Saigon

I liked Saigon.



No that's not true, I loved Saigon.



Its a crazy city, population 6 million, 5.9 million of which are - at any one time - hurtling around the city on motor-bikes. The traffic system in Vietnam, it would be fair to say, makes Chinese roads look like ze autobahn. Crossing the road is not the simple process we take for granted in the UK but rather a unique art form (almost a dance) where one crosses slowly as the bikes swarm around you (unless a car comes along which really fucks things up, forcing a retreat).



There aren't actually that many "sights" per se in Saigon...the War Remanants Museum, formerly the Museum of American and Chinese Atrocities remains true to its old name; while the propaganda is predictable, the images - especially of My Lai - are truly shocking, especially as simillar stories are beginning to filter through from Iraq. The oft-quoted line from Robert Macnamara (on prominent display),

yet we were wrong, terribly wrong. We owe it to future generations to explain
why...

is particularly apt; in any event, there is nothing to suggest that the Blairs and Wolfowitzes, Cheneys and Pearles of this world would be receptive to explanation, such is their belief in the merits of their case, and of their own infallability (neither of the above four has, to my knowledge any extensive military experience)


The Reunification Palace used to be the home of the President of the Republic of Vietnam until his country ceased to exist one bright April day in 1975 - unnervingly, the whole place is preserved exactly as it was oin the day the sotuh surrendered)...

These big two aside, the great joys of Saigon - at least for me - were walking around, through the streets and crowded markets and hanging out in cafes and bars - of which more later - (Vietnam is perhaps the best place on earth I've been so far to people-watch - there's always something interesting, amusing or just damn wierd going on.