Tour of Ho Chi Minh City

On Wednesday morning, we had to leave Hoi An and continue our journey south. We had to say goodbye to awesome bus drivers because we took an overnight train to Ho Chi Minh City. On the twenty hour train ride, the group had the opportunity to REALLY get to know each other a lot better.  We arrived in Ho Chi Minh City at around 5:30 am, we got to rest in our hotel rooms for a little bit before starting a city tour at 9:00 am. Ho Chi Minh City, formerly Saigon (this name is still commonly used), is the largest city in Vietnam with a population of about 9 million people.  Our first stop in the city was Reunification Palace, formerly Independence Palace.  This was where the President of South Vietnam lived and worked during the Vietnam War. On April 30, 1975, Independence Palace was the place that served as the official surrender of South Vietnam, when a North Vietnamese army tank crashed though the front gates of the Palace. After our tour through the palace, we visited the War Remnants Museum. This museum  featured exhibits that were hard to go through.  The photos that were displayed were so heavy and intense, it really made the war real to many of the students on the trip. For lunch, we went to Pho 2000, a small restaurant where Bill and Chelsea Clinton ate when they visited Vietnam! After our fabulous lunch, Truc gave us a tour of the Binh Tay market in Chinatown. While we were there, some members of the group bought spices, nuts, coffee, and tea. We then visited the Thien Hau pagoda, the temple for the Chinese sea goddess. Many Vietnamese go there to pray for safe travels. The GIEU Vietnam 2013 group bought and lit an incense cone for us on the trip. The incense will burn for a week as we all travel to various places. After we explored the pagoda, we briefly visited Notre Dame in Saigon. Many US students were surprised with the huge, beautiful cathedral in Vietnam. Right across the street from the cathedral was a beautiful post office. Inside were beautiful phone and ATM booths, vendors, and a post office. The building was gorgeous inside and out. After the quick tour of the city, we were given free time to explore the city on our own. Some groups got coffee, some went shopping, and one group found a jazz club. They had the opportunity to meet a famous jazz musician who invited Stephon back the next night to sing with him!