Saigon, correctly Ho-Chi-Minh City with 6 to 8 million inhabitants is the heart and the soul of Vietnam and socialism de Luxe. It’s a bustling, dynamic city with Road markets, nice cafes, pubs, shops, bars, boutiques and luxury hotels. This all let forget you that Vietnam is still a “third world country”. Prosperity and poverty live are here closely next to each. It is a split between the different worlds. In no other city in Vietnam so much is earned, built and lived so excessively. Here is a completely different life feeling. In the 300 year old history of the city were more than 100 years controlled by foreigners. Still exists French architecture, American businesses and Asiatic diligence beside each other. Companies, big bank houses and investors determine today the destiny of this Boomtown. Buildings in the colonial style, churches and the broad roads and places remind of the French past. Naturally, still here more than in the other cities of Vietnam, there is a horrible traffic. The city always is in motion. We liked it immediately. It reminded us many years ago of Bangkok. The next to each other of modern trend and tradition inspires us again and again. Here big shopping streets, there small shops and handicrafts. One of the main attractions is the Ben Thanh market with its hundreds of shops. Here you can find everything, what ever you want. In the evening, if the market is closed, the free areas and the surrounding small roads transform into an enormous meal market. We could stroll here cross and crosswise for many hours. In addition, Saigon has many calmer objects of interest like the Chinese Phung Son Tu Pagoda with their large smoking hung up spirals inside, which burn down for hours and makes a marvellous atmosphere. Other sightseeing-Highlights are the imposing main post office, which was held in the French architectural style and the historical museum. In the museum the whole history of Vietnam is very descriptive represented. An absolute Highlight here was an over one hundred years old mummy of a woman. Interesting but somehow a creepy feeling. In order to hurt nobody feelings, we later exchanged the photo of the mummy against another photo from the museum. Of course we explored everything by foot again. There are like in Hanoi and Hoi An many galleries lacquered works-shops, antiques-shops a.s.o., too. Vivien’s und Erhard’s Blog