12th January

Just reflecting on the first day we arrived here and trying to find our way to a major thoroughfare. We took a wrong turn and ended up in a maze of tiny streets, more like paths. We obviously looked a bit lost as a woman started to wave her hand in one direction and say go,  so off we went getting deeper into the maze… Still looking lost we met a man who again waved in one direction and said go so we did.  After a while we met the original woman again and laughing with her, ignored her advice and continued wending our way through the little passage ways with eyes on us all the way, some smiling, some just curious. More by luck than judgement we found our way out! The Vietnamese love to be helpful and can’t seem to say they don’t know …I’ve been lost (many times) in Saigon and ‘helped’ by many a kind soul  and I can tell you it’s cost me a pretty penny in shoe leather! 

Saigon is divided into Districts and we are staying in District 3 and walk to District 1 which is the main centre. Today we took a bus to district 2 … I love a Saigon bus … so clean and up together with a conductor who shouts at you when it’s your stop! The journey took 20 minutes and cost 14,000 VND approximately 50p for 2 of us. District 2 is very different … less traffic, wider streets and a lot more outlets catering for western tastes.

Whilst we were in District 2, the main reason for the journey, we visited a beautiful Buddhist temple - To Dinh Phap Vien Minh Dang Quang. It was so peaceful and really quiet - no tourists at all. Ho Chi Minh is a relatively modern city by European standards and this temple isn't ancient. The city was founded in 1698 and the temple dates from the late 1960s.

The temple hosted a lovely vegetarian restaurant where we had a delicious lunch.

So happy to cross the bridge back into District 1. Just goes to show home’s about what you know!  Yes it’s loud, dirty in places and the roads are busy, but watching the traffic and learning how it all works is like being part of a lovely dance with a toot and a nod and a swerve and do-si-do and across you go…just got to keep the rhythm.