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SAIGON AND SURROUNDING AREA
RE-UNIFICATION PALACE
OUR BUS AND DRIVER MR SUN
The Banquet room. The painting at the back of the room shows the whole of Vietnam with the mountains representing north Vietnam, the palaces and pagodas for the central and Mekong Delta for south Vietnam.
The Cabinet meeting room. Green is the color theme chosen as it’s said to have a calming effect.
HO CHI MINH
CONFUCIUS
The Vice President’s reception room.
The Credentials presenting room.
Various dining rooms
THE BEAUTIFUL GARDENS
FRANGIPANI
SOME SORT OF JASMINE I THINK
Frangipani
INTERNAL GARDENS
VIEW FROM THE BALCONY
AT THE WAR REMNANTS MUSEUM
M.48 A3 TANK & CH-47 Chinook
M.48 A3 TANK & CH-47 Chinook
F-5A JET FIGHTER
Nam Phan Restaurant Saigon
NOTRE DAME CATHEDRAL
THE CENTRAL POST OFFICE
NEWLY WEDS IN FRONT OF THE CATHEDRAL
Our first lunch at a noodle cafe
MAN GUARDING THE MOTOR BIKES
COMPLEX ELECTRICITY WIRES
WE CALLED THESE THE BIRD'S NEST
THIEN HAU PAGODA
INCENSE CONES
ROOF CARVINGS
MAUREEN WITH TWO TOURIST POLICEMEN
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ON THE ROAD FROM SAIGON TO CAN THO
A BEAUTIFUL REST STOP
JILL, MARGARET AND MAUREEN
BOURGAINVILLEA
BUSY BUSY BEES
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On arriving at My Tho, the closest Mekong Delta City to Saigon we take a short cruise over to Thoi Son Island and walk through a local market. We saw Coconut Candy being made, drank some honey tea, had some close encounters with bees and snakes and were treated to some folk dancing. The highlight of this morning's activities was without a doubt the canoe trip. You can view this on the video at the end of this section.
BEES
PYTHON
SHREDDING THE COCONUT
JACKFRUIT
TUAN CARRYING FRUIT
DRAGON FRUIT AND POMELOS BOTH DELICIOUS
TUAN AND THE LOCAL GUIDE
VILLAGE LAD
PINEAPPLE
???
???
THE CANOE RIDE
COLLECTING MUD PERHAPS FOR POTTERY
LUNCH
THERE IS COCONUT CANDY INSIDE THIS BALL
SERVING BY CUTTING IT UP
Click here for shrot video clip of the journey from Saigon to Can Tho
Click here for short video clip of the canoe trip around the canals in Thoi Son
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=c2a_rKv6dnQ
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=c2a_rKv6dnQ
The My Thuan Bridge
PASSENGER FERRY ACROSS THE MEKONG DELTA
World’s 7th longest bridge opens in Mekong DeltaThe Mekong is one of the world’s great rivers, flowing some 2600 miles from the mountains of Tibet to the South China Sea and the Mekong Delta is one of the world’s largest river deltas.
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ON THE ROAD FROM CAN THO BACK TO SAIGON
ON THE ROAD FROM CAN THO BACK TO SAIGON
OUR HOTEL IN CAN THO
TAKING THE BOAT FROM NINK KIEU TO CAI RANG FLOATING MARKETS SEE SHORT VIDEO AT THE END OF THIS SECTION
Click here for a short video clip of the Cai Rang floating market on the Mekong river
THE VINH TRANG PAGODA
DINNER BACK IN SAIGON
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OFF TO VISIT THE CU CHI TUNNELS AND TAY NIHN
LEAVING SAIGON IN THE MORNING RUSH HOUR WAS A TRAFFIC NIGHTMARE
TRAFFIC STARTING TO THIN OUT
NOT SURE WHAT THAT TRACTOR IS HAULING
MORE JACKFRUIT
AND EVEN MORE
"American soldiers used the term "Black echo" to describe the conditions within the tunnels. For the Viet Cong, life in the tunnels was difficult. Air, food and water were scarce and the tunnels were infested with ants, poisonous centipedes, spiders and mosquitoes. Most of the time, guerrillas would spend the day in the tunnels working or resting and come out only at night to scavenge for supplies, tend their crops or engage the enemy in battle. Sometimes, during periods of heavy bombing or American troop movement, they would be forced to remain underground for many days at a time. Sickness was rampant among the people living in the tunnels, especially malaria, which accounted for the second largest cause of death next to battle wounds. A captured Viet Cong report suggests that at any given time half of a People's Liberation Armed Forces unit had malaria and that “one-hundred percent had intestinal parasites of significance”."(Wilipedia)
Click here to see short video clip depicting master of camouflage
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Cm9WtnleUZI
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Cm9WtnleUZI
BOMB CRATER
THE HOSPITAL
DINING AREA
THE KITCHEN
THE CAO DAI GREAT TEMPLE IN TAY NINH
This is a fairly new religion founded in 1926 by Ngo Van Chieu, a civil servant of the Cochinchina government. Wikipedia has a reasonably clear explanation of the religion on its website.
We visited this laquerware factory which employs many disabled young people. I was very impressed by the standard of their work. It was a most humbling experience. the materials they use are egg shells and mother of pearl just to name a few. Quite ingenious and creative in the type of artifacts they produce.
Not our dinner but too cute not to photograph
