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Yes, the date above in the Subject field is correct. These photos are from December 10th. It is hard to believe that ten months have passed since we were in Vietnam & Cambodia. How time does fly. We are standing in the lobby of the Sofitel hotel in Saigon, waiting for Ut & Tin to organize our driver, and for other folks to finish with the facilities of the hotel before we venture out for our Saigon excursion. Our first stop is the Reunification Palace (formerly the Presidential Palace). The rather magnificent image of Ho Chi Minh floating in the heavens, standing on a cloud, was quite impressive, and attests to the fact that he was so highly revered.

These tanks are identical to the armoured vehicles from Tank Corps 203, 2nd Army, that made the famous break-through into the Palace grounds through the great Palace gate on 30 April 1975. Tank 390, a T59 manufactured in China, was first deployed in Viêt Nam in the 1960s.

Tank 843, a T54 from USSR, was delivered to Viêt Nam as part of a Soviet military aid in 1972. The gardens surrounding the Palace are beautifully kept, as one would expect in this country. Great patience and an eye for natural beauty are most evident.

         State banquets with as many as 100 guests were held in
         this room. The room’s gold color scheme was intended
                     to create a convivial atmosphere.

       One of two presidential reception rooms. Between 19                                   This conference hall can hold as many as 500 guests.
        and 23 October 1972, six meetings were held in this                                  At 19:30 on 21 April 1975, President Thiệu delivered
        room between President Thiệ?u and Henry Kissinger,                                    his resignation speech in this room: he spoke for
               President Nixon’s National Security Advisor.                                                                       over 2 hours

On 8 April, 1975, an underground member of the Communist Party of Vietnam, Lieutenant Nguyể?n Thành Trung, who had infiltrated the air force of the Southern Republic, seized the opportunity provided by his assignment to fly a military mission to Phan Thiế?t. Evading detection by the local control tower, Lt. Trung flew his F5E aircraft directly over Sài Gòn and succeeded in dropping two bombs on the Palace before landing at an improvised airstrip prepared by the Liberation Forces. The helipad on the upper terrace of the Palace and the main central staircase were damaged in the attack, though they were subsequently repaired. But this feat seriously undermined the republic’s authority and prompted the US President to order the evacuation of the last of the Americans still in Sài Gòn.

We complete our tour of the Palace and take a break for lunch. Tin and Ut suggest a great Phỏ? shop, and we head there.

It was a delightful event, and the noodle soup was excellent. The “333” beer wasn’t bad either. A very satisfying lunch.

We resume our tour of the city of Saigon, enjoying the various architectural styles, the overall beauty and cleanliness.

Our tour includes a stop at a factory that produces beautiful lacquer ware. I was amazed by the tediousness with which the various pieces were produced. Each tiny fragment of shell was meticulously placed by hand before the lacquer was applied.

I sensed an infinite amount of patience and boredom. ;o) Each worker was an artist, and each piece was unique.

Once the lacquer was applied and tried, each piece needed to be sanded and polished. Hence, the water bath for cooling.

This factory store had an extensive array of products, which included lacquer pictures, and beautiful jade jewelry.

Our hotel room in Saigon was fairly luxurious, as were all of our hotel stays, whether in Vietnam or Cambodia.

There was a great rooftop terrace, with fantastic views of the city. We couldn’t have asked for nicer weather.

That evening we all met in the lobby, as Viking was treating us to dinner at The Deck Restaurant. It was quite nice. The Christmas tree in the lobby would continuously change colors. Although it was quite unique, if not beautiful, I found myself missing the green boughs of a spruce or Douglas fir tree, which are understandably difficult to come by in Vietnam. ;o)

The entrance to The Deck was mysteriously dark, but once inside, there was a well lit bar which was certainly well stocked.

The menu was simple, but the food was excellent. Drink prices are in “DONG”. 160,000 dong equals $7.25 for a glass of wine.

Pete and I began with a martini, in a strange glass, with no olives. The appetizer was delicious (see description above)

I had the Char Grilled Imported Rib-Eye and Pete had the Grilled Phu Quoc King Prawns with Shichuan Sauce. Mmmmmm!

The deserts were wonderful. Carol was too full to eat hers, so she gave it to me. I was in seventh heaven. ;o)

Ann and Pete are totally satisfied after the meal, as I tale a selfie with Carol. Life is good!

Although Pete and I will be doing the Post-Extension of three days in Bangkok, most everyone else will be leaving for home tomorrow. I was sad that this part of our adventure was coming to an end. Everyone was so nice, and we shared so many great times together. Many very good memories abound. Next up, Bangkok.