Vietnam Travel Photography, Free ePostcards, and Picture Guide | Asia

Email This Page | Feedback | Update Log | Copyright | Site Map

Cambodia China Denmark England France Hong Kong Iceland Ireland Italy Japan Macau Peru Philippines Singapore Sweden Switzerland Thailand USA: Central New York USA: West Virginia
Vatican City Vietnam


Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon)
Send Image as a Free e-Postcard	Cyclos: Wherever you look in Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon), there are hundreds of friendly cyclo drivers who offer to give you tours of the city. Sort of like a rickshaw on wheels, these vehicles offer a unique and relaxing way to see this hectic city.
Send Image as a Free e-Postcard	Colonial Architecture: For a while Vietnam was a French colony, and traces of the colonial past can still be seen today in the older architecture. Reminders of the past still exist as every morning we awoke to the smell of fresh baguettes, which were sold from carts on every corner. The building pictured was Saigon's City Hall until 1975 and is now known as The Ho Chi Minh City People’s Committee Building
Send Image as a Free e-Postcard	City Traffic: The "moto" has replaced the bicycle as the vehicle of choice for the average Vietnamese. One day, in Dalat, we rented bicycles to tour around the city and were given the strangest looks. The next day we wised us and rented motos and took our motos through the countryside.
Dalat
Send Image as a Free e-Postcard	Countryside Scenery, Dalat: Unlike most people think, Vietnam is more than just rice paddies. In Dalat we took our motos up treacherous mountain, but it was worth it to get this view.
Send Image as a Free e-Postcard	Tea Plantation: In case you ever wondered where they grow tea it comes from tea plantations such as this one. In case you are wondering, the coffee plantation is across the street (seriously.)
Nha Trang, Khanh Hoa Province
Send Image as a Free e-Postcard	Fishing Boats: Years ago, these cup-shaped boats were a major form of transportation for seaside villages. They're still in use today, but mostly for entertaining the tourists.
Send Image as a Free e-Postcard	Nha Trang: Nha Trang, a seaside city near the middle of Vietnam, used to be a key American naval base. After the war the base was removed and the area is now projected to be the next big resort in Asia.
Send Image as a Free e-Postcard	At Play in Paradise: Time seems to stand still in Nha Trang, as the days are spent playing in the surf or relaxing on the beach, eating tropical fruit and soaking up the sun.
Send Image as a Free e-Postcard	The Good Life: While in Nha Trang we went out on boats where the fresh fruit and seafood was delicious, the snorkeling was magnificent, and the mulberry wine flowed freely. I miss that place!
Send Image as a Free e-Postcard	Ocean Sunset in Nha Trang: There have not been many times in my life where I have felt totally at ease with the world. This evening, while eating fresh mandarin oranges and watching the sun go down on the beautiful ocean, I truly felt a sense of inner peace.

Encarta map of Vietnam: See an excellent map of Vietnam

Vietnam Travel Information: Lonely Planet Destination Guide: Lonely Planet's guidebooks are second to none. Go here to read their on-line edition

Vietnam: Echoes of War: CNN's in-depth look at Vietnam on the 25th anniversary of the end of the war

The Cu Chi Tunnels: Read about the Cu Chi tunnels, one amazing aspect of Vietnamese guerilla warfare

Vietnam.com: A new site with news and information for touring Vietnam

Vietnam War: Infoplease.com's overview of the American-Vietnamese War

The Virtual Wall: An online version of the famous war memorial

Around Vietnam: An online photo essay about one man's trip in Vietnam

USA Today Travel: A good article on the resurgence of tourism in Vietnam

Ho Chi Minh City: An in-depth look at Ho Chi Minh City

Hitchhiking Vietnam: One woman's journey across Vietnam

Flags Of The World: Vietnam: Information about and history of Vietnam's flag

Do you have any questions or comments about this page? Please let me know!

Time Visited: April 1999

Main Cities Visited: Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon), Cu Chi, Dalat, Nha Trang

Modes of Transportation: Motorcycle (rented), bus, taxi, cyclo-taxi, airplane, boats

How I Ended Up There: I spent two weeks in Indochina, one in Cambodia and one in Vietnam. We entered Vietnam overland at Moc Bai.

Memorable Foods: spring rolls, pho bo, dragonfruit, meat with soup, baguettes, fresh fruit shakes, seafood of all kinds, mulberry wine

What I Liked: delicious cuisine, enchantingly beautiful countryside, ability for Vietnamese people to look forward

What I Disliked: I was sick for a few days with a severe fever (but was nursed back to health with some strong traditional medicine), many cultural misunderstandings between Americans and Vietnamese

Where I Stayed: Hostels, guesthouses

Vietnam in Five Words: forgiveness, forward-thinking, tragic, rebuilding, propaganda

My Thoughts: I came to Vietnam over land at Moc Bai after spending a week in Cambodia. After touring the war-torn areas of Vietnam's historic enemy, I could only imagine how devastated Vietnam was, considering the sheer amount of warfare that country has seen over the past twenty-five years. However, an amazing thing happened as I passed the border into Vietnam. In a one kilometer stretch, the landscape went from a desolate brown to a vibrant green. There was little evidence of a past war and people seemed generally happy with life. When I got to Saigon, I expected to be given harsh looks from the older population. However, the exact opposite was the case, as I was treated warmly and never had any problems. Vietnam seems to be country whose people are firmly looking ahead towards a bright future, leaving their horrific past behind.