We all broke out in applause and cheers when we landed in Saigon. At last, we were on the ground and fulfilling the dream that we had held in our hearts for so long. We exited the plane and found ourselves in a hot, long line to clear customs. The fact that we were about to enter a Communist country became apparent as we warily eyed the uniformed officials behind the counters. Fortunately, the very serious looking man in front of us smiled back at us as we reached the head of the line. We passed through easily, collected our bags and found Marcia Selva of Global Spectrum waiting to greet us. She ushered us through the crowds to our local guides. Song Tran, who was to be the Purple Team guide for our entire trip, steered us to the site where young women wearing the traditional ao dai awaited us.
As we boarded buses for the ride into Saigon, our driver was there to hand out cold bottles of water and chilled handwipes, both of which we would become well acquainted with in the days to come. As we drove towards the city and the Rex Hotel, we were amazed at the number of scooters on the highway. The scooter is the main mode of transportation in Vietnam. The traffic flows in a chaotic but surprisingly effective flow. Every driver keeps an eye on the traffic ahead and drives defensively. Right of ways are given with courtesy. During our time in Vietnam, we will see entire families, dad, mom and kids, on a single scooter. We will see the family dog riding, as well. Computers, building supplies, food, just about anything are transported with the passengers. The young women in their short skirts or traditional dress ride sidesaddle with ease and grace. The whole country has incredible balance! And the whole country is constantly on the move. Scooters buzz up and down the streets at all hours of the day and night. We see surprisingly few accidents.
We arrive at the Rex Hotel, which was the hotel of choice for the foreign press and American officers during the war. We check into our rooms and have time for a much needed shower and change of clothes. Feeling refreshed, we make our way to the rooftop for a reception in our honor. Everyone is in good spirits, as we sample spring rolls, shrimp and other Vietnamese foods. Tiger beer and bottled water are favorite beverages. It is easy to see through time, back to 1965. I see handsome young officers sitting with exotic Vietnamese girls. Far away from what is to come, they are confident that America will bring the war to a quick conclusion; that once again we will bring freedom to an oppressed peoples. Their laughter and cigarette smoke drift away into the night.
Tonight, the good conversation was mingled with the sound of the scooters flowing endlessly around the square below with its statue of Ho Chi Mihn and the Opera House.
After a good night's sleep in a real bed, we are up early to start our tour of Saigon. It is Wednesday, March 5th. We have a wonderful breakfast in the hotel. There are made to order omelets but we favor the delicious fried rice and the noodles. Everyone has a plate of fresh fruit. There are bananas, pineapple, mangos, papayas and dragon fruit, a strange looking, odd shaped fruit, red on the outside and white with tiny black seeds on the inside. Ed instantly becomes addicted to dragon fruit. After breakfast, we gather in the hotel lobby and wait to board our buses. The lovely fragrance of fresh flowers greets us each morning. The large vases are filled with flowers from the market in the early morning hours before the guests are up. We change our U.S. dollars for Vietnamese dong. At 15,000 dong per U.S. dollar, we only change small amounts each day.
Once on the Purple Team bus, we are reacquainted with our Vietnamese guide, Song Tran. Mr. Song will slowly open up to us as we become more comfortable with each other. But today, we learn that Song was an officer in the South Vietnamese Air Force during the war. He currently lives in DaNang with his wife. They are both school teachers. They have 2 grown sons, both in college abroad. One son lives in San Francisco; the other in Europe. Throughout our trip, we were appreciative of Song's calm and caring support, his sense of humor and his wonderful story-telling.
Our first stop today is the Reunification Palace. After a tour of the palace, we continue on towards the Post Office. On the way, we pass the former site of the United States Embassy. It was on this site that the military helicopters landed on the roof and evacuated Americans and Vietnamese nationals during the last hours before the fall of Saigon. This building is now gone. In its place is the new United States Consulate building. The United States Embassy has moved north to Hanoi, which is now the capitol of Vietnam.
At the Post Office, we were able to buy postcards and stamps. This was our first experience with the street vendors. As soon as the bus pulls to a stop, the cry begins, "Madame, Madame". We are offered postcards, coins, hats, t-shirts, just about anything that can be imagined. We buy more postcards than we will ever need. But it is hard to resist the children and the mothers with babies. Inside the Post Office, under the watchful eye of "Uncle Ho", we buy our stamps. Later on, at the hotel, the challenge to attach the stamps to the postcards will begin. The adhesive on the back is not too plentiful. I wet the stamps and then put the stamped postcards under some books. Only one postcard makes it back to the States and it arrives without a stamp!
Across the street from the Post Office is a French Cathedral. From the Post Office, we go to lunch at a wonderful restaurant called Indochine. We sit outside on the patio under the shade of trees and umbrellas. All of our meals are included in our trip package and the restaurants have been chosen from the best available in each city. While the meals are paid for, we need to pay for our drinks at each meal. Bottled water is 12,000 to 15,000 dong; soda is around 20,000 dong. We get used to drinking soda, barely chilled and without ice. Each meal on the trip is seven or eight courses. Usually we have soup, spring rolls, a chicken dish, a beef or pork dish, a fish and/or shimp dish, rice or noodles and fruit for dessert.
After lunch, we go to the marketplace. The Saigon marketplace is a city block square. Inside, there are stalls with everything from clothing to food for sale. In the marketplace, customer service is very important. As soon as the shopper stops and shows interest, the shopkeeper brings out plastic chairs or stools for the shopper to sit. Then out come the wares. If the shopper wants a shirt, out come armfuls of patterns and colors from which to choose. Once the item is selected, the price must be agreed upon. A bit of bartering will usually result in a price that is satisfactory to both parties. We only have a short time to shop so we work fast. We buy presents for our families back home.
After shopping, we go to the Chinatown section of Saigon. There we visit a temple.
In the temple, there are long spirals of incense hanging from trellises overhead. We learn that we can light a stick of the incense in memory of our loved ones. I write the names of my family: my father, mother and brother, on the red ribbon which is then attached to the incense. I light the incense with a candle.
The incense is raised to the trellis. It will burn for about a week. It is good to know that the sweet fragrance will continue to climb to the heavens while we are in Vietnam.
Our first day of sightseeing in Saigon is done. We are tired as we reboard the buses for the ride back to the Rex. There will be time for a short rest, a shower and a change of clothes before the evening's activities.
Tonight, the buses take us to the Saigon River for a dinner cruise on the "Miss Saigon". We board the boat and are soon sailing up the river. From our seats on the top observation deck, we have a great view of the activity on the river and the river bank. We enjoy cocktails, Tiger beer and sodas as the smell of dinner floats up from the kitchen below.
As the sun goes down on the Saigon River, we reflect on a wonderful start to our trip and anticipate the adventures still to come.
| Ed and Harvest Go To Vietnam | Leaving Los Angeles | The Reunification Palace | Mekong Delta | Nui Ba Den & Cau Dai Temple | The Cu Chi Tunnels |
| Nha Trang to Qui Nhon | Phuoc Lam to Quang Ngai | Chu Lai to An Phuoc | Antenna Valley | Hue | Dong Ha, Lang Vei, Khe Sahn and the DMZ |
| Hai Van Pass & DaNang | Memorial Service | Hanoi | Joint Task Force and the Hanoi Hilton |
| Other Teams and Their Itineraries | Project RENEW | Email us! |