We have use of (Australian) Andy’s car and driver today – what luxury! – so we have no difficulty getting in and out of the centre of the city. We start out at 11am and head for the main Post Office to get a map and orientate ourselves. The Post Office (the largest in Vietnam) is worth visiting for its architecture alone. It is housed in a very lovely colonial building built between 1886 and 1891 with a beautiful interior covered by a glass canopy and a large picture of Ho Chi Minh dominates the central business hall. Our main focus today is a visit to the Re-unification Palace, but it is closed between 11.30am and 2pm. So we decide to start by having brunch in a creperie over-looking the well manicured gardens between Notre Dame cathedral and Re-unification Palace. We then take a stroll down to the river. It is much hotter and humid here than in Hoi An and the effort is quite exhausting. There is nothing very picturesque about this stretch of the river so we head back to the Palace. 30,000 Dong (£1.20) covers our admission and an English guide.
Re-unification Palace, previously known as Independence Palace, was the seat of the South Vietnamese government and the home of the President until 30th April 1975 when it was stormed by the North Vietnamese army at the end of the American War. The iconic images of tanks breaking through the gates and the North Vietnamese flag been unfurled from the 4th floor balcony are images that will be etched in the minds of those of us of a certain age. It is fascinating to wander the corridors and view the rooms of this sixties-built palace where history was made in our lifetime. The interior of the building is quite plain and minimalistic but very light and airy. It is beautifully furnished with the best of Vietnamese art and crafts and has been preserved as it was on that fateful day in 1975. Also very interesting is a visit to the two basements from which the war was conducted and which still contains the old radio equipment, the president’s bedroom and the map rooms.
Saigon has a very different character to Hanoi. The city centre has wide boulevards and open spaces and has a much less claustrophobic, more modern and international feel. Modern, high-rise buildings punctuate the skyline, but the overall impression is a low-rise cityscape of colourfully-painted houses in the typical style of Vietnam. The roads are just as frenetic as Hanoi, but here there are many more cars in addition to the hoards of motorbikes and scooters.