Blog # 11 - Saigon
Time to visit another indoor market for tourists and locals. The Ben Thanh Market has mostly knock-offs Many different kinds of exotic food Very hot, humid and crowded. We were here pre Covid The conical hats are used by the locals as well as by tourists Store keeper is more interested in eating than selling Check out how this food vendor washes dishes This little girl is learning how to sell. Her mother runs the stall Night time in Saigon - is definitely "a happening"
Large, bright signs --> High Energy Many people are beginning to converge into the city center 
There's a "vibe" unique to most places in the world
Hotels, stores and a nearby port bring hoards of people
Advertisements combine with propaganda We saw a cultural show at this 5-Star hotel Asian instruments and 12 note music (rather than our eight key octave) produce a different kind of sound
Instrument on left has one string that is picked. Moving the lever changes the tone. The bamboo instrument on right is played by clapping hands together. The pressure from the hands forces air into the bamboo causing different sounds
Pretty costumes
Dinner at a nearby restaurant Spring rolls garnished with a "carrot rose."
Local beer: Jerry collects international beer and micro-brewery beer bottles. He doesn't have this one. It's after eleven in the evening. Let the party begin! Looks like too much "partying" for these two children Young people hang out on the curb - watching the goings on 
Many buildings are lit up at night
Fountains with changing colors add to the ambience
Sidewalk decorations
Earlier in the day we saw this street performance...
We didn't realize the group was practicing for a televised event in the evening. "Thousands" of people were watching on the streets. Cars stopped on the streets. Lots of traffic. We didn't get back to the ship until midnight. We had a 5:45 AM tour at the Mekong Delta.
We couldn't make the tour - We were exhausted since we had an eight-hour day tour prior to the last night event. Jerry took pictures of another passenger's photos We had a good understanding about issues facing our soldiers during the Viet Nam War. The Viet Cong could be hiding behind the foliage. FYI: Depending on the Vietnamese guide's age, the passengers got different perspectives of the war. One of our guides told about the horrors his mother had to go through having lived in areas controlled by the Viet Cong.
The ship's staff is trying very hard to make the cruise enjoyable. We happened to mention one of curtains in our stateroom was torn. When returning from a tour, we found the torn curtain had been replaced. Nice!
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