SEA2019: First day in Ho Chi Min City (a.k.a. Saigon)

Due to the fatigue from the trip, the disco music from the nearby pubs didn't bother enough to interfere with our sleep. That, and the energising breakfast of noodle soup with fried egg offered at our hotel, got us in the mood to start exploring of the city.

First, getting acquainted with the climate and the traffic. It is always curious to see how a pub-lined street changes in the morning. A short stroll gets us closer to the center and, for good measure, we make a short stop at an excellent local coffee chain, Highland's Coffee, for iced lattes.

Then is off to one of the most visited markets in the city, Ben Thanh Market. All sorts of goods can be found here, clothing, hardware, souvenirs, and food (fresh and cooked). Near the market there is the Mariamman Hindu Temple, which we visit next.

The La Loi avenue between those sights is partially blocked by heavy works, but the Opera house can still be seen in the distance and we head that way. Close to the Opera house we can admire the City Council building, and also nearby, the Continental Hotel (featured in several novels and films), and another of our targets for the day, the Notre Dame Cathedral.  Unfortunately, it is closed for renovation.

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On the other hand, we find, in an alley beside the Post Office, a small market composed by a number of bookshops. A wall nearby is covered in propaganda posters for the anniversary of Vietnam's liberation from the French and other landmark events. The Post Office, on he other hand, has been somehow invaded by souvenir shops, all of them offering the same fridge magnets, coffee pots, hats and T-shirts.

A stroll towards the river lets us grow an appetite (and longing for air-conditioning), and after some searching we settle for a foot court in the Bitexco Finantial Tower, the tallest building in HCMC.

Some noodle soup and fruit juice later, we are ready to brave the heat, humidity and traffic again. This time, towards the War Remnants Museum. On the way there we also admire from a distance the Reunification Palace, or Independence Palace, which used to be the site of government in the South during the Vietnam war.

Our energy is running low, but there are two more sights we want to visit, and they look easily reachable from our present position. They are the Jade Emperor Pagoda and the Pink Church. They might be close by, but with the heat, the rising humidity, accumulated fatigue, the traffic and a quickly setting sun, they become a bit of an effort to reach. But of course reach them we do, even as it's already night and in the case of the Pagoda, it is literally closing its gates in front of us (many thanks to the guard who gave us five  minutes for the visit).

A lot of ground has been covered today. Still one last thing to do, walk back to our hotel. Never 3km felt more like a long distance march. Shower, and out again for dinner (stir-fried seafood noodles, sweet snails and vegetables), and back to our hotel to plan the next week and start booking train tickets and several accommodations. But not uneventfully, as at some point, before finishing all the booking, the lights in the building go off. Time to sleep then.