Saigon Images (VIETNAM)

My flight for Hong Kong leaves tomorrow morning at 5:00 AM, which means I leave for the airport at 2:30 AM. It is now mid-day in Saigon, so I decided to do this posting now because I am planning an early bedtime to get ready for the wee hours of tomorrow morning.

I took the photos attached to this posting during my short walks near the hotel.  They were usually short walks because you take your life into your hands when you want to cross a street.  Traffic rules mean absolutely nothing here, and cars and motorcycles come at you from all directions.  Saigon is notorious for the number of fatalities and maimings from traffic accidents.

It was much easier to navigate near the main tourist attractions, but even there you always needed to be on guard for the traffic.  The attached photos are from the area near my hotel, including me sitting in the lobby having a Diet Coke and water.

I posted a photo of this area in my first posting from HCM City.  I took it from the window of my room.  What I did not know at the same was that the large area next to the hotel is some sort of military compound.  If you look real closely, you will see Vietnamese soldiers in the open area doing drills of some sort.  I noticed them yesterday afternoon and took this photo.

A typical sight on the streets of Saigon, elderly women in coolie hats selling various food items.  I resisted the temptation to try any of the food!

What we ordinarily only see in movies is real life here.

The tangle of wires for what appears to be a utility pole is not quite uniform!  Do you think any repairman would know which wire leads to where?

Another local Communist Party Headquarters.  It is fascinating to see the number of Communist Party compounds which dot the city.  They tend to be very clean and well maintained buildings, certainly the nicest buildings other than the office buildings and hotels.  When you look into the parking areas, the cars tend to be Mercedes or Lexus.  Not a bad life!

One of the guard towers along the perimeter fence of the military compound next to the hotel, which you can see in the background.  Note the security camera on the top of the tower.  Such cameras were along the entire perimeter.  You know Big Brother is watching!

These mushroom caps were also along the perimeter of the fence.  They are obviously the tops of bunkers for the underground tunnel system of the compound.  All I could think of when I saw them were the infamous tunnels of the Vietcong which were regularly featured in news reports during the war.

You are looking into the eyes of the future of Vietnam!

Next posting, from Hong Kong....