In Saigon and the Chaos‏

I am in Saigon (Ho Chi Minh City) now, but I want to write more about Nha Trang before writing about Saigon. Nha Trang has a lot to offer the visitor. The sea-front is about 6 km long and with beautiful palms and well tended trees and gardens. Like most parts of Vietnam, there are stone sculptures everywhere especially in parks and gardens .There are hundreds of them, some sculptured by artists and others in its natural form.
The other interesting feature of Nha Trang is that there are many tandem bicycles. There must be hundreds of them. I have never seen more of them anywhere else. Families and couples and children happily ride all over the place and enjoying themselves .
I met a couple, a doctor and his new bride from Hanoi riding tandem along the beach enjoying their honeymoon. Nha Trang also has a port that serves the central region.
Among other tourist attractions are the Po Nagar Cham towers built in the 7th century as a Hindu place of worship and now used by Vietnamese and Chinese Buddhists. Then, there's Nha Trang Cathedral built by the French. Bao Dai's Villa, residence of the former President and the Prime minister, is now a resort for tourists. Long Song Pagoda and the Pasteur Institute are also popular.
Many basket boats are also seen north of the city. These are round boats made of bamboo strips 2 meters in diameter and are used by fishermen in the area. It can sit 4 people.
Near the port is a station that serves the cable cars that take visitors to Vin Pearl Island 10 km away. I am told that it is the longest cable car ride in the world.
A lot of seafood is available in Nha Trang and I managed to sample some with my 'Guides' along the beach at a very cheap price because I was among the locals. In a restaurant, it would cost at least double.You do get beggars and children tugging at you asking for money, and it's difficult to deal with such situations, to give or not to give. Some are handicapped and some with young babies.
Another thing I noticed about Vietnam is the presence of very fine furniture in all establishments and houses and although the place may look shabby, the furniture is always fine, many with mother- of- pearl inlaid. This is seen all over the country.The only difference with the Chinese version is that they are lighter in colour.
I arrived in Saigon around 7 pm and if you think Hanoi is bad, Saigon is even worse, as far as the traffic is concerned. I am told the city has 8 million people, just imagine it. This afternoon I was shown around by a local guy who had worked in Klang for 3 years. He speaks quite good Malay and now he works in a restaurant. Saigon is not a place I like but, I'll do some cycling around, tomorrow, before moving on to Cambodia.
I am staying at a small hotel in the heart of the backpackers haunt in District 1 and the place is full of tourists from all over the world.The room costs US$15/-and there is no lift in the building, I need the exercise under the present circumstances.
In Saigon everybody seems to be selling something. Along the roadside, peddlers go round with a tray full of wallets, tissues and just about anything and they can be a nuisance when they keep following you all over. Shoe-shine boys bother you in restaurants, even children as young as 6 would come round selling something or begging. There was some rain yesterday and an hour ago, something not seen elsewhere. It is a welcome change.
Well, I now look forward to go to Cambodia, meet new people perhaps, different in some ways.
Regards to all and take care.
Adnan