This Is... Ho Chi Minh City

For the National Day holiday this year, we traveled to south Vietnam with four other families from our small group. Our first stop was Ho Chi Minh City, formerly Saigon (these two names for the city still seem to be used interchangably). Here is what it looks like from the air... still mostly 3-5 story buildings. I like how colorful the aerial view is!
The typical buildings are also quite colorful from the street level. Note the hammer and sickle flag (a bit blurred in this photo, as I took it from a moving vehicle.)
Last year when we were Hanoi, we noticed the crazy electrical wiring in the city. Seems a jumble of wires is a constant in Vietnam's big cities! This pole of wires was right across the street from our hotel.
This building is known as the Reunification Palace. It has great historical significance. On April 30, 1975, the first communist tanks to arrive in Saigon crashed through the wrought iron gates in the fence surrounding the property, ending the Republic of Vietnam, which hundreds of thousands of Vietnamese and 58,183 Americans died trying to save.

I found it a bit funny that the security guard right here inside the gates was sitting on a white plastic lawn chair.
We spent a bit of time in the War Remnants Museum, formerly known as the Museum of Chinese and American War Crimes. The old name tells you the perspective this museum takes on the Vietnam War. Apparently this museum is quite popular with Western tourists. I decided not to look at all the graphic war photos and tourture methods, and we kept the younger kids outside. The whole thing made me want to learn more about the Vietnam War and what really happened.
Outside the museum were a number of US tanks, planes, and helicopters used in the war. In this photo, Gwen, holding a museum brochure, is getting a ride from Jenny, the 23 year old daughter of another couple on the trip with us.
This beautiful church is Notre Dame Cathedral. You thought that was in France, didn't you? Turns out this church was built by the French, between 1877 and 1883. Saigon was captured by the French in 1859, becoming the capital of the French colony of Cochinchina. French control of Vietnam ended 1954, but because of the years France occupied Saigon, there is quite a bit of French influence in the architecture.

Posing with me in front of Notre Dame Cathedral are three of the four other moms on the trip with us, along with two of their daughters. Click on the picture to enlarge it if you'd like a closer look.
Heading into the old post office, also a beautiful French style building, we had to stop and stare for a minute at this street food snack... can you tell what it is?
The old post office outside...
...and inside. Of course Ho Chi Minh's face is prominently displayed on the back wall.
One of the newer buildings being constructed in Ho Chi Mihn City. This was across the street from our hotel. I don't think we ever heard the name of it. Our guide did tell us that the structure sticking out of the side of the building is a helicopter pad.
Our guide book said, "If every town had a symbol, Saigon's would surely be the motorbike." I'd have to agree! Motorbikes definitely rule the road. Our guide told us that there are about 10 million people in Saigon and more than 6 million motorbikes.