View of Saigon from Kyla’s flat

While Matt left to go take the GMAT this morning, I met up with my friend Kyla who I’ve known since elementary school, but hadn’t really talked to since our freshman year of college (aka 6 years ago). To make a short story short: contact via facebook, found out she was in Saigon, “Hey, let’s hang out!” (Fact: I went to my first slumber party at Kyla’s house, where I also tasted my first crepe. Coming from a then no-fireworks family, I was also terrified by the sparklers her sisters and the other girls were running around with the night before.) Naturally, it was fun to catch up and hang out, but even more so by the novelty that our little reunion was taking place in Ho Chi Min City, a far cry away from little old Arcata where such reunions normally take place running into old friends and classmates at the local grocery or at the Plaza.

The last time I saw Kyla, neither of us knew what a xe om was much less could have pictured us riding one through Ho Chi Minh City. (Well, maybe Kyla knew, but I sure didn’t.) So that was fun.

Ok, so I don’t remember why it was called that or what exactly the historical significance of the Reunification Palace is (something to do with the war…), but I’m sure Matt will cover that in his post.  My post will focus on design.  This place is amazing!  It’s got a classy Asian retro feel to it, somewhat minimalist while still managing to carry an ornate flair.  The lines in the furniture and building are simple, but the windows and upholstery are done up in opulent fabrics, and a rich color palette is used throughout many of the rooms.  It was fun to picture important political meetings happening in such funky spaces.

The basement was a stark contrast with cold gray walls and gloomy corridors.  This space was very industrial looking and seemed simply functional for one purpose—war time communications and planning.  The only items in the rooms were phones, typewriters, desks, and a file cabinet here and there.   It was quite a contrast to the carefully curtained and upholstered upstairs.  The only visual connection to the upstairs was the presence of these colorful phones that could be found in both locations.  I can imagine that each one had a specific purpose, a la Bat Phone.

Other than the Reunification Palace, what really got my attention today was the traffic.  Ho Chi Min City, like Phnom Penh, is heavy on the motorbike traffic, perhaps even more so.  As the traffic through an intersection starts to slow down in one direction, a multitude of motorbikes going the other way becomes a critical mass, creeping through the intersection before picking up speed.  Eventually the process repeats itself and bikes start crossing traffic from the other direction.

Today was our first full day in Vietnam and we spent the day sightseeing HCMC. First, I should mention that HCMC and Saigon are used pretty interchangeably, so I might switch back and forth too. We decided to walk around the city, rather than get driven or biked around. It was really hot, but it was great to get a feel for the city. We almost got run over by a few of the 4 gazillion motorbikes zooming around the city, but it was fun. The first thing I noticed was how the roads were like rivers of motorbikes, with some drivers spilling over onto the sidewalks even. The other thing I noticed was how much construction was going on. Everywhere, foundations were being laid and stories being added to existing buildings. For the first time since India, we’re in a rapidly developing place. I think Vietnam’s GDP growth is third in the world, only to China and India. I’ve also read its two stock markets are the fastest growing in the world. Anyways, the sheer number of motorbikes and construction were initial indicators that money is flowing in Vietnam. Private property has only been legalized within the past decade, but capitalism is driving life here in HCMC. It’s all a bit ironic though, because two of the three sights we saw today revolve around the American War (known in the US as the Vietnam War), in which the Communists drove out the Western capitalists/imperialists.

Our first stop of the day was the impressive War Remnants Museum. The first gallery was one of the best I’ve ever visited, being a tribute to photojournalists of the war. It displayed walls and walls of excellent photography, along with photographer bios and anecdotes (mostly describing how they died on assignment). The photography featured some Pulitzer Prize winning work, photos that had a large impact on American perceptions of the war, along with some more artistic pieces. It featured famous guys like Robert Capa, all the way down to little-known North Vietnamese photographers. The next gallery was photo exhibit about UXO and mines, featuring not only Vietnam, but also Laos, Sri Lanka, Angola, and the Balkans. The rest of the gallery showcased all aspects of the American War. Besides the usual weapons, uniforms, history, and stories, the museum also had some more unusual exhibits. One was photographs of napalm and Agent Orange being used, its point punctuated with two jars containing deformed fetuses that died from the effects of Agent Orange. Another interesting exhibit was a mock-up of the “Tiger Cages” used by the South Vietnamese to torture the NVA. The museum’s anti-war message was really effective as many of the photographs pictured horrific things that I couldn’t even imagine, the exhibits conveyed the insanity of many aspects of the fight, and propaganda was kept to a minimum. I did think the tanks and fighter jets surrounding the museum were pretty cool though.

From the War Remnants Museum, we walked a couple blocks to the Reunification Palace, the location where the infamous “Fall of Saigon” culminated. Although blocky and ugly from the outside, the inside was really cool. Large rooms lived up to their palatial status while wide, open hallways were breezy and cool. It was here, at the Independence Palace as it was called, that North Vietnamese tanks rammed down the gates and surrounded the compound. It’s said that the South Vietnamese president greeted the North’s commander by saying, “I’ve been waiting here all morning to transfer power to you.” The commander responded, “Your power has crumbled, you cannot give what you do not have.” And that was the end of the war. Now a museum, the palace has been kept nicely. Many of the rooms are very luxurious, although I’m not sure if that’s from the southern upper class or the northern military rulers. Most of the information is propaganda, but it’s an interesting place to walk around. The basement is kept as it was during the war, as the operations center of the South. Small plain rooms with antiquated radio and communication equipment, old rotary phones, and wall-sized maps of South East Asia and Vietnamese provinces.

After lunch (pho of course) we headed to the HCMC Museum. This museum was actually pretty boring. Besides temporary exhibits of South Vietnamese weddings and a history of HCMC’s municipal development, the museum was a bunch of boring war propaganda. But it began pouring outside, so we were stuck in a museum for awhile. When the rain subsided, we dashed over to a large market. I steered clear of the butchers’ aisles full of weird animal parts and Joylani found a nice little drink and dessert stand, which I’m sure she’ll describe in detail in one of her posts. Pooped out from walking all over Saigon, we headed back to our hotel where we rested before going out for dinner (again, pho of course ) and then drinks with one of Joylani’s high school friends, Kyla. Although I’ll let Joylani write more about that, it was cool to hear some local expat perspectives on HCMC and Vietnam. Hopefully, I learn more in the coming days and weeks.

Flying in just as the sun dropped down and the glassy rice paddies faded into the fog.  Once over Saigon, my first impression was how colorful it looked.  Rather than the usual yellow/white city lights, Saigon from above looked like a city decked out in Christmas lights, presumably the rest of countless neon signs on all the shops.

 

Flying into Ho Chi Minh City was unlike any other aerial approach I’ve seen. Like most busy airports, we circled in a holding pattern before landing. Although the business capital of Vietnam, HCMC is not a city of tall buildings. Not unusual for a developing country, but even from the sky, it was unique. Usually, a yellow glow hangs over cities, being illuminated by millions of incandescent lights. But HCMC was a neon city. From the sky, the city was a hodgepodge of neon blues, reds, and oranges, along with some purples, yellows, and greens. Once en route from the airport to our hotel, we got a first hand look at the busy avenues chock-full of neon signs. Different, but cool. As we’ve just been here one night, I don’t have too much to report other than lots of neon signs and millions of motorbikes.