HCMC for New Years 2015

Had lunch with the missionaries at the Ben Thanh Market.  They aren't allowed to wear their name tags, but I could spot them a mile away:  those white shirts and ties are a dead giveaway.  They just got permission from the Govt to teach in peoples homes.  Up until 2 days ago the lessons were all at the church.  It was 2012 when the missionaries were allowed in the country at all.  However, you must have Vietnamese bloodlines to be allowed in.  

These two cute girls were our tour guides one night.  The tourist district is #1 and they took us to District #8,7,4,2...it was great to see other parts of Saigon.  In district #7 is the expat area.  More cars than cycles!  You have a 300%import tax on cars.  You have to be rich!  Sadly there is very little middle class in Vietnam:  most poor and other mega rich.  The girls would start up a conversation with us and later I learned that Tom and I both had the same thoughts:  "Don't talk!  Keep your mind on your driving!"  The girls buy their own bikes, have to speak English fluently, and have a great personality, and be over 18 and under 30.  And in the next picture, they did confirm that you are allowed to drive on the sidewalks.  Look at that traffic, and we were part of it for an evening!

We couldn't figure out why you have sidewalks at all if you are allowed to drive on them!  

Beef cooked on a red tile slate over hot coals.  Then you add your greens and noodles and roll it up in a rice paper, like a spring roll.

Celebrating 40 years since the reunification of Vietnam as well as the New Year

Traffic 

Small pool on the 6th floor of our Rex Hotel.  The fireworks were shot from the  helicopter pad of the tower in the background.  We also spent our last night here on the deck enjoying the city lights, the warm weather, and rather basking in the fabulous trip we had just experienced.

Post Office.  We mailed a letter to my Mom on New Years Day with a special New Years Day stamp.

Beer and Coffee are specialties of Vietnam, and very cheap.  We stuck with Cap Tam however.  This drink is a mixture of all sorts of goodies which actually look disgusting but taste yummy.

Jade Pagoda.  It is a Taoist temple and people truly do worship here.  But it's a dive.  It got two pages in the tour book but it shouldn't have had more than a mention.

Yeah, my feeling exactly.   It was 30 degrees Celsius and way too hot.

For future Vietnam visitors.  Next time if the weather is right we will see Sapa in the North and spend a few days in the Mekong in the South.  Oh, and I wish we would have fit in Ankor Wat.  It's so close.  A shame not to add that.
Well, that concludes the trip to Vietnam.  It was a great trip never to be forgotten.  Thanks for listenin'
And now a great drought in photos.....Probably till March when we meet up with the Dan Herway family in Monterey!