Saigon, Vietnam

The sweltering heat in Saigon is almost unbearable at this time of year. Even at 11pm when we arrived on Saturday night the air was heavy with moisture and I immediately started sweating which really didn't stop until we flew to Hanoi!



Sunday
We had planned the Mekong Delta tour for our first day. It was a rough wake up call for folks still getting accustomed to the 12 hour time difference, but a great way to force people to stay awake and active. My Tho is about 70km from Saigon but the traffic in the city sometimes adds significant time to the journey, particularly when you're in a huge chartered tour bus. But the ride was painless and the weather was nice for the multiple boat rides we took.


Of course we did all of the same things as last year - taking a boat to a candy making factory, drinking local tea (which bees especially are attracted to), and handling a large disgusting snake. We also snacked on tropical fruits and I recalled when EQ choked on a piece of fruit and B had to give her the heimlich. I still tease him about it.

We were back in town in time for dinner so a group of us headed out to a nice place near our hotel to wrap up a lovely start to our trip.

Monday
This was another early day full of business meetings. I was glad we were able to arrange all of our meetings on one day. First up we visited with the Department of Commerce which was very interesting. I remember really liking this guy last year and this time was no different. The group even managed to ask some really insightful questions. Our next meeting was less successful, partially due to the fact that we were crammed in a tiny classroom with questionable air conditioning. It didn't help that the speaker was not very engaging but he did lend an interesting non-business perspective to working in Vietnam. He had done a couple of poverty projects for USAID up in the hill countries of Vietnam.

We had a quick break for lunch before our last meeting and returned to Sen Restaurant which was a real highlight last year. The restaurant itself is absolutely stunning, tucked behind a retail and residential area on a small back alley. The food wasn't bad either and everyone seemed happy with the set menu.

After lunch we headed out to the Saigon Hi-Tech Park to meet with Intel and hear about their plans in Southeast Asia. This was a very interesting meeting and as it turns out, they are hiring Vietnamese who have been educated abroad and wish to return to the motherland.

Again, we had finished in time to have another nice dinner out with friends. This time it was a bit of a wild goose chase -- the result of leaving the hotel without a plan!

Tuesday
Our last full day in Saigon and it was boiling hot outside. We originally had a city tour and a visit to the Cu Chi tunnels on the roster, but due to the heat we had to cut it short. In the end, we did make it out to the tunnels and had a chance to get out at the rubber tree plantation so I got some good pics for B. Then back to the city for lunch and then the War Remnants Museum, the central post office, and the Notre Dame Cathedral.


That night we had a big night out in Saigon. Went to dinner with my friend's mother who took us to Quan An Ngon which is a restaurant that has consolidated the best of Vietnamese street food and put it in one place. The food was fantastic! Afterward, we met some folks on the 23rd floor of the Sheraton for birthday drinks before wrapping it up at the Park Hyatt with more drinks.


Then off to bed for an early flight to Hanoi...