[Worldtrippers home] [World Cruise home]
Vietnam is an emotional country for the mostly American guest population aboard the Viking Neptune. Many fought in the war. Many fought against the war. Many had friends or family whose lives were changed by the war. This morning, Russell gave arguably his most powerful lecture of the entire cruise. Guests approached us afterwards unable to stop crying.
We are in Vietnam for a full three nights. Our port is Ho Chi Minh City, formerly known as Saigon. (The three districts of the original city are still known as Saigon. The 21 surrounding districts together are called Ho Chi Minh City.) It can take more than an hour to shuttle between the port and downtown, so Viking recommends that guests stay in the city overnight.
Last year, we took a multi-day private tour with another couple. We visited the war-era Cu Chi tunnels and other sites. This year we have booked a different multi-day private tour with several other couples.
We were lucky enough to catch the first 3:00 pm shuttle bus to downtown, arriving in about an hour. (We heard that later guests who caught the 4:30 pm shuttle didn’t arrive until 6:45 pm. They had to stay on the bus to catch the 7:00 pm return back to the ship.) Our hotel tonight is the Silverland Yen, perfectly situated downtown.
Modern Ho Chi Minh City is a senses-shattering cacophony of lights, sound and traffic. After the Vietnam War ended and Saigon fell in 1975, the country completely closed off from the West for a decade. But after the Soviet Union declined in 1986, Vietnam underwent a drastic transformation. They opened up to Western investment. Today, Vietnam is poised to become the leading economy in Southeast Asia. HCM City itself is a contrast of skyscrapers and cement-block buildings. There are cars, scooters and pedestrians everywhere – by law, scooters have the right of way over anyone else.
Our main task the first was to get to the same tailor we went to last year. In HCM City, you can visit a tailor, describe a desired garment, pick out a fabric, get measured, then pick up your custom outfit 24 hours later. Unfortunately, Gail shared the name of our tailor with several other guests. By the time we checked into the hotel and walked to the tailor, the shop was full of other Viking guests. Fortunately, proprietress Nga was able to accommodate us as well.
For dinner we went to Phở 2000 and had Vietnamese phở noodle soup. (This was Russell’s priority last year, but due to scheduling he never did get phở.) Afterwards, the rooftop bar at the hotel had complimentary cocktails for the ladies in honor of International Women’s Day. Other than that, we had an early evening. We need to meet by 6:15 am tomorrow morning for our big excursion.
