Big Saigon

March 22. Saigon is the largest city in Vietnam.  It has a population of 9 million.  We have been getting along with the dollar up to now.  Today we had to get the local currency called the Dong, which is worth 21,000 to the U.S. Dollar.  I got 5 million from the ATM machine which was about $238.  We were with another couple at the ATM.  They couldn't remember their PIN number so we lent them half of ours.  Hard to believe that they were experienced travelers.  He was a retired school superintendent and she was a teacher.

Much of the architecture is French.  This is the Notre Dame Cathedral built in the late 1880's.

Reunification Palace where the president lived.  Tanks broke through the gates in 1975 just before south Vietnam surrendered.  

Ben Thanh market.  This is one of the largest markets we have visited.  It was hot and crowed.  Everyone you passed tried to sell you something.  I had to get out of there.

Lunch at the Rex Hotel.  Fancy hotel with westernized food.  The couple we were with wanted to go here.  Cruisers aren't very adventurous.

War Remnants museum.   The museum had planes, tanks, guns and photo exhits all from the perspective of the communists.  For example one display said of the 3 million killed by the Americans, 2 million were civilians.