Sights of Vietnam

First stop today was the President’s Palace or Reunification Palace. This is where the Viet Cong drove two tanks through the gates in 1975 to declare themselves victorious and force the South Vietnamese to surrender.

The original building was bombed and rebuilt in 1966.

This Bell Huey sat on the roof for the president’s use. There were two bombs dropped to try to destroy the helicopter, but as they showed by the red circles they were barely off target on April 8, 1975.

Since the 17th century the Vietnamese have made lacquered furniture, art and bowls. The process can take up to three months for one piece. They all start with wood and a resin base and then possible inlays of mother of pearl. Some form pictures or are geometric. For all the work that goes into their production the cost seems minimal.

In 1880 the Notre Dame was built in Saigon. Present day only 7% of the population is Catholic. The church roof was sagging and so it is under construction and we could not go inside. The marble statue was made in Italy. Across the street from the church is the old train station that was later moved and is now the post office.

An iconic picture from the end of the war showing evacuation of people from the roof of an apartment building in 1975. The second picture is of the same building today.

Chinatown started in the 17th century. We have never seen anything like it. So much junk all in one place. We visited the Tao Temple, it too was built in the 17th century.