Ho, Ho, Ho Chi Minh...City

Having not planned on flying into HCM City (we decided 2 hours before the flight) we were a bit unprepared. Due to Tet (Chinese New Year),the city was taken over by flowers, banners & streets full of people. Our hotel was in a little alley and we found that that is were the locals live. Sitting in the alleys, cooking, drinking, talking, sleeping, playing dice and just watching the crazy foreigners walk around with big eyes.

Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon) land of scooters, red flags and
tons of flowers.

After settling into our hotel we went out for food and an
overwhelming display of flowers and people.

   

This was the day after Tet(Chinese New Year) and we found
that it lasts many days after (10-12 days).  It was a treat for us
to have all these festivities.

 

   

While passing through a downtown park we found, bonzai
tree competition, more flower displays and more photo
posers.

Chúc Mừng Năm Mới......Vietnamese for Happy New Year (Year of the Snake)

Patriotic flower display



Photographers & posers everywhere

statue of Ho Chi Minh explaining the principals of Marxism,
 I think the kid fell asleep

seed sculpture among the gardens

By the time Tet was over we finally became comfortable saying Chuc Mung Nam Moi....figures.....

Cool round door and one of the Chinese temples

More posers & flowers

Becky gave the posing a try...

 

Siesta time....looking comfy

We enjoyed Ho Chi Minh City so much that going to Museums about the American War didn't seem very appealing. The Vietnamese look forward (too much pain in the past) to the future and I think that's a good approach. So we minimized our input of propaganda (ours & theirs) and it was good.

Sticky Rice! Colored special for Tet!

A walk through China Town in HCMC - masks and costumes for sale.

Stretch inside a temple with coiled incense illuminated from an overhead skylight.

All the incense burning made it hard to breath and see!

The temples here had a whole different look from those we've seen in our travels.
 Cool dragons on the roof - always a male and a female so they don't get lonely!
 Who knows which is which.

Here was a church with a temple like structure out front with
 a stature of Mary. A blend of religious architecture styles.

Dinner river boat, just when you thought you'd seen everything.....

 

 

Then it lights up at night!

 

Street vendor  -  sweet smile.



HCMC at night from the top of the Hilton, where we went to watch the sunset.

 

Headed out of town on the sleeper bus: 3 rows stacked 2 high.
12 hours, overnight to Nha Trang.....Beach time here we come!