Our Travel Photos: Saigon

The Presidential Palace built in the 1960s after the former one had been badly damaged by two South Vietnamese pilots who were actually part of the Viet Cong resistance, bombed the building. It is now called the Reunification Palace and is a museum.

A photo shown in the Place of Diem hosting a lavish dinner party for South Vietnamese and American dignitaries. Diem was assassinated a couple of years later in a military coup allowed by the USA as his policies and abuse toward buddhists and resisters had become so unpopular with the South Vietnamese people.

An American helicopter left behind when the troops pulled out in 1973, now atop the Reunification Palace.

1950s Mercedes limo now in the basement of the Palace together with it's fervent admirer.

An out-of-focus shot of the shooting gallery in the Basement bunker of the palace.

Traditional forms of carriage now on the grounds of the palace.

An exhibit in the Museum of the City of Ho Chi Minh showing traditional crafts from earlier times -- here, pottery.

An exhibit of a costume used for theatrical presentations of traditional stories.

In a section showing the American War a cross-section cut out of the kinds of tunnels used by the Viet Cong -- the South Vietnamese resistance movement that employed primarily guerrilla tactics against the South and its American ally.

A bicycle carrier, showing the ways and means of transporting food, weapons, and medical necessities to the resistance groups scattered throughout the south -- carried by usually young volunteers.

A big smile from a young woman in the Ben Thank market with whom I bargained vigorously for a reproduction opium pipe and a gong.

A temple in Chinatown, Saigon. The man in the photo is holding a burning stick of incense with which he is praying -- perhaps to a particular god or to his ancestors. After praying in this manner, a devotee places the incense stick in a large jar of sand to allow it to continue his parayeers even after he has left.

A wall outside the temple ornately carved.

A carved wooden panel within the temple.

A central figure at the heart of the temple. It was not clear to us whom it represented. On the shelf at the bottom of the picture are gift brought for the deity or ancestor.

Some students outside on the pavement from a school adjacent to and associated with the temple.

Stree traffic at rush hour. Many motorbike riders wear masks to protect themselves from the pollution generated by their fellow riders. It is quite strong at that level.

Ben Thanh market in central Saigon -- a huge warren of individual shops, all more or less on top of one another and all competing for one's attention. It is closed at about 6 or 7 PM but right at that moment the night markets spring up all around it, bringing out not just tourists for an evening wander but many, many young Vietnamese, coming to hang out in a lively and interesting part of town.

An American convoy helicopter that carried men and materials to combat zone in Vietnam, now part of the outdoor exhibit at the War Remnants Museum -- the most searing and heart-rending place that we visited in the city.

More American weaponry left behind and now on exhibit.

child

A large photo on an exterior wall of a child standing in a mangrove field that has been destroyed by napalm.

A photo of the moment in April, 1975 when a North Vietnamese tank broke through the gate of the Presidential Palace, signalling the end of the civil war and the reunification of the country.

A young woman who had been affected by agent orange holding her baby with a deformed arm and a severe skin ailment. The effects of agent orange on people to the third generation have been documented in Vietnam and in American soldiers who were also subject to it.

A picture of the Saigon River from the 50th floor of the Bitexico building in downtown Saigon, showing across the way a vast area that has been cleared for futher development.

A Hindu temple in the centre of Saigon that we at first thought was Jain.

The exterior of this temple.

A group of schoolkids who smiled for us at their noon break.

Tons of people eat their lunches and suppers in this way in Vietnam -- getting pho -- soup with vegetables and perhaps some chicken, or some other offering from a woman preparing the meals on the street. It is inexpensive, casual, and very social. Especially in the early evenings we saw so many people sitting about in this manner enjoying their meals and their company.

A picture of the back of Notre Dame cathedral seen through a few of the flower decorations being put everywhere in preparation for the New Year celebrations -- possibly the largest celebration of the year in China and Vietnam.

Having coffee at a cafe with some of the large and growing middle class of Saigon.

The outside entrance to the USA consulate. When the Americans returned after the war they pulled down the original building of unhappy memories and built this functional but really uninteresting place. The people out front are there to apply for USA visas.

A famous buddhist temple not far from our hotel. It was a major center of resistance to President Diem who as a Catholic had little sympathy for buddhism. The buddhist monk who immolated himself in the early 1960s was part of this resistance.

Devotees chanting together with the leader who is inside. This is the overflow crowd -- there are at least 100 people inside, all sitting as are these people on mats, cross-legged before a stand with a book of the chants. It was solemn and beautiful.