Ho Chi Minh City was Saigon, why they changed it I can’t say, people just liked it better that way. Or so They Might Be Giants (and The Four Lads) might’ve sung it, although in this case we’ve found that no one likes the new name more than the old one. Almost predictably, no one in Saigon (except for party officials) calls it by the new name. In a lot of ways, the city seems to be in denial that it’s in a socialist country. It has a youthful energy to it that seemed lacking in Hanoi, and an honesty about all the buying and selling going on that always felt more circumspect up north.
Saigon traffic is similar to that in Hanoi, but at least the blocks are longer here, meaning that you have to force your way across four lanes of bikes (two official lanes and two impromptu) less frequently. This makes Saigon much easier to walk around, especially combined with the actual availability of parking, meaning that the sidewalk can be used for walking instead of for parking motorbikes. I took advantage of this and did a walking tour around the city one day. I saw a lot of the famous old French buildings, visited the huge Ben Thanh Market, and had a bowl of pho at the famous Pho 2000 restaurant (made famous by a visit by then president Clinton). In the afternoon I visited the Reunification Palace, which is what the Presidential Palace is now called, and then the War Remnants Museum. The former has a lot of historical significance, and the latter has both a lot of historical information as well as serving as a reminder of the horrors of war.
Our last day in Saigon saw a lot more walking, a little bit of shopping, and a visit to the zoo and botanical gardens. The zoo was pretty disappointing, but it was nice to be in amongst the real trees after spending so much time in the concrete jungle. Plus there was a gibbon with a wonderful climbing gym who was putting on quite the show, swinging this way and that, jumping all around and having a wonderful time.
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