We flew direct from Auckland to Ho Chi Minh City in a new Air NZ 787 dreamliner. You can order drinks and snacks any time during the flight from a menu on your seat display, what a time to be alive.
It is supposedly monsoon season in this part of the world, and while it is warm (30°) the rain is nowhere to be seen.
Ho Chi Minh is a massive and busy city. The roads are packed with motorcycles- crossing the road means walking slowly with your fingers crossed as the traffic parts around you.
There is also a lot of history in this town, from its beginnings as a backwater swamp, to a regional centre, to a French colonial administration, to being a national capital, to North Vietnamese tanks rolling into town and declaring that Saigon will now be known as Ho Chi Minh City (and not a capital).
We visited the reunification palace where this last event took place. There was originally a French-built palace on the site that was home of the President of South Vietnam after the country gained independence. The palace was bombed in a failed attempt to assasinate the President. It was ordered to be rebuilt in modern style (although the President didn't survive to opening day), and was then the centre of the US / South Vietnamese war effort. This all ended when North Vietnamese forces raised their flag from the roof.
The palace is worth a visit. They have left intact various war planning and radio rooms in underground bunkers. The palace itself is grand with various state rooms and offices. The previous owners even had a theatre, games rooms, and lavish rooftop party area.
We also went up the Bitexco tower to get a view of the ever expanding city and the Saigon River. We had a few bottles of Bia Saigon (50c to $1), and bowls of delicious Pho ($2.50). We also saw an inexplicable pink pigeon while wandering around the city.
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