Saigon

Our Vietnamese adventure ends in Saigon, as it is more commonly called, or Ho Chi Minh City in its official name. We'd eaten our fill of Vietnamese food at this point so ventured out to French cuisine to get a taste of the influence left behind by the many years that Vietnam was under French control. Both Le Forchette and Bibi at Alibi are great options for French food in Saigon and we throroughly enjoyed our dinners (and the wine) at both. 

The sites in Saigon are not for the faint of heart. On our first day, after returning from the Mekong River cruise, we visited the War Remnants Museum. While very one-sided and full of propaganda against the United States, it is a very eye opening exhibition of the cruelty and devastation caused during the Vietnam War, or as they call it here "the aggressive American War." Most disturbing is the floor dedicated to the birth defects caused by Agent Orange and other chemical warfare employed by the U.S. forces during the war and their lasting effects today. 

No lesson in Vietnam War history would be complete without a visit to the Cu Chi Tunnels, just outside Saigon. We met our guide early the next morning for a visit to the site of some of the tunnels remaining from the war. The tunnels were originally dug during the war in the 1940s and 19050s between the French and Vietnamese. The tunnels were expanded from 50 km to 200 km during the American-Vietnam War. People lived underground for up to a decade! We had the chance to go into a 100 m stretch of tunnel that has been widened so tourists can fit. It was very cramped and spooky even without the fear of Viet Cong soldiers sneaking up on you or falling into a booby trap.

To lighten the mood, perhaps, the tour also included a visit to a local farm where we got to try our hand  at making rice paper, feed the pigs and learn how rubber is made. Vietnam is covered in rubber trees, mostly all government owned. 

We spent the rest of the afternoon splashing around in the rooftop pool at the Liberty Central Riverside hotel and enjoying their extremely affordable spa services. The girls had a better experience than the boys, however as it seems that all three were offered (and declined) a "happy ending" to their massages. Yikes!