world filmed the Viet Cong tanks breaking through the gates and ending the Vietnam War.

The gates now welcome tourists to the former palace still decked out in all its formal grandeur.

The upper floors are filled with luxurious reception areas, dining rooms, conference rooms and living quarters fit for a President.

The lower levels are a solidly built and reinforced bunker.  This was where war planning and communications took place and where government officials could retreat to if the building came under attack.

Communications Room.

After our visit to Reunification Hall, we took a 45-minute Rickshaw ride and, though we started out nice and easy on a side street, we were soon in the thick of car and scooter traffic.  Moving about in a low, open seat in heavy bumper-to-bumper traffic in a city where traffic rules are basically non-existent was exciting, to say the least.  And then, that was when my smartphone camera gave me that dreaded message:  STORAGE FULL -- just like in those TV commercials.  Ron managed to save the experience with his camera, getting a lot of the excitement on video.

Grab is Saigon’s Uber service.

HCMC/Saigon is a city of 12 million people and 8 million motor scooters.  Costing between $1200 and $10,000 they have radically changed life for the Vietnamese.  They are inexpensive, agile in traffic, and easy to park.  And they allow everyone to get around quickly.

But Vietnamese women are very careful about getting too much sun. They value a light complexion.  So, even though it was in the high 80’s in Saigon, all the women on motor scooters were covered from head to toe.   Gloves, jackets, socks, and face coverings were the norm.

Our lunch was at a restaurant made famous when Bill Clinton ate there in 2000.

And the restaurant was conveniently located across the street from a market.  Every city seems to make sure all its tourists get to visit the markets.  But after all the markets in Korea, Japan, and China, we are about marketed-out.  I think the proprietor of this stall was, too.

DAY 63 — March 8,  2017 Sailing the South China Sea

I participated in another floral arranging class.  The ship’s florist received a big shipment in Vietnam and was eager to share.  These classes are revenue producers for the ship and are held about every two weeks or whenever they get a good supply of fresh flowers.

It is amazing what you can do with an upside down Vietnamese coulee hat, a silver plastic vase, and bunches of six different flowers, assorted greenery, and two florists making sure everything looks perfect.

               

From this  . . . to this.

Sailing to Singapore.