Ho Chi Minh City


We had most of a day to see HCMC (formally Saigon) before meeting up with the rest of the tour group. We hired some very touristy 'cyclos' with drivers and did a small tour.

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11-Feb-2007  7:54am
 
Apparently many of the cyclo drivers are retired soldiers.
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IMG_3828
11-Feb-2007  9:19am
 
We stopped at a number of Pagodas. In HCMC most of them were packed in quite tightly between other buildings
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11-Feb-2007  9:26am
 
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11-Feb-2007  9:42am
 
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11-Feb-2007  9:50am
 
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11-Feb-2007  9:54am
 
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11-Feb-2007  10:06am
 
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11-Feb-2007  10:51am
 
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11-Feb-2007  11:41am
 
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11-Feb-2007  5:53pm
 
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11-Feb-2007  5:53pm
 
The biggest market - just around the corner from the hotel we were staying at. We always meant to go in, but somehow never quite got around to it!
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11-Feb-2007  6:08pm
 
Almost every street you went down was being decorated for the upcoming Tet (Vietnam new-year) celebrations.
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11-Feb-2007  6:33pm
 
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11-Feb-2007  7:43pm
 
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12-Feb-2007  8:17pm
 
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12-Feb-2007  8:18pm
 
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12-Feb-2007  8:18pm
 
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12-Feb-2007  8:19pm
 
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12-Feb-2007  8:23pm
 
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12-Feb-2007  8:23pm
 
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12-Feb-2007  8:35pm
 
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12-Feb-2007  8:46pm
 
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12-Feb-2007  8:47pm
 
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12-Feb-2007  8:55pm
 
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12-Feb-2007  9:03pm
 
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12-Feb-2007  9:06pm
 
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12-Feb-2007  9:21pm
 
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12-Feb-2007  3:44pm
 
The tour group's first dinner out together. Minus the leader (Ha), and Betty is taking the pic of course. It was really good being in such a small group.
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IMG_3895
12-Feb-2007  3:45pm
 
Live music!
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IMG_3897
12-Feb-2007  4:50pm
 
As we came out of the restaurant, we discovered the opera house had been lit up in a big light and video show with (mainly techno) music! Odd.
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IMG_3903
12-Feb-2007  5:21pm
 
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Traffic 1
 
Taking off from an intersection on a 'cyclo'.
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Traffic 2
 
Towards the end you get a feel for how the traffic "just works out" at the intersections. A tad scary when you're not used to it.
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Traffic 3
 
Crossing the road at night. I started filming as we (bravely) stepped out into the traffic.
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Traffic 4
 
The traffic, backed up after a big techno(!) music & lights event at the opera house (part of the Tet celebrations, I assume)