Vietnam is a country deeply scarred by war and yet its outlook is forgiving and forwardlooking. Its people believe last centurys occupations, battles and political influences have enriched the nation.
Washed ashore above the Mekong Delta, some 40km north of the South China Sea, Ho Chi Minh City, known also as Saigon, is a city on the march, a boomtown where the rule of the dollar is absolute. It is a testament to its wartorn past. Its history has made it resilient, effervescent, charged with initiative and roaring with trade.
The centre of Ho Chi Minh is compact and ideal for wandering around. It boasts fine restaurants, immaculate hotels and glitzy bars amidst its colonial villas and venerable pagodas.
There are many interesting places to visit including the markets, cathedral, riverport, Presidential Palace (perfectly preserved for some unknown reason!) and the nearby park which also houses a museum of Vietnamese History and Culture and a small zoo.
Ho Chi Minh City started life as a fishing village known as Prei Nokor and during the Angkor period (the 15th century) it flourished as an entrpot for Cambodian boats pushing down the Mekong River....