At about 6:45am, we docked in Phu My, which is a container terminal about 1.5 hours drive from Ho Chi Minh City.

The first stop of our tour was at Reunification Hall which was formerly the Presidential Palace of South Vietnam. First we saw the two tanks which famously broke through the Palace Fence in 1975. Then, we proceeded on a tour through the palace including the underground war bunker.

Next, we visited the Lacquer Factory, where all sorts of decorative items are made from wood covered with many coats of lacquer, mother of pearl and duck shell. We bought a small bowl as a souvenir.

This was followed by a visit to the History Museum and a Water Puppet show.

As part of the tour, lunch and entertainment was provided at the Palace Hotel.

After lunch, we visited the Rex Hotel which was a famous base for the wartime correspondents and we took photos of the Opera House, City Hall, the Post Office which was designed by Gustav Eiffel and the Notre Dame Cathedral which mimics its namesake in Paris.

Finally, we visited the Thien Hau Chinese Temple before heading back to Phu My.