Saigon daily life

Just a collage of some of the people of Saigon. Like Thailand there are many vendors and like Thailand it is crowded and very busy and noisy.

Saigon Bits and Burps

Did I mention the motorbikes? Today I tried using my small camera to take some pictures as we made our way through the hordes of motorbikes. If you can imagine my less than diminutive body on the back of a motorbike obviously designed for Asians you can picture how I looked waving a camera and trying to take pictures...

The beers of Vietnam ... So far I have seen Saigon Beer and Tiger Beer ... Tiger is also sold in Thailand. I like both but Tiger has a smoother taste. Tiger is sold in large or small.

Two of the servers at the bar/restaurant/guesthouse I am staying at.......

Jade Emperor Pagoda or Chua Ngoc Hoang

The most impressive pagoda in Saigon is the Jade Emperor. A Chinese Taoist structure built in 1909 this is a beautiful place of worship and all open to the public except one area where they were prepared to eat a meal. Not sure if I would want tourists watching me eat and taking pictures.

Turtles are a sacred animal in the Taoist religion. An inscription is written on it's back to bring luck.

Outside the pagoda is a lion statue which my guide told me is called a unicorn? Not sure why....

War Remnants Museum

Today,  my last full day in Saigon was much more relaxing. I managed to find a more engaging tour guide for less money and went to only two places. The tour was very informative. I had some reservations about visiting this museum as it is a sobering place and we are reminded of the horrors of the Vietnam War. I took only a few photos as many of the photos and artifacts inside are too graphic a reminder of the atrocities of this war.

Bats on the ceiling of an outside display...

Jasmine hedge growing outside the building...

Eating Pho

Pho means noodle. It is Saigon's number one food dish. A must try I was told. I had it for my first breakfast. I must confess, I rather enjoyed it. Essentially a noodle soup, it comes with a delicious broth which you can customize from a dish of garnishes such as onions and other assorted things. I chose beef as the meat and found it very good. I hope to try more.

Pho Kobe with Kobe beef is the most expensive at $4.70 per bowl.  The beef Pho I had was a more modest $2.35 for the small bowl which is plenty enough for me.

Accompanying dish of Pho add ons to customize your dish.

Ha Chuong Hoi Quan Pagoda and Nghia An Hoi Quan Pagoda

A study in contrast. These two Chinese Pagodas are Confucian and Buddhist. They are within 2 blocks of each other and very old. They seem lost in modern Saigon. You had better like incense if you want to visit. Both interesting

Incense spirals hanging from the ceiling...

Nghia An Hoi Quan Pagoda