So here we are in the pouring rain in Saigon. We returned from our day trip to Cao Dai temples and Cu Chi tunnels to find the streets flooded with the past few hours rain but more about that later.

We arrived into Saigon (offically known in Vietnam as Ho Chi Minh City) around 6pm and straight away i preferred it to Hanoi. Didn't do much that day but next day we were out early exploring the city.

Roughly following the walking tour set out in Lonely Planet, we made our way around the streets and crazy traffic. First stop was the Reunification Palace which was the scene of the fall of the Republic of Vietnam back in 1975. The tanks (or at least copies of the same tanks) that crashed through the gates of the palace are on the grounds of the palace and beside them hoards of school children obviously on a school trip. Inside the palace is very grand indeed, with all its comforts including the ballroom dance floor on the top floor. Apart from its grandeur there are the constant reminders of the war including the huge bomb shelter, war room and helipad with a US helicopter at a constant state of readiness to fly the then president to safety. It was all very interesting and a good start to the day.

Next was the War Remnants Museum which documents the course of the American/Vietnam war and highlights many of the atrocities carried out. Some of the pictures on display were quite disturbing, especially the ones showing the victims, mainly children, of Agent Orange, a chemical herbicide used by US during the war. Despite the relative one-sideness of the exhibits, it really does highlight the madness of war and why it should be avoided at all costs.

Next day (today) we set out on a tour outside of the city. We initially stopped at a Cao Dia temple just as the 12pm ceremony started. Cao Daism was founded in 1878 and is a mixture of Buddism, Confucianism, Taoisnm, Christianity and Islam. The temple was beautiful and something very different to see. Next it was back to the war and to the Ci Chi Tunnels, a tunnel network used during the 1960's by the Viet Cong which stretch a total of 250km. It was a truely awesome achievement. These tunnels are very different to the tunnels we had visited a few weeks before in Vinh Moc, these were alot smaller, alot smaller. To get through we were on our hands and knees, and these tunnels had been widened by the government after the war so that westeners could go through them, absolutely nuts. We eventually emerged out after 100 metres but i was delighted. Many of our group got our after 25 meters, unable to carry on due to the size of the tunnels. After that it was back to Saigon as our tour guide told us of his life before and after the war. He had fought on the side of the South Vietnamese and worked as an interpreter to the US, surrended to the North in Nha Trang and sent to a re-education camp after the war. We had heard about all this throughout our travels in Vietnam but until you meet someone who has been through it it never really feels real. This was one of the best tours we did in Vietnam.

Tomorrow we get our bus to Phnom Penh, Cambodia, and with it say goodbye to Vietnam where we have been for nearly a month. We've really enjoyed it but now it's time to see Cambodian and get templed out.......