After our unexpectedly boozy night, we have a much-needed breakfast in the serene and tranquil environs of the VIP lounge, in preparation for a full day’s sight-seeing. Our first stop is Cholon, the bustling Chinatown district of Saigon, where Tai leads us around the main market before arranging “cyclos” for us. Pedal powered rickshaws, we are seated into one each and then weave into the flowing traffic.

Initially it seems like a completely insane idea; Saigon’s traffic being notoriously bad with millions of scooters and cars fighting for space on the polluted, crowded roads. But within minutes it becomes a strangely meditative experience, as though we are tiny fish in a fast-flowing river, little organisms moving around each other in a chaotic, crazy ballet.

After 30 minutes gliding through back streets and down dual carriage-ways we pull up outside Ba Thien Hau Temple, more colloquially known as the Sea Goddess Temple due to the carvings on the roof. It’s a fabulous space, full of incense and altars, paintings of the twelve characters of the Chinese horoscope and, rather strangely, beautiful young women in full traditional dress conducting their own personal photoshoots.

Tai explains that as part of Tet, affluent women will often create a calendar of themselves, looking pious and contemplative in temples. We try (not very hard) to keep out of their way whilst sneaking our own photos of them, often while their make-up artists touch them up. There’s even a full film crew following a pair Influencers around as they make their own travel show. It’s all quite bizarre and slightly hilarious.

Far more sombre is our next stop, the War Remnants Museum. A large building, with all sorts of military vehicles and planes parked in its forecourt, it chronicles the various Vietnamese conflicts since WWII, with particular emphasis on the horrific atrocities and costs of the US war in Vietnam. It pulls no punches with one room entitled War Crimes showcasing the terrible things the US administration did, whilst celebrating the heroism of the Viet Cong.

Graphic photos by celebrated war photographers – many of whom lost their lives in the war – demonstrate the unflinching realities of the war. The deformities caused by the use of Agent Orange are deeply upsetting but it’s the Napalm Room which is appalling of all. The horrors of the indiscriminate US bombing are laid bare, witnessing how two million civilians were killed as the American administration waged chemical war on a defenceless population.

The descriptions of how US military engineers used Vietnam to experiment with weapons of mass destruction using living people is utterly appalling and can only be seen as sheer evil. And in the middle of all the heart-rending photos is the world-famous Pulitzer Prize winning photo of ‘Napalm Girl’ taken in 1972 by Huynh Cong Ut. 

We see torture rooms where Americans caged and executed Vietnamese soldiers, and there’s even a guillotine on display which was still used in the 1960’s. The final room chronicles the worldwide protests against the American war in Vietnam, celebrating the hundreds of thousands of brave Americans who stood up to their government and demanded the end of the war. The loss of a generation of young people on both sides is a tragedy.

We’re in a sober mood when Tai takes us to a French restaurant called Chateau for a seven course vegetarian tasting menu, but the delicious dishes and glasses of wine soon perk us up, and our subsequent visits to Saigon’s famous Tan Dinh church, a pink cathedral decorated in bunting, and the intriguing Jade Emperor Pagoda, full of carvings and altars, complete our sightseeing tour.

It’s mid-afternoon by the time we return to the hotel and ferociously hot, so we go for a swim in the pool and relax over afternoon tea in the VIP lounge. Suitably dressed for the evening, we wander Saigon’s streets to the Opera House in time for our tour of the building. Whilst no doubt a grand building from the outside, inside is somewhat plain and ordinary, with the interior of any West End theatre proving far more impressive. 

However, the AO show by the Bamboo Circus is absolutely fantastic. An incredibly detailed, brilliantly choreographed performance, it’s a mesmeric mix of dance, music, comedy, acrobatics and circus skills which brings to mind an oriental Cirque de Soleil… and well worth the ticket price. The following day we thank Tai for his recommendation, very glad that we decided to do it. 

Darkness is falling as we leave the Opera and we walk down illuminated streets past grand-dame hotels such as the Continental Saigon and the Majestic, towards the river and then up striking boulevards until we reach Ben Thanh Night Market. Full of the same kind of street food stalls, souvenirs and trinkets that we’ve seen all over the country, and packed with tourists, we decide to grab a quick and tasty spot of dinner instead at a cute and cheap little cafe nearby called Mon Viet, filled with locals.

Our walk back to the hotel takes us via City Hall and the opulent frontage of the Rex Hotel, to a grand square with a huge Uncle Ho statue and a lotus flower fountain, around which couples stroll, kids wave flashing neon sticks, youths rollerskate and tourists pose. We pose ourselves a little later back at the Hotel Des Artes, taking a seat in The Social Club, the Soho House style bar on the 23rd Floor, drinking (yet another) glass of champagne to toast our time in Saigon. It’s been a blast.