Enticing Vietnam....

31st January till 6th February..

So we land in Ho Chi Minh City with limited expectations but duly impressed as we are greeted by more festivities, this time, the Moon Festival.

Our taxi takes us straight to District 1 where our hotel lies on the banks of the River Saigon. As we later find out, a very biased view of Vietnam.

Wide streets, packed with motorcyclists who pile on families of 4..yes..all 4 members on one bike...holding on tightly to babies who wear masks to cover their mouths and miniature sunglasses...definitely a sight to remember..

Horns honking loudly...as we dodge non stop traffic to cross the roads...
for some reason, noone takes note of pedestrian crossings...
and we soon learn that the trick is to just keep walking.... and pray...hehehe

Surrounded by shiny shopping plazas...roads lined with versace..gucci...
endless rows of art galleries, restaurants, souvenirs ....
and then out pops a coconut seller..who catches you unaware and demands you try his coconut water, whilst balancing 2 baskets on one bamboo stick..
the infamous vietnamese hats ( cones ) ...providing shade to the many..
the elegant long tunics with long baggy trousers in all shades of silk..their national costume...
Getting used to the Vietnamese currency, Dong.(24000 Dong to the pound)
Yes, just withdrew over a million Dong!!!
I can only say Ho chi Minh is truly a sight to remember...

However, I will always remember....
Ben Thanh Market...selling local vietnamese delicacies..I'm sure I spotted snakes in jars of oil...yikes....
The War Remnants musuem depicting tales of the Vietnam War which lasted 17 years.
The impressive Chu Chi Tunnels, a 3 floor system of underground tunnels providing shelter and a means of escape during the Vietnam War.
The colourful and unusual Cao Tai temple in Tay Ninh, who believe in combining the beliefs of all religions and uses the eye as a symbol for prayer.

oh...and of course bumping into a lovely American couple who I met in Guatemala...what a small world...

and off we fly to Siem Reap..Cambodia..