My First Trip to Saigon

Jimmy, Michael & I went to Saigon yesterday. We caught the train from Bien Hoa at 7:00am. The trip to the city was a short & fairly comfortable 45 minutes.

The train originates in Hanoi & terminates in Saigon. The entire trip takes about two days, but we had just hopped on for the last leg. The train car was littered with trash from the people who had camped out there to make the long journey from the north.

Once in Saigon, we visited the market & some touristy-type buildings, including the opera house & city hall. The guards at city hall didn't want us to take any photos, but I got one from afar with a statue of Ho Chi Minh in front.

We went shopping at a foreign imports grocery store where Michael got some Skittles & some other American items he'd been longing for. I was going to buy a pack of gum until I found out the price: $1.25?! No way, I said. Waaay too expensive. Funny how your idea of pricing changes when you're traveling.

My favorite purchase of the day: a Vietnam flag tank top to match Michael's T-shirt. Oh, how touristy!

We caught the train back to Bien Hoa at around 5:00pm & were back home in time for dinner. This time the train car was pristine. Since the afternoon trip originates in Saigon, the train was at the beginning of the two-day trip back up to Hanoi, so it hadn't been messed up by the long-haul passengers yet.

It was nice to get out of Bien Hoa for the day & do something completely different. I may try to go in to the city on my own sometime soon. I'd like to check out some of the museums that are there.