December 1st
Today looks like a decent day, a nice breakfast, I opt for the seafood noodle soup (pho) yummy > the hotel is owned by a retired teacher who spent time in Germany and his English, as well as his wife’s, is excellent …a rather pedantic fellow, but well-meaning. Our hotel room is nice although a little dark and there is a nice lobby area and patio where breakfast is served.
We intend to make this a bit of a leisurely day as we will be returning to Saigon when we fly back to Canada. The Grab takes us to the War Remnants Museum, our first stop. The Museum contains exhibits relating to the Vietnam War or American War, featuring historic photographs, military vehicles and weaponry….it unsurprisingly casts the Americans as the villains.
The scale of the bombing, destruction and long-term damage due to unexploded mines and Agent Orange is real and certainly casts into question what the U.S. was expecting to achieve…not dissimilar to the Iraq conflict. General Curtis Lemay’s comment that the way to win the war was to, ‘bomb the North Vietnamese back into the Stone Age”….happened to a large extent but did not win the war…though over 3 million casualties were suffered by North & South Vietnam (military/civilian).
A sobering experience in an age where war is often perceived as a video game conflict…..lots of Westerners and of course many, many Vietnamese becoming collateral damage.
After about 20 minutes of walking, we reached the Tan Dinh Church, the cathedral was constructed between 1863 and 1880 with most construction materials brought from France. It was established by French colonists who initially named it Cathédrale Notre-Dame de Saïgon. Unfortunately, we were declined entry as it was Sunday (go figure) and advised to return on Monday…oh well it seems we can’t get into any of the major churches in Vietnam.
Staying with the military theme we had some excellent iced teas at the Cong Caphe….yes it is painted in jungle camo green and the wait staff wear green fatigues…the tea was a great pick me up as the heat was starting to get to us…
Refreshed we went in search of the Ngọc Hoàng Pagoda also known as the Emperor Jade Pagoda, It is famous for a set of about 100 statues made from cardboard that depict a meeting of genies with the Jade Emperor. The temple was built by a Cantonese community that migrated from Southwest China’s Guangzhou province in the 20th century…..
…a supplicant makes an offering of lamp oil which the monk pours into the oil lamp while listening to the “story” and then offering his thoughts on the matter at hand…
...one of the cardboard “papier mache” statues which are a feature of this pagoda…
We then hoof it back towards the downtown core finally deciding on a very late lunch/early dinner at a Thai bistro for a change of pace….quite good, grab a Vinasun cab and 15 minutes later we are “home” >>> no rush hour drama today! A few pics of how we get to Ma Maison…coming back inebriated is not a great option!!!
A few beers, chat with the owners and time to call it a day.