Saigon

It's funny, the further south we went the more the name 'Ho Chi Minh City' was replaced by Saigon, (or abbreviated as HCMC). It seems that there is still some North/South tension to be found, although it is hidden pretty well from the tourists. Whereas the threat in the North seemed to be China, here it is Hanoi! Still, as with everything else, they seem to get on with things and put their differences aside, for the time being at least.
The city itself is big (7.5 million) but surprisingly well laid-out, as least as far as we could see. In addition, most intersections had traffic lights and MOST TRAFFIC OBEYED THEM!!! Bikes, cyclos and some motorbikes still charged through, but the pedestrian experience was not too scary at all. We didn't have long to spend here, so we just concentrated on walking-distance destinations from our hotel. We had a look at the Reunification Palace (site of the famous NV tank crashing through the iron gates to end the American War), the War Museum, Opera House, Post Office and of course the Bloody Great Big Tower (actually the Bitexco Tower) with its magnificent view from the 48th floor Skydeck and its incredibly smooth (and quick) elevator.

We attack at dawn!!

We found an excellent restaurant in an old opium den called the Refinery, and spent a couple of hot afternoons sampling their excellent fare. Thanks Ian and Heather, who we met in the queue at Dalat Airport. Did a bit of shopping in and around the Market, where the prices were very good! Found a 'real' French patisserie with the best coffee and cakes to be found. 2 coffees and a plate of florentines for $6. I didn't want to leave, especially as SWMBO wanted to shop at a nearby Department store! Oh well, you can't win them all, as we Buddhists say...

And so our trip was over, just like that. A short trip to Singapore through some stormy weather, then a very relaxed flight on a half-empty Jetstar to Tulla. Touch down at 6am!

Dalat

The only flight from Danang to Dalat leaves at 6am- and there is only one a day! Up at 3.30, taxi from Hoi An to Danang at 4 (what were all those people on the road doing?) to check in by 5. Not a good start for us late-risers...
And we had to walk out to our plane, just like Moorabbin Airport 1960's style!

Dalat has an interesting history, being a French-influenced resort town set up in the early 20th century (after 'relocating' the local hill tribes). The climate is its main attraction- about 10˚ cooler than the coastal strip! It seems that you could grow anything and everything there with a bit of effort. We saw coffee (Vietnam now exports more coffee than Brazil!), flowers, silk, as well as the usual rice, vegetables and so on, mixed in with thousands upon thousands of eucalyptus trees which seem to be taking over the place. We witnessed some serious rainfall, which was a bonus for the Elephant Falls.

If you look carefully above you'll spot a few avocados on this fine specimen- it was about 15 - 20 metres tall!
We took a couple of tours here- highlights included a roller coaster ride, feeding an elephant, a 'love' theme park, a very rude Buddha and a hillside village where we were serenaded by an old man and shown weaving by a young girl.

And then a quick visit to the crazy house and we were done with Dalat!

Tomorrow, Saigon (or should that be Ho Chi Minh City?)

Hoi An

Hoi An is a quiet riverside village of 130,000 people! It has a long history as a trading port, and there are still many Chinese and Japanese influences, unusual for Vietnam. It is famous as a silk and fabric centre, with many tailors to be found with a special deal just for you! Lots of westerners go there with a bag full of favourite outfits which they have copied there. Not us, we bought T shirts and dvds.

We took a trip to see the remains of the ancient Cham Empire, similar to Angkor Wat on a smaller scale. Most buildings were about 1000 years old, yet had been forgotten by the Vietnamese until some lost soldiers stumbled upon the remains during the American War!

They are a brick construction, without mortar as we know it today, and the people working on restoring them still don't know how they stick together.

But the real highlight of Hoi An was the hotel pool, (swimming, not the table - that's another story) which was a great antidote to the heat and humidity of the trip so far.

Next: off to Dalat at 4 am!

Hue

Hue (pronounced Hway) was the ancient capital of Vietnam from the 18th century up until the 19th, when it was moved back to Hanoi. Situated on the Perfume River (a lovely name for a smelly, silty brown very wide river),  today it is a bustling town of 350 000, who all ride motorbikes! The area has been very badly bombed at different times by France and America, and was the site of a massacre by the NVA.
Nevertheless, the remaining buildings are quite magnificent.
Our guide took us to 2 pagoda/tombs from the Nguyen empire, situated in the surrounding countryside.

Then to another pagoda in Hue itself, finishing up at the Imperial Citadel which makes up a fair portion of the city, enclosed in a 10 kilometre wall. Only 20 or so buildings remain of the 148 originals, thanks to the ravages of various wars, damage from which can still be seen.

A beautiful city, with beautiful people-an unexpected delight! Our waitress, Na, is going to write to us when we get home. She needs an English teacher to help her with her essays! Oh well, .....