Zach and Cathy's Adventures: Asia Part 2

Day 12 - Ho Chi Minh City (Phu My), Vietnam

Phu My is a cruise port located 40 miles southeast of the famed Pearl of the Far East: Ho Chi Minh City (formerly Saigon). The locals prefer Saigon.

We had an hour and a half bus ride to get to District 1 Center Tower in Saigon. There are 100 million people and 70 million motorcycles in Vietnam, and they are all on the roads at the same time, which is why the 40 miles took so long.

We met our Cyclo driver, Trong, on the street. Seemed like an interesting way to see the sights. It was very hot out, he had a good price, and he was willing to take us to all the places we wanted to see and didn't know how to get to. Usually, one person per Cyclo. He was the only one around, so he took us both. He waited for us wherever we went.

The Reunification Palace, which was once the home of the president.

We stopped at the Vietnam War Remnants Museum. It used to be the War Crimes Museum. We primarily went to see the military equipment from the war on display. A lot of other parts of the museum are Communist propaganda to some degree.

Trong cut across lanes, made U-turns and rode in the wrong direction. Miraculously, traffic always flowed around us.

Next was the Bitexco Tower. We went to the 56th floor to view the city. The Birexco Financial Tower is the 5th most iconic tower in the world.

Ben Thanh Market.

The 56th floor also had several displays.

A Cyclo display.

We went to the Ben Thanh Market, the perfect place to snag locally made goods like Vietnamese silks and bamboo products as well as feast on authentic street eats from savory banh mi sandwiches to steaming bowls of pho. No thank you.

It's the Year of the Dragon.

We made it to the Red Pagoda.

Then we went down to the Saigon River and Phu My Bridge.

Lots of vegetation floating in the river.

The Post Office, which was designed by Gustave Eiffel and built by 1886, was open.

Notre Dame Cathedral was undergoing renovation and was closed.

Trong riding into one-way traffic here. Cathy had her eyes closed.

Days 13 - Sea Day

Our stop in Nha Trang was cancelled due to a stormy day on the South China Sea. We won scavenger Hunt!

Days 14 - Sea Day

Another day the Promenade and other decks were closed due to high winds.

Great dance show on the Main Stage.

Days 15 - Hoi An, Vietnam

Da Nang is Vietnam's fourth-largest city and the principal port in the central part of the country. Once again, we were Docked in a working port, Hoi An.

On the road to Hoi An.

Rice fields.

They are everywhere in Asia.

Since we were in port 2 days, we decided to go Hoi An City on the 1st Day. Hoi An is a UNESCO World Heritage Site. It's a well preserved 400-year-old city that used to be a port. It was interesting and colorful. We did a walking tour that included a visit to a silk factory.

Handmade silk embroidery.

Woodworking.

A colorful town.

The Merchant House and the Chinese Meeting Place are also historic.

The focal point of the city is the Japanese bridge and pagoda area.

Really good street artist.

On the way back to the Noordam we stopped at Marble Mountain. This close-by store has massive pieces of carved marble and other rock that they will ship anywhere around the world no matter the size.

From there we went to amazing Dragon Bridge in Danang.

After that we went to Danang Beach. There was a strong rip current.

Day 16 - Danang

Today we went to Danang. The bus dropped us off at the Museum of Cham Sculpture. The Cham were an ancient culture that built towers and made sculptures. The museum is home of over 300 hundreds of their saved sculptures.

We were not able to go into the interior of Vietnam to see their towers.

From there we went on a Rickshaw ride, which is actually a Cyclo. Different name there. It was fun as we traveled along the Hon River that runs through Danang. We had our own this time!

Danang was still celebrating the New Year that started a week earlier.

We stopped by Danang Cathedral. Only 20% of the country is Catholic. The rest pretty much Buddhist.

After the rickshaws, we drove to My Khe Beach "China Beach" from the TV show for a quick stop.

From there we went to Chua Linh Ung Pagoda complex that includes the 57-meter Guan Yin Female Buddha Statue. It's a really extensive complex. From below it looks like only this pagoda.

It had an amazing collection of Banzi plants.

And a great view of Danang.

As a bonus, there were monkeys!

Meanwhile, back on the ship it was Orange Night. We lost every trivia by one point again today😔

Day 17- Sea Day

Another cloudy sea day. Dressy night. Aardvark or Mystical Ha Long Bay creature? We won game night and another coveted tulip!

Day 18 - Halong Bay, Vietnam

Scenic Halong Bay, with its emerald seas, rests beautifully over the Red River Delta. This region, "the Bay of the Descending Dragon," is dotted with more than 3,000 mountainous islands, each with its own unique landscape. Halong Bay is a UNESCO World Heritage Site. For a charge this was a cruise port.