We were last in Saigon around this time 20 years ago. I must admit that I don’t remember too much about that visit, but I’m pretty certain that Saigon has undergone a remarkable transformation since then.

The city was renamed Ho Chi Minh City by the Communists after reunification, but other than by government officials, the city is still mostly known as Saigon.

Many vestiges of French colonial occupation have disappeared but a few buildings still remain including the opera house, a Notre Dame Cathedral, some are now hotels or museums, but most prominent is the main post office which looks for all the world like a railway station and was constructed under the direction of one Mr Eiffel. 

In the midst of the luxury hotels, trendy restaurants and high end shopping malls that give the centre of Saigon at least the vibe of Seoul, Taipei or Shanghai, there are still reminders of Vietnam's history of mid-20th Century brutal wars - whether against the French, Americans, Chinese or each other. The well preserved Independence Palace, renamed the Reunification Palace after the final Communist takeover of the country in 1975 is one

As is the infamous building, actually the headquarters at the time of the CIA from which the final hasty helicopter evacuation of US personnel and a few Vietnamese was carried out as the North Vietnamese were battering down the gates of the Independence Palace in April 1975

But it’s the War Remnants Museum that is the starkest reminder of Vietnam’s recent brutal past. The museum housed in the former U.S. Information Services Building was called the Museum of Chinese and American War Crimes when we visited here 20 years ago. The museum chronicles Vietnam’s wars against the French in the late ‘40’s/early ‘50’s and the Chinese in 1979, but it’s the horrors of the “American” War that is the museum’s main focus. Admittedly very one-sided, the museum’s exhibits display very explicit images and descriptions of US and South Vietnamese brutality and atrocities largely using photos and words of American and European journalists and war correspondents. There is of course no mention of atrocities carried out by the Viet Cong. Particularly explicit are the photos which claim to show the effects of chemical warfare, especially Agent Orange. While some examples are likely cause and effect, others are likely not which only emphasizes the one-sided bias of the museum.

Our final day in Saigon is spent among the villages and waterways of the Mekong Delta some 100 km or so south of the city. This area was the scene of intense fighting during the “American” War as the dense jungle and friendly villagers made for ideal camouflage for the Viet Cong.

Water hyacinth, an invasive weed would also have helped to slow down any patrol boats moving through the waterways. We were caught up for more than an hour in one as our boatman and two family members who appeared from nowhere helped to clear a path through for us

But it is the Tet Lunar New Year preparations for the incoming Year of the Cat rather than Vietnam’s brutal recent history and wars that characterized this visit to Vietnam for us. The country has moved on from its recent brutal past and now has a thriving market-driven economy even with a nominally Communist government. The amazing colourful displays of flowers, the vibrancy and bustle of the markets as people prepared for the holiday celebrations are what will stay with us. Food, flowers, going home to be with family whether locally or in more distant towns and villages and honouring ancestors (regardless of religion) are what it’s all about. And of course going anywhere means piling your family, food and flowers onto your motor bike

HAPPY NEW YEAR!