Ho Chi Minh City

Arrived in Ho Chi Minh City from Fiji via Melbourne, Australia. Stayed in Au Lac Charner Botique Hotel near one of the largest, tallest buildings in Vietnam.

From another angle you can see the big heliport on the other side.

We stayed in the city long enough to get set up with cell phone service and an app for getting rides. A company called Grab muscled out Uber for ride service here. We hopped on a boat and went down the Saigon River a couple hours to where it met the sea at a place called Vung Tau.

Some strange and interesting boats as we headed down the Saigon River.
They are building a new airport outside the city and I think this is going to be the main road back into the city.
Getting out into the bay now.
Landing.
Vung Tau. A city of over half a million. They found oil here, so it is one of the wealthier provinces.
From our apartment you can look toward what is called Front Beach and see a boat passing by in the bay.
From our roof, looking another direction there is a huge golden buddha at a zen monastery.
Yet in another direction there is a pagoda above the surrounding buildings.
Much closer, right on our roof is a line of Bonzi trees.