Saigon Vietnam, April 2025

Our first stop in Vietnam was Ho Chi Minh City, still known as Saigon by many of the Vietnamese people. This was another stop where we had an overnight in port, so we had two days to visit Saigon.

On the first day, we took a guided bus tour to visit the Independence Palace, the Saigon Central Post Office and a few other sites, including the Rex Hotel which was home base for many journalists who covered the Vietnam War. This was a fabulous tour, mostly because of the best tour guide in the world - Tran - who could switch back and forth between telling tragic history and making some of the funniest jokes I have every heard. Tran was a blast!

By chance, we had arrived in Ho Chi Minh City the week before the 50th anniversary of the Fall of Saigon, which occurred when a North Vietnamese tank broke through the gates to enter the palace grounds. This occasion meant that the city and its people were dressed up in flags, and the Independence Palace grounds were set up ready for the big celebration. There were even some officers from that day in full uniform mingling with the tourists for photos - it was all a bit unreal, but lovely to see the Vietnamese people so happy and patriotic.

The second day in Saigon, we had a private guide and driver take us into the city for lunch and some shopping and exploring by foot. Laura had done her research and booked us a reservation at a Michelin starred restaurant, located in a courtyard in an unassuming part of town. The restaurant is Hao Tuc, and we cannot recommend it enough. We had the best grilled chicken dish ever there - "Grilled chicken salad with baby spinach, green mango & peperomia leaves" - who knew grilled chicken could be so flavorful and so tender. The other dishes we sampled were excellent too.