The name Vietnam refers to the Viet people south (nam) of China. Saigon (1) is Vietnamese phrase via French for City of Cotton Trees. Vietnam uses the Latin alphabet, with various diacrictical marks, a legacy of the French Colonial era (2)
A walking tour led down narrow alleys and past historic buildings. A hotel in town offers a drink called the five o'clock follies, the name given by the press to the military briefings held there at 5:00 p.m. during the Vietnam war.
When Saigon fells to the communists in 1975, "they wanted everyone equal, so they made everybody poor" according to the guide. The city opened to foreign investment again in the early 2000s, quickly becoming a vibrant business center.
(1) Officially Ho Chi Minh City, but nobody calls it that.
(2) According to a local, the Viets were used to used to foreigners imposing their writing system. The Chinese had done it, but "ABC fits the Viet language better anyways."
Apartment building converted to cafes and bars
Old train car seats at café
French Colonial era architecture
Opera house
Mayor's office
Post Office
Detail from post office with names of scientists, here those studying electricity
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