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Asia - part III

Saigon, Mui Ne, Dalat, Nha Trang, Hoi An, Hue, Hanoi

Hector Yague
2005-10-08 19:54:30

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Ho Chin Minh City (also known as Saigon)

The 19th of June 2004 I arrived to Saigon with my two friends Paola and Pilar, and we stayed at a guesthouse in the Pham Ngu Lao whereabouts, a backpacker-catered area.

The first thing that struck me of Saigon is the constant and flowing chaos displayed all about you. Sudden flashbacks from arab cities poured in my mind: hordes of 125 cc scooters, dry squid serving stalls perfuming the streets, overdose of humanity, unorganized and oversped urban growth, bin bags all over, etc.

The fact is that Saigon has received millions of Vietnamese in migrants from other poorer regions in the country because this city is where most of the trading and commerce activity takes place, pumping its population to the 8 million mark. An average salary is between US$40 and US$50, and Vietnamese people need double that much to acquire a decent living, so they must find alternative sources of income to fill the gap, and Saigon is probably the best place for it.

There are a lot of interesting sights around Saigon, and I proceeded to visit them during the following days. The most convenient way to do it is to book a seat in one of the multiple set tours offered at any guesthouse of travel agency. They are extremely cheap and a great opportunity to meet other travelers.

The first of them would be the notorious Gi Chi Tunnels, 50 km west of Saigon. The Gu Chi Tunnels became an important outpost for the Vietnamese guerrilla during the American War as it allowed them to control the rural surroundings of Saigon (US dominated city). The tunnels ran from Saigon to Cambodya's border, covering over 200 km worth of land! The US soldiers, suffering heavily from the hit and hide warfare game from the Vietnamese army, nuked the area thoroughly on a US$2 million a day budget bombing operation. As a reminder of this ...