"Finding Saigon underneath Ho Chi Minh... " a Ho Chi Minh City Travel Page by richiecdisc

The mystery of Asia came to the forefront of the Western psyche during French/English colonization so lucidly detailed in the great writers of the time. Places like Kuala Lumpur and Singapore sprang to life in the short stories of Maugham and suddenly the region was the exotic dream destination of an emerging mobile moneyed class. Hong Kong, Bombay, and Katmandu to name but a few were full of colorful images ripe for exploration. Saigon was one such pearl of the orient, full of an illustrious Colonial past that drew many an expatriate to call it home. A ravaging war that was anything but civil stole most of its tourist appeal and the Communist triumph all but made it off limits for even the intrepid traveler. Ultimately money has won out and once again Vietnam is open to all visitors willing to deal with some red tape. Saigon once again is calling.

Saigon presents many dichotomies. Right off the bat, it has two names. Officially called Ho Chi Minh City after Vietnam’s once illustrious leader and savior, locals still affectionately use Saigon to not only refer to the very core area still deemed as such but also to the entire sprawling metropolis. But the striking contrasts merely begin there. Though the country’s most modern city by far, it retains a unique Vietnamese flavor that is sometimes mysteriously lacking in less westernized enclaves. By far, the hotbed of both foreign investment and development, it remains one of the easiest of places to find tradition, be it in the realm of medicine or culinary delights. From a governmental viewpoint overshadowed by capital Hanoi, it stands unequivocally as the nation’s commercial center. Located in the once enemy south, it resists the north’s pressures to conform beyond the requisite name change. It may be the former leader’s namesake city but his body is still laying peacefully in Hanoi and perhaps it is a good thing. If he saw modern Saigon, he would realize that though he won the American War, he obviously didn’t defeat capitalism. Ho Chi Minh stands as Vietnam’s rush towards all that western world dangles as enticements: opportunity, freedom, and growth. But underneath Ho Chi Minh City, lies the Saigon, quaint in ways Colonial but still full of bustling Southeast Asia. And that’s where you will find Vietnam too.