Pretty much across the board, we've heard great things about Saigon (or Ho Chi Minh City, as they call it), but one also learns while traveling that people tend to have drastically different standards. All I can say is this: Saigon Rocks! It is probably as modern and the people as polite as any city we've been to on our trip. I really don't think these few pictures capture the essence and the energy of Saigon – sometimes I get tired of seeing places through a lens.

The Cu Chi Tunnels system became famous during the Vietnam War (or as they call it: the "American War"). A city of meeting rooms, living spaces, arms storage, toilets, and kitchens is threaded together by a 200 km labyrinth of tiny passages. Strategically located 70 km northwest of Saigon it became a stronghold of resistance until the "American imperialists and their lackeys were defeated by revolutionary heroism" (verbatim from the brochure). No matter how you feel about the VietCong you have to admit they were incredibly resourceful. They funneled their kitchen smoke through pipes into soft riverbeds so when the US, thinking they'd found a stronghold, bombed the smoke, the VC would then pull the undetonated ordanance out of the mud to use themselves. They retooled chairs, tables, doorways, and any other household objects into traps that maimed and killed. The propaganda film they showed was full of proud smiling teenage boys and girls as they took part in destroying the "capitalist red devils." You can go to museums and see photos, but it's not until you actually go into one of these narrrow, blackened tunnels the full feeling of claustrophobia can be felt. The tunnels in these pictures have been widened for tourists. If you ventured into one of the untouched tunnels, you'd have to crawl on your belly with your head scraping the roof as your shoulders barely fit between the walls.

We celebrated our 2nd anniversary while in Saigon. I let Helen handle the arrangements so I wasn't surprised when a monster truck rally wasn't on the venue. I'd never even heard of water puppets before we walked through the door of the Rong Vang theatre. The lights dimmed and the music began building into a frantic mix of drums, screaching violin-like instruments, and bells. The strange tune suddenly stopped and the musicians on either side of the "stage" (a small pool) began to banter each other with very exaggerated and odd tones. Then the puppets came out and began a very charming and luckily self-explanatory tale involving dragons, warlords, kidnapping, farming, fishing, and of course love. I was transfixed. Later, we went to an Italian restaurant to try to figure out how the puppets, connected to their master by a harness and long poles with cables, could be so lifelike and endearing.

With most places that carry a large first world influence come close-to first world prices. While researching places to stay, we were a bit worried by the price factor versus what we found online. It all looked pretty expensive – $150 US and more. Almost by accident we found an inexpensive little spot named The Ordinary Hotel – a misnomer if there ever was one. Question: how many hotels have you been that are squeaky clean, well designed, staffed by a jubilant crew, located 1/2 a block from a Gucci Boutique and costs only 28 bucks? Yep, we found a good one.

After our Dalat trip, Helen and I stayed a few more days in Saigon before working our way back to Siem Reap – a city we loved and as it turned out would be our next home for a month.