The big difference that you notice is in the people. The people seem happier and more confident than in Phnom Penh. This, I am guessing, has to do with the Vietnam War ("American War" as they call it) has been over for 30 years and the people have a certain pride to them in beating the Americans. They also don't suffer from an as brutal and corrupt a regime as the Cambodians do. Despite being a Communist country, you don't see a lot of repressed people. Everyone even still calls the city Saigon. I guess it's a lot easier to say..
I stayed at Hotel 64 (64 is the address in Pham Nu Lao, they have a sister hotel 127). It is one of the best places I have stayed on my trip, hands down. The hotel is family run, so everyone who works there is a sister, a cousin, an auntie, or a mom (all women working there). The girls are all just so sweet, and so much fun. They are constantly joking around. Besides that, they are incredibly professional, and the place is always spotless, and someone is always there to offer you tea, or noodles, or to help you find where you want to go. The place is great. I am paying 12 dollars a night for a big, clean room with ac and hot showers (if you want to stay really cheap you can get perfectly good rooms without hot water and ac for around 4 a night).
One night there was a birthday for one of the girls and there was a big party. Even though the travelers didn't understand a lot of the jokes as the girls laughed hysterically, it was good fun. I would highly recommend this place.
You walk around the streets of Saigon, and there is energy everywhere. The people give you huge smiles, trying to get you into their shops to buy fruits, or toiletries, or pirated cd's. Or they just smile at you since they recognize you as a foreigner.
Saigon is a huge city, over 7 million people, and is bustling with energy. Open markets and food stands line the street, and mopeds zoom by at every step. Taking a motorbike, as you should, you zoom into oncoming traffic, and expect a hard collision, but it doesn't happen. Despite a lack of much of any traffic signs or lights (and the ones that they do have seem to just be "guidelines"), I haven't yet seen an accident. It really is incredible to see. They seem to be really well coordinated riding the bikes, just like Cambodia.
Food is terrific and good in Vietnam. A couple of places that stood out were Pho 2000 (it was open in 2000 and Clinton visited there!) which had excellent Pho. Also Bo Tung Xeo which has fantastic barbecue, and is pretty reasonable. Most little Pho and barbecue places and vietnamese sandwich places on the street are all of good quality around Pham Nu Lao. The fruit shakes and iced coffees are also terrific.
Saigon itself is really great for shopping. You can buy DVDs, video games and software for great prices. The piracy industry here is booming, and of very good quality. The only thing to watch for, is if you buy very recent movies. I bought a copy of "Kill Bill" and it literally is a home movie ala Seinfeld from a theater. Other than that, my other movies seem to be in good shape. I'll cross my fingers as I pass through US Customs. I also met a decent amount of people who bought art or had clothing custom made, and were happy with their purchases.
I saw the "War Remnants" Museum, which was previously named the "American War Crimes" museum. They changed the names because I guess they thought the previous name might be offensive. Maybe a little?
The museum was very interesting. It was not too objective, but they detailed out a history of the war in photographs, and have a lot of good info about the volume of bombs that the americans dropped on vietnam (3X that of all of WWII), documentation on the number of civilian casualties from such bombing and post-birth casualties (upwards of 4 million), and maps of ecological disaster from chemicals such as agent orange in the North and South. The most difficult part of the museum to take are the photos they have of the Mai Lai Massacre and of children who were victims of napalm and agent orange. Horrific stuff.
I think the museum is very incredible to see since you rarely see any of this stuff in the US history books. It is tragic that this is glossed over in the US. There should be some type of museum to remember this tragic mistake in Washington that has a balanced, dispassionate perspective.. I guess they will have the day the Russians have a Afghanistan War museum in Moscow.
Also the Hotel Continental is pretty cool. That is the hotel from Graham Greene's 'Quiet American', and is really classy and nice. It is a great place to have a vietnamese coffee and watch life pass by. which is exactly what I did one day.
Very relaxing week or so in Saigon. It is a tremendous city to hang out in. I think I will go to the Continental Hotel tomorrow and have a relaxing breakfast to start my day. Back to Bangkok to meet my friend Vince on the 18th..