Saigon—Remembering the past; celebrating the vibrant present

(Inside the Saigon Central Post Office - designed by Gustav Eiffel in the Gothic style.)

WHEN it comes to Saigon, one never knows quite where to begin.

Should I first write about the zipping motorbikes slowing down in the middle of the road as its riders try to quickly whip out their colorful raincoats as the monsoon rain starts pouring down?

Perhaps it should be the Pho, that ubiquitous noodle soup that is hearty and at the same time heartwarming, and yet uniformly tasting at any restaurant one goes.

Or what about the numerous memorials and museums to the Vietnam war, that deep-seated skirmish that Americans still can’t seem to forgive themselves for, and yet the Vietnamese seem to have already moved on from? (Read the rest of my piece and check out more of my photos in InterAksyon, the online news portal of TV5. My piece was originally published on March 29, 2012.)

Saigon sojourn

MY friends and I jetted off to Saigon during the recent four-day holiday, and one of the things we did was to watch the hugely entertaining Water Puppet show. Even the adults enjoyed it. Major aliw factor.

What I'm posting is just one of the acts-it's actually a 50-minute show w/ live music and singing, and amazing puppetry skills. I believe only Vietnam has this water puppet show, and I'm told Hanoi also has its own version.



We also traveled to the Tay Ninh province, northwest of Saigon, and marveled at the ornately designed Cao Dai cathedral. Cao Dai is a religion unique this province and blends the belief systems of Christianity, Taoism and Buddhism. We stayed for a while to observe their noonday service.



More about my Saigon vacation in future posts.