Today was a whirlwind tour of Ho Chi Minh City, Our tour of 10 people began at Phu My Port, where we disembarked from our cruise ship and hopped into our touring van. The drive to Ho Chi Minh City or a more popular name, Saigon during the war, took about an hour and 1/2, but the air-conditioned comfort made easy. Today was another scorcher of a day but it turned out ok with our short trips outside the van.
Our first stop was the legendary Ben Thanh Market, a lot of chatter of large amounts of people and smells of spices as you first walk in. We weaved through rows upon rows of stalls, marveling at the may items for sale as shop owners wanted us to come in and buy. We found some handcrafted souvenirs but I couldn’t resist indulging in some beautiful silk blouses, while Chuck snagged a cool t-shirt – the perfect mementos of our trip.
Next, we headed to the Reunification Palace, a powerful symbol of Vietnamese history. Even from outside the gates, you can feel the weight of the past. It was built during the Vietnam war to be the home of the President of South Korea, although he never lived in it. It did become a symbol of the end of the war when the North Korean troops stormed the grounds in 1975 during the fall of Saigon and later that year was renamed the Reunification Palace.
A quick stop at the historic Central Post Office offered a glimpse into beautiful colonial architecture looking like a european train station. We then made our way to the Notre Dame Cathedral Basilica of Saigon, under construction is a stunning example of French influence. The towering spires and intricate details were hidden behind wore so it was impossible to see the beauty it held underneath!
Ho Chi Minh City is a city of contrasts, and our next stop perfectly illustrated that. Although we werent able to actually visit the the rooftop helipad of the former US Embassy, where the dramatic last helicopter evacuations of 1975 took place, we were still able to feel and replay the stories of bravery and desperation in your head as you stood there.
For those the don’t remember, the rooftop of the former US Embassy in Ho Chi Minh City, then known as Saigon, is etched in history as the scene of one of the most iconic images of the Vietnam War, the frantic evacuation of American personnel in April 1975.
The embassy itself, built in the mid-1960s, served as a symbol of US involvement in Vietnam. As North Vietnamese forces closed in on Saigon, the situation became increasingly dire for Americans and South Vietnamese allies.
With the city on the brink of falling, Operation Frequent Wind, a massive helicopter evacuation, was launched on April 29th, 1975. The goal was to evacuate all remaining US personnel, South Vietnamese officials, and American citizens.
The rooftop became a chaotic scene as helicopters arrived and departed constantly. US Marines bravely fought back against crowds desperate to escape the city, prioritizing those on the evacuation list.
By the morning of April 30th, Saigon had fallen. The remaining US Marines on the embassy roof were the last Americans to leave South Vietnam. The now-famous image of a UH-1 Huey helicopter lifting off the rooftop with a desperate South Vietnamese clinging to the landing skid marked the end of an era.
The story of the evacuation has an interesting and unexpected connection to a Christmas song. In the days leading up to the evacuation, a seemingly innocuous announcement played on the Armed Forces Radio: “The temperature in Saigon is 105 degrees and rising.” This seemingly random statement was actually a coded message for American personnel. Following the announcement, the radio played the song “I’m Dreaming of a White Christmas.” This seemingly out-of-place song served as the signal for the evacuation to begin.
Today, the former US Embassy no longer exists. The building was demolished in 1998, and a new US Consulate now stands nearby. However, the rooftop helipad remains a powerful symbol of the Vietnam War’s complex and often tragic legacy.
The rest of our day continued with Ho Chi Minh City Hall, another grand colonial building that now houses the city’s government offices and The Rex Hotel where there were daily U.S. military briefings during the Vietnam War.
Nicknamed “The Five O’Clock Follies”, these briefings, which took place on the hotel’s rooftop garden, were notorious for their rosy portrayal of the war effort and their downplaying of American casualties. They became a symbol of the disconnect between the American public’s perception of the war and the reality on the ground.
Our next stop was the War Remnants Museum. Our guide warned us that is was very one-sided so several of us werent really interested in seeing it. One picture I did take is below. You’ll see why we werent that intersted. There were some cool helicopters outside that were interesting. While a few others wandered thorugh the museum, we stopped for a quick lunch of ham and cheese sandwiches at a charming local cafe.
On our trip back we visited Chua Ho Phap Pagoda. This active pagoda, located near Phu My Port and our ship was really colorful. You could see it see for awhile before we arrived. We walked around and observed the monks and nuns engaged in their daily rituals of chants and song.
We had a quick whirlwind trip and didn’t even touch the surface of what Ho Chi Minh had to offer. However, we are returning in November for a few weeks of touring Indochina what Mark and Jane in November. And we can’t wait!
A day of rest tomorrow and then in Singapore!
May God Bless you always!
Chuck and Lea Ann
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