Saigon Touring

Saturday, April 6, 2024

The same model of tank that broke down the palace gates.

Conference room

The helipad on the palace rooftop. The two red circles are where an undercover North Vietnamese pilot bombed the palace using a South Vietnamese jet. The incident caused the remaining US personnel in the south to withdraw.

The palace had a shooting range

Crazy roots

Vegan Banh Mi

Crazy wiring

Back streets

Vegan pancake. It was wrapped up inside the lettuce leaves with herbs and dipped in sauce. Really good!

A pudding made from jellied pomelo rind in coconut milk sauce.

Food markets

Yesterday we had a full on day exploring Ho Chi Minh City, or Saigon which is what most people here still actually call it.

We visited the Independence Palace which is what used to be the Presidental Palace of the government of South Vietnam. It's such a cool 60s building both outside and in. It's where the Vietnam war officially ended when a North Vietnamese tank drove through the gates.

In the evening we did an amazing food tour where we were taken around on motorbikes to a bunch of different spots. There was only three of us on the tour plus three guides/drivers and it felt so personal. It was quite exciting being in the middle of all the busy motorbike traffic. We saw parts of the city that we probably wouldn't have ventured out to otherwise like the modern New City district. Definitely worth doing!