Ho Chi Minh City

Jennifer Leigh

28 Jun 2025 — 4 min read

Statue of Ho Chi Minh in front of the People's Committee Building (AKA City Hall)

As we wait for the paperwork to get done, Jen and I did some exploring the past two days in Ho Chi Minh City (HCMC). If you are not familiar with Vietnam, HCMC is formerly known as Saigon and is the largest city in the country. Located on the Saigon River, HCMC has a population of about 10 million and is the hub of economic and financial activity for the country.

I saw on a handbag that Vietnam is "beautiful chaos" and that's a good way to describe it. The city is non-stop activity and traffic, especially from scooters which dominate the roads. (I'll try to post a video later) There are many modern and beautiful buildings among older buildings. And although the air quality is poor, the city is very clean and the roads are in great condition.

Yesterday we did some shopping for supplies for the voyage and did some sightseeing. We stopped for coffee and lunch along the way as we walked the streets. Jen is quite pleased with the Vietnamese coffee.

I, on the other hand, enjoyed stopping for lunch at a craft brew pub where there were 40 different beverages on tap!

After our morning walk, we went back to hotel room and crashed for a couple hours. We were still recovering from jet lag and needed the sleep. We then joined our crew for beer and dinner. We also met Terry Dewhurst, the Australian owner of Max Cruise, the builder of the catamaran we will be sailing. He had just flown to Singapore and back that day to help resolve the paperwork issue holding us up. He was ready for a beer! After one (or three) beers, we walked back to the hotel. Like many big cities, Ho Chi Minh is all lit up at night.

Today (Friday), we again toured the city. The highlight was visiting Independence Palace, a Vietnam War era building which housed government offices and war rooms. We learned a little history about Vietnam and the transition the country went through from just prior to WWII when it was a French colony, to the unification of the north and south just after the Vietnam war.

A Huey helicopter on the roof, and the location where two bombs were dropped from a North Vietnamese aircraft (two red circles). That incident spurred the US to evacuate the embassy.

In the evening, we joined our good friend, Thaison Nguyen, who lives here in HCMC. We met in the Navy Reserves, and we were mobilized together after the attack on 9/11. He has a remarkable story of escaping Vietnam with his Dad and brother when Saigon fell, becoming a US citizen, and later going to the US Navy Academy and serving. A corporate relocation brought him back to Vietnam where he now lives. I had not seen Thaison for about 15 years, so it was an incredible bonus to be able to meet up with him while here.

Thaison treated us to dinner at an amazing restaurant, Hoi An Sense. The interior is reflective of the historical Hoi An, the Vietnamese version of Colonial Williamsburg. It is a restored historical village in Central Vietnam.