Since we are limited in travel right now, join me over the next few weeks for a look at the beautiful and interesting country of Vietnam. This was in August 2019 before the Coronavirus came along.
If someone had told me in my youth that I would be going to Vietnam in 50 years, I would have told them they were crazy. I was an anti-Vietnam War protesting hippie. But there I was on a plane bound for Ho Chi Minh City.
I wasn’t sure what to expect. I was leery of being an older American traveling to a country in which we had conducted a reign of terror. Turns out, my fears were unfounded. What I found were people who are not dwelling in their past and are moving forward. The Vietnamese people were warm and welcoming.
I knew Vietnam was rapidly modernizing and its economy was growing, but I had no idea how fast. Ho Chi Minh City (Many people there still call it Saigon) and Hanoi, as well as other cities, are in a building boom with high rises going up at a rapid pace.
A friend recommended Gate 1 Travel. There were a number of reasons for going with a tour company. While my partner Huy speaks some Vietnamese, he isn’t fluent in the language and I speak no Vietnamese. I did learn hello: xin chào and thank you:cảm ơn bạn. The tour that we chose covered the country from south to north and not having to make travel arrangements was another big plus. Lastly, the price was very reasonable, you might say even cheap.
After a long haul from Albuquerque to Los Angeles to Taipei, we switched planes and finally arrived at our destination, Ho Chi Minh City. Traveling into the city from the airport takes awhile.
Finally, we arrived at our hotel, the Liberty Central Saigon Centre Hotel.
Ted’s Universe: Travel, Art, Nature 