Shopping

Day 2: December 23, 2019. Dedicated to shopping in Saigon. We are going to the orphanage tomorrow and want to bring a few more presents for the kiddos. Discovered interesting things along the way.

We walked 3 km to Big C in District 3. A little traffic here.

Check out all these wires...

Finding the right ATM took a little bit. Only Sacombank
works with international bank accounts for debit cards.

Saigon's traffic

Traffic both ways any way you want.

Found the local market on the way.

Checking out snails.

Alex's market report.

Rice, beans, and fruit galore.

Sophie wasn't impressed with the amount of fruit here.

Big C is a large supermarket.

Teasing Maman with cheese...

Found chocolate!

Got markers, notebooks, clay
and chocolate for the kiddos.

We took the bus going back to the hotel.
We got a little lost but passengers were so helpful!

Rooster

We had a great first night sleep - until we heard a rooster... Apparently, this is not uncommon in Vietnam, even in a large city of 7M people. Got to find that rooster!

Located the balcony in the back alley just facing our hotel window

Where is that rooster?!?

Here is another one by the gas station!

Saigon

We spent our first day in Saigon getting our bearings (going from winter to what appears to be summer-all-year-round) and exploring the neighborhood. We could walk to most sights from our hotel centrally-located in District 1.

Crossing the street can be challenging
but we got used to it real fast!

Nguyễn Huệ is Saigon's Champ Elysées

Former hotel de ville
now local government office

Doing pretty well dealing with 13-hour time difference!

Fountain girl

Walk by the river: skyscrapers in the background

Saigon Centre mall - same look & feel as in the US,
including the Christmas decorations everywhere!

Checking out toy and book stores.
The Bugatti Lego set is 7M dongs / about $300!

Quán Ngon: cool restaurant with huge menu selection

Found some luxury cars!

Happy holidays to you all!

Flying to Vietnam

We have been talking about taking the kids to Vietnam for years. We finally flew on Friday, December 20, 2019 right after school: Kansas City < Los Angeles < Taipei < Saigon. We arrived on Sunday. What happened to Saturday?!?

Secret to 30-hour travel success? Sleep aid, pillows,
rubber bands for your feet, and noise-canceling headphones!

Saigon, here we come! Are you ready for us?!?

We made it, folks! Looking sharp after hours of travel.
These two are the best travel buddies a family can have!

First lunch: pho, of course!

Great location for our hotel in District 1.

Best first surprise: a real French bakery
right across our hotel!

Teenager

We now have a teenager in the house. How cool is this to celebrate Alex's 13th birthday in Vietnam!

Bon Voyage!

The day has finally arrived. We're flying to Vietnam!

Bags are packed

Animals are guarding the house. Will they behave?

Neighbors

Last holiday celebration with our next-door neighbors before our big trip.

Enjoying Papa's home made cookies and some cherry

Merry Christmas, Ed & Marilyn!