Saigon, Day 2, February 2, 2019

I got up early again, around 6:30 am and went down to the lobby and waited for the cook to show up on her scooter.  Once she arrived she served up an omelette, which I supplemented with a baguette, watermelon and Vietnamese coffee. After breakfast, I headed out again on foot. By now, I’d learned the art/skill of crossing the street. You wait for a letup in the traffic (it never totally clears) then walk deliberately out into the street, wagging your hand at the scooters and cars.  Somehow they manage to part way and avoided hitting me.  I headed down Nguyen Thi Minh Kai, skirting the Tao Dan Cultural Park to Pasteur.

Once I got to Pasteur, I realized I was close to the Reunification Palace, and decided to stroll through.  The Palace, if you can call it that, is a 1960s style building that President Diem had commissioned to replace the historic, French-built Palace of the Governor General, built in 1868. It was the site of headquarters for Japanese occupying forces during WWII. In 1962, during the early days of the Vietnam War, two disaffected ARVN Air Force piloted decided to drop load of  bombs on the palace instead of the Intended Viet Cong target.  It seems Diem was not appreciated by everyone in S. Vietnam. This aborted assassination att mot destroyed the entire left wing of the palace. Diem commissioned a new structure, but he was the subject of a successful this time assassination before he could see it to completion.  Rumor has it in some circles that the American CIA had a hand in the deed.

At any rate, I paid my $40,000 Dong and proceeded to tour the building. It very much has a 1960s vibe to it, with more than a little ostentatious opulence.  The rooms are large and designed,mainly for meetings, entertaining heads of state and general governmental hobnobbing by high officials who had a high impression of themselves.  The top floor has private residences that are arranged around a courtyard.  There is a bunker in the basement that house a war room, communications gear, and a bedroom for the President.

After leaving the Reunification Palace, I headed down Pasteur and went to the Vietcong Center Shopping Mall. This mall is as nice as you’d find in the United States.  Very modern with lots of glass and chrome.   Stores like Shisheido, Adidas, Nike, Ecco and similar.  There were a fair number of well off looking Birtnamese shopping there. It was a real contrast to the poverty in other parts of the City. I bought a pair of flip flops in the Old Navy store for the equivalent of $3.00.  Probably could have gotten them for half that at Ben Tanh Market.

After Vincom, I went to Ben Tanh Market and got another Mango smoothie, after which I  along the way, I walked past groups of people sitting on the sidewalk working on shoes,  at first, I thought they were repairing them, but on closer examination they were actually making shoes.  IBack at the hotel, I paid for late departure at 5:00 pm and went to my room to pack and get ready to transfer to the hotel,where I would meet the tour group at 6:00 pm.
















































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