We spent a day in Ho Chi Minh City, also known as Saigon, the largest city in Vietnam with over 8 million inhabitants. Most of them seem to be riding motor scooters on the roads in every direction. Luckily, they all seem to know what to do and we didn't see any accidents, although we were told there are many every day. 

First we visited the former Presidential Palace, now known as Reunification Hall . This building was the former home and seat of government for South Vietnam until 1975 when Viet Cong tanks smashed through the front gates and declared the end of the Vietnam war. The building once served as the base of the US-backed Vietnamese General Ngo Dinh Diem during the Vietnam War until his assassination in 1963. The building and its furnishings are pure 1960's design and it feels as if it is frozen in time, a monument to a devastating war. There is a 1960's projection room behind the movie theatre that is a real flashback moment. From the bunker in the basement to the lush gardens and ornate furniture precisely arranged, this place is of historical significance.

Next stop was the War Remnants Museum, the Vietnamese version of what happened in the Vietnam War. We were warned not to speak openly about our opinions of the War while in the Museum as this may offend others. We began at the third floor to work our way down to the ground level . The Museum is basically an art gallery of thousands of photographs and documents recording the War in all its horrible infamy. It's arranged in rooms like the Agent Orange Effects room and others. We walked and looked for about 10 minutes, and I had to leave. I couldn't stand viewing the atrocities of war close up and personal. I went to the coffee shop and had a lovely green tea frozen drink to recover. 
 
 Moving on, we had a buffet lunch at a Vietnamese hotel with many dishes we didn't recognize but we did find plenty to fill up our stomachs. We then visited the Notre Dame Cathedral and the nearby Central Post Office both reflecting the French style of architecture and making you feel as if you've stepped out of Asia and into a European building.

Our last stop was at a lacquer factory where men and women were creating the beautiful lacquer ware. This was a fascinating visit to a factory where we observed each step in the creation of lacquer ware from small boxes to pictures to larger pieces of furniture. Of course, the lacquer ware was for sale, but since we have no where to put it, we passed on any purchases. 

We arrived back at the ship at dusk feeling as if we understood a bit more about the country of Vietnam and its history.