Good Morning Vietnam! Ok, had to get that saying out of the way! Such a classic phrase and how many times do you get to use while actually in Vietnam?  Now, what to call it? Saigon is what those of us grew up in the 60's and 70's know it as, but it is now called Ho Chi Minh City (HCMC) and I have yet to figure out what is proper. So, for typing efficiency sake, I will refer to it as HCMC.  

Our flight from Hong Kong was uneventful. It was an older 737, so no flat seats, but it was only 2.5 hours no a big deal. We landed on schedule at 130a, quickly made it through passport control and amazingly enough, our bags were waiting for us. Due to short connection in Newark, we were a bit concerned that they would make it. But they did!

We grabbed a taxi and headed the 7km's into HCMC city center,where we were staying Sheraton. Even though it was 2am, the city was still in full action mode. Motorbikes were everywhere, with one, two, three and even four people riding on one bike. They were also towing massive wagons piled high with various goods. Street cafes were also busy, with people drinking coffee or beer.  

With traffic it took about 30 minutes to get to the hotel, and when we got to the room we were pleasantly surprised that we had been upgraded to a huge suite! It had two bathrooms, dining table and all functions were automated (curtains, lights, etc). We crawled into bed and sleep did not come easily to either of us. After dozing off and on, we finally gave up and got up around 730 to head to breakfast.

Since breakfast at the hotel cafe was included, it was an easy choice and it was beautifully decorated for Christmas. Instead of green and red, it was in purple and white. interesting twist but was really pretty. It was a buffet, and I am not sure it was special for Christmas, but there were so many fun choices it was hard to decide. In addition to the normal breakfast items, there were Asian specialties such as BBQ pork buns, green tea muffins, pho, vermicelli/vegis and lots of fruits we don't see at home. Everything we tried was really tasty and we tried to contain the urge to eat it all!

After relaxing for a bit, we decided to take a walk and explore the area. The concierge gave us a map and some guidance to where we might want to walk. Even though it was Christmas Day, all the shops and restaurants were still open. The city was again bustling, with those motor scooters ruling the road. We walked several blocks and found Notre Dame, which was being used as a back drop for several brides/grooms. One couple was standing in the middle of the road to get their picture taken with the church in the background....Very brave!!

We found the Ben Than market which is huge and has stalls for anything you may want to buy...the requisite cheap souvenirs, spices, pots, pans, etc. It was quite stifling inside, so we headed back out to the 90 degree heat/humidity.  Since we were both hot/sweaty we decided it was time to get back to the hotel for a rest before heading to the airport for Siem Reap.  

Interestingly, the cab  at 2pm in the middle of the day, took less time than at 2am. We checked our bags and boarded our Vietnam Airlines plane for the 45 minute flight to Siem Reap Cambodia.