In October 2022 I visited Vietnam for the first time in my life. The group I was with had disembarked the Mekong Jewel riverboat and headed to Ho Chi Minh City, where we began our tour of the city’s incredible French Colonial architecture, including the Royal Palace, the Notre Dame Cathedral, and the Central Post Office.

We visited the town of Cu Chi, where the local Vietnamese lived underground during the Vietnam war.  This incredible complex features underground homes and tunnels, as well as examples of the traps used to maim and kill enemy soldiers.

I found just by walking around downtown Saigon, crossing traffic at the risk of one’s own peril was exhilarating, to say the least.  It was interesting to see how much the city has developed since the war with soaring glass towers overlooking the main square with its statue of Ho Chi Minh. There was no shortage of street vendors selling everything including food, flowers, clothing, and kitchen utensils.