Traveling in Southeast Asia

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Saturday, 11 February 2023 - Drove to Da Nang and flew to Saigon, had lunch, then toured the Reunification Palace including the Banquet Chamber, presidential living quarters, and war rooms, photographed the Saigon Post Office with its French Gothic details, observed the Saigon Opera House from outside, and ended the day with drinks at the Majestic Hotel bar overlooking the Saigon River at sunset.

southeastasia2023 — The French had built a palace for the head of the government in Saigon - in 1962 dissident Air Force pilots bombed the palace forcing then president Diệm to replace the palace. It was completed in 1966.

southeastasia2023 — At 10:45 on 30 April 1975, a tank of the North Vietnamese army bulldozed through the main gate, effectively ending the Vietnam War.

southeastasia2023 — The Banquet Chamber in the Reunification Palace. The capital is in Hanoi so the Reunification Palace is not used as a residence - now it is used for official functions.

southeastasia2023 — A bust of Ho Chi Minh with the communist and Vietnamese flags.

southeastasia2023 — A room in the living quarters of the Reunification Palace used for communication to the military units.

southeastasia2023 — Pattern in the furniture.

southeastasia2023 — The view from the second floor of the Reunification Palace looking down the wide avenue the French built.

southeastasia2023 — The roof of the palace with a helicopter ready to transport the president in an emergency.

southeastasia2023 — In the basement there are a number of rooms used to run the Vietnam War - some of the maps have been preserved.

This map shows where we were the day before in Hội An.

southeastasia2023 — Another map shows dispositions of troops during a battle in December 1971.

southeastasia2023 — Virginia Ann takes a picture of the Saigon Post office built by the French in 1886. The building was constructed when Vietnam was part of French Indochina. It has Gothic, Renaissance and French influences.

Cal is standing in the way of a clean picture without any people.

southeastasia2023 — The French paid tribute to famous inventors along the outside pillars. This one to an American.

southeastasia2023 — Inside there is a bank of old pay phones with the times of several famous cities overhead.

southeastasia2023 — A large portrait of Ho Chi Minh at the far end of the cavernous building.

southeastasia2023 — The tile on the post office floor.

southeastasia2023 — Many new building and skyscrapers in Saigon - somehow this building has lasted. This is the old CIA building where the famous photograph of people boarding a helicopter on the last day of South Vietnam.

southeastasia2023 — As we were standing there marveling at the post office a vintage American jeep drove up as part of a tour.

southeastasia2023 — Just a few blocks from the post office is the Saigon Opera House.

The opera house was built in 1897 and is a 500 seat theater. It was in use when we were there, so we did not go into the building.

southeastasia2023 — Detail on the top of the Opera House.

southeastasia2023 — After the tour was over we went to the Majestic Hotel bar for a drink. The hotel was built in 1925 on the Saigon River and was a favorite place for war correspondents to go for a rooftop drink.

From the bar a picture of the traffic in Saigon with all the mopeds.

southeastasia2023 — Sunset over Saigon River.

southeastasia2023 — A skyscraper on the horizon from the Majestic Hotel Bar.

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