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Members of the HCMC District 1
Wushu Tai Chi group |
We woke early so Frances went for a swim in the hotel pool while Ric headed off to see if he could find someone practicing Tai Chi. He shortly found a group of women practicing on the steps of the Opera House. The were the HCMC District 1 Wushu Tai Chi group.
They were quite well organised and practiced the Beijing 24 form, fan and part of a sword routine. They were quite chatty and friendly and were happy for him to join in and lent him a fan and sword as well.
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| Cho Ben Thanh markets |
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| Frances with Diep in Don Koi Street |
The morning was spent on a half-day walking tour of HCMC with Diep, a local guide. We visited the produce markets in Dong Koi Street, and Cho Benh Thanh, the biggest marketplace in HCMC, which although interesting, was much the same as we'd seen elsewhere.
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| The small but impressive Chinese Temple |
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| Detail of the figures on the rooftop |
More impressive was the Chinese temple dedicated to the Sea Godess Thien Hau in the the Chinese district, with amazingly detailed porcelain figures decorating the rooftop.
There has long been tension between the Vietnamese and Chinese who they have historically seen as invaders, although Chinese merchants have been in South Vietnam for centuries. There is still some animosity in the south towards the north, as political and bureaucratic posts and positions are predominantly held by northerners, seen as being more sympathetic to China.
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Exhibit of an American vet who presented
his war medals to the museum. |
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| War Remnants Museum |
Next we visited the Museum of Vietnamese History which since 1979 has focused specifically on Vietnamese history rather than generic Asian history as it had previously. Finally we visited the War Remnants Museum which detaile the American War (what we call the Vietnam War) from a Vietnamese point of view. If there was any doubt that American intervention (with Australian assistance) was ill advised and pointless, this exhibition dispelled those doubts. The outcome may have been different, but western intervention did not help the Vietnamese people.
In the afternoon Frances went for a massage at the Blind Massage Parlour while Ric spent some time swimming in the hotel pool, and exploring the area, and buying more DVDs.
Dinner that night was at Pho 24, a new franchise specialising in pho (traditional beef soup, pronounced like 'furrr'), accompanied by a bottle of very nice light red Vietnamese wine.
