Tuesday, March 12

This morning we boarded coach buses (a much more civilized form of transportation) for a trip to the War Remnants Museum, which was once known as the Museum of American War Crimes.

The Museum consist of several themed rooms, in several buildings, with period military equipment placed within a walled yard. The military equipment includes a UH-1 "Huey" helicopter, an F-5A fighter, a BLU-82 "Daisy Cutter" bomb, M48 Patton tank, an A-1 Skyraider attack bomber, and an A-37 Dragonfly attack bomber. There are a number of pieces of unexploded ordnance stored in the corner of the yard, with their charges and/or fuses removed.
It was rather shocking and disturbing to see the atrocities committed during the Viet Nam War, not to mention the number of lives lost.




Our next stop was at the Reunification Palace which is a landmark in Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam.


 It was the home and workplace of the President of South Vietnam during the Vietnam War. It was the site of the end of the Vietnam War during the Fall of Saigon on 30 April 1975, when a North Vietnamese Army tank crashed through its gates. 
The palace is like a time capsule frozen in 1975. You can see two of the original tanks used in the capture of the palace parked in the grounds. It has lush gardens, secret rooms. antique furniture and a command bunker. It is still used to host important occasions in Hi Chi Minh, including APEC summits.






The Palace has five levels. The basement features tunnels, a war room and telecommunications centre. The war command centre has original maps on its walls. Period telecommunications equipment are also on display. The Palace's rooftop terrace is fitted with a heliport. 

Receptions for as many as 500 guests were held in this Conference Hall. It is also used for the installation of each new cabinet



We then went to XU Restaurant for our "Farewell to Saigon lunch". 
 

The first course was Cream of Mushroom soup, Heart of Palm salad with prawns. Next came grilled honey pork ribs with sweet potato and cauliflower, grilled Grant Gourami fish with Sate, vegetables Mango salad and cocoanut sauce. 
The dessert tasting consisted of 3 samples : Pandan Pannacotta , Chocolate brownie, and Vietnamese flan cake. All of which were delicious!


To top it off, they brought out wafer cookies in dry ice. They showed us to put it into our mouth and bite it then breathe out. Looked like we were smoking! We had lots of laughs! 


After lunch, we collected our carry-on luggage and boarded the coach for the 2 hour drive to Scenic Spirit. Finally!


Once on board, we found our cabin and unpacked. Then went up to the Sun Deck for the sail-away. We will be going from My Tho to Cai Be.

Of course, there was a champagne reception 









The Spirit is a 68 passenger ship built for the Mekong. Every cabin is a 2 room balcony suite. There is also a pool which is long enough for swimming short laps! 

We have our own personal butler who is always available for anything we may want. He restocks the mini bar whenever we take anything out. I believe the word is "spoiled". Not complaining! 
The adventure continues.