Ho Chi Minh City (former Saigon) (Vietnam) -ENG-

Saigon (7,2 Mill. inhabitans) ist even bigger than the capital, Hanoi (6,5 Mill.), and has much more motorbikes, however it´s a very wide city, with big avenues and street, not too narrow than Hanoi.

They have a lot of traffic ligths, but the don´t always respect them...

The same with the zebra crossing, that means, you needd to be brave like in Hanoi und just cross without thinking.

 

That girl had just doubt too much. (1:17 min.). I will show how you must, how I made it in just 36´´.

In my opinion, Saigon is crazy but nice and an interesting city. Definetely nicer for pedestrians than Hanoi, where most of the sidewalks are plently of smalls stands, parked motorbikes, or people sitting there, so you need to make a round and walk directly the street down.

The former name of Saigon ist because of the same named river. The current name, because of Uncle Ho, who is everywhere as the leader of the revolution:
Uncle Ho Chi Minh will always live in our hearts.(Bác Hồ Chí Minh sẽ luôn luôn sống trong trái tim của chúng tôi) Is that right, Tra?

I like also the nice parks in Saigon. People in Vietnam love parks, and they enjoy the spare time just sitting there (especially couples) or walking around. They respect the nature and their parks. That´s nice, because you can break for a while of the crazy wild city just in middle of a park. Of course you still hear the hunk everywhere, but not so loud.

The same city was a battlefield during the vietnam war (1969-75). I visited the worthing  the War Remnants Museum (before called Museum of American War Crimes), where you can see lot of appalling pictures of victims and murders.

It´s was terrible war, where USA lost 58.000 soldiers. It was the first and still only time, USA lost a war. But the real loser were the 2 millons innocent civilians who died.

Around 3 mill. persons died in these bloody war.

The next day I decided to know more about this part of the history and I went to the famous Cu Chi tunnels, in middle of the jungle, where the US-Troops were stoped by the Viet Cong with traps like this one,

and shooting from the hidding places like small tunnels, called by the americans "rat tunnels", because the couldn´t believe a person can go through those places.

Believe, if you see the tunnels, you think the same. But Viet Congs combats were extremly thin and flexible.

The tunnels we went inside are made for visitors, much bigger, dry, and safe. Their tunnels during the war were completly different

But the worst part off this visit war knowing about the shooting fields, where you can shoot your own bullets with an AK-47 or M1. I could hear from hundert of meter away the thunderous scary noise of those shoots. Very scary. It´s even worse when you come closer and closer... There are probably to kind of people there. The people are excitied hearing the evil noise. And people like me, who think what that have in the past really meant. DEATH.

It was not nice at all to come closer and closer, to discover, that the shooting field was just beside the souvenirs shop, where ligthers and keyring made of used bullets( maybe killing people) were sold beside the real bullets, ready to be shoot. Absolutely atrocius.

I was horrified thining about the souls, who were shot 40 years ago. Even worst, thinking about the bloody guns are still being used in other parts of the world  like Ruanda or Libia to kill people.  I wanted to cry. Honestly. I can understand, how people, who have lost so much because of this guns, can profit of them.

I was asked to shoot. My answer was: " I have just come here to know about the history, not to pretend to be part of it"

Trying to forget about all this matter, I went in the afternoom to the traditional water puppets show, originally from the north region of Vietnam(Hanoi). They tell different histories of farers, kings or fish people,mixed with legends of dragons. Everything with live traditional music and nice voices of a six-person chor, who also play the intruments.

In Saigon there also no escape for shooping. You must...I love it. Of course you must bargain all the time, starting at least with the half price they tell you. Even if you pay the half price, they make winning, and I am sure, they are still cheating me. Despite of it, you buy, becase it´s extremly cheap.

By the way, Phở the national dish of Vietnam.

Saigon has also a crazy night life, but I was alone, and didn´t wanted to go out just me...so I rested and enjoyed during the day.