Vietnam

We stayed at the Renaissance Riverside hotel, a 5 star hotel at the end of our Stay in Saigon. The hotel is overlooking the Saigon River and is located approximately one mile from Ben Thanh Market and seven miles from Tan Son Nhut Airport so this is actually a very nice location to be and it is also very convenient to walk around the city. The hotel is very nice, our room is like a suite and is very spacious.

Beautiful centerpiece made of of Lotus flowers in the lobby.

There is no way you will see an arrangement in the States made with lotus flowers and blossoms. It is so pretty!

Hanh, Lan Huong, and Tram posing in front of the lobby.

Hoa is getting weary by now and barely took any pictures of the hotel.

The Atrium on the 5th floor is very impressive. Our room was on the 9th floor and you can look down from the balcony and see the atrium.

I got this picture from the hotel's page.

The gang wanted to check out our suite before heading for our last dinner in Saigon.

After Dinner we got back to our hotel and decided to hang around the lobby for a drink and listening to music.

We sat down at the lounge while listening to live music, we ordered a Cognac for Hoa and a pot of tea for me . There is a piano player, a guitarist and violinist. They played for a good 2 hours.

Cheers for a great and relaxing evening. The next morning we will be going back to the States.

Synopsis: I hear so many conflicted stories about Vietnam so I went there without any expectations, any pre-conceived ideas and I wanted to discover Vietnam with my own eyes . The first thing you experience right away is the heat and the crowd. It takes some getting use to that everyone speaks Vietnamese. I found a country in the midst of an economical growth, constructions everywhere and surprising enough, the government is building an infrastructure to support the growth. The city is noisy, people everywhere, street vendors, motorcycles, trying to cross a street is an adventure by itself, the suffocating heat, and the constant harassment by little kids trying make a few pennies by selling you books, lottery tickets, chewing gum, believe me it does get to you at times.

But then once you get pass these obstacles, the City has a certain charm and also the "Je ne sais quoi", slowly you just slip in the Vietnamese way, like enjoying a dish of Banh Cuon eating at a mom n' pops store, sitting on a little wooden stool at the market and looking people go by. I will never forget the face of an old lady begging for money and seeing her eyes get brighter when I gave her a few bucks, which was a fortune to her, and get the satisfaction of making somebody happy for a day. Or the time when we witnessed the joy and excitement of kids seeing our car go by their village or just a simple Chao Co (good morning) when you get out of the door. Or not even be surprised that dog's meat is available. Yes, I found my connection with Vietnam!

Vietnam is not for everyone, you either like it or hate it! You can not stay neutral in such a colorful environment. If you can adapt to the Vietnamese way then Vietnam is for you. I love the two weeks I spend there and I like it even more now that Vietnam is a memory. There is enough distance to look back and appreciate a different way of living, a different culture that is no longer part of my daily life and in the end I know I will be back again to discover other parts of the country.