Walking Tour and Banquet, 8/31

On Sunday, 8/31, after an initial in-country orientation, Rylan Higgins, Director of CET in Vietnam, led us on a walking tour of central HCMC, the district that is still called Saigon. CET is the company we contract with for language instruction, housing, and excursions while in HCMC.



The first picture shows Rylan speaking to the group in front of the central post office. It is a holdover building from the French era.


This is Notre Dame Cathedral, another holdover from the French era. It was close for a while after the reunification in 1975, but freedom of religion is now tolerated by the government, and the Cathedral is packed on Sunday mornings, with people standing outside to hear the service. There are over three million Catholics in Vietnam, out of about 83 million people. It is interesting to note that there are only about two million Communist party members.

Walking down Pham Ngoc Thach Street towards the center of the city.

In the heart of downtown, the opra house square. In the left background is one of the older hotels, the Hotel Continental, made famous in many books, and featured in the movie "The Quiet American," which is one of the very few films that was filmed on location in Vietnam. Most of the "war" movies we see at home were filmed in Thailand or the Phillipines.

The opera house itself is undergoing extensive renovations.

The walk continued to the central market place. Note the people to the left trying to sell things to tourists who walk by. The man with the board is trying to sell sun glasses. In the tourist districts of the cities you are repeatedly approached by vendors selling postcards, books, etc.

On the way to the market we passed what used to be the Hotel de Ville, but is now the People's Committee Building, the Communist equivalent of the city hall.

Later in the evening we had a welcome banques hosted by CET. Just prior to this the students met thier Vietnamese buddies. They are university students from HCMC who will help show our students around, and will practice language skills (in both directions).

Up to this point the students have been saying how good the food is, which is generally true. Much different than back home, and much healthier for you (less fat, protein, and sugar). I always have a hard time readjusting to American food when I return. I'm sure the students will also get some not so good food before they leave. It's all part of the experience!

I'm sure you have been noticing that the sky looks sort of washed out in many of these pictures. That's because it is. We are in the last part of the rainy season, so many days are overcast, with sporadic very heavy downpours that usually don't last more than a half hour. If you are not caught out in one, they are refreshing, as the air cools down considerably afterwards. Otherwise it is in the 90s, and about 100% humidity.