Saigon

An early morning flight brought us to Saigon (Ho Chi Minh City -HCMC). It is a bustling city- colorful and busy. One of our first stops was to the Notre Dame Cathedral, a brick cathedral built by the French in the style of Notre Dame in Paris. Across the street is the post office- a huge building that looks like nothing so much as a train station.

While visiting those two places, we saw two brides and grooms dressed in Western clothing. Then we saw a bride and groom in traditional garb. One of the people in our large group recognized that the groom did not look Vietnamese and began speaking with his mother. She responded in Yiddish, being a Jewish woman who currently lives in New York! The groom’s family and friends had flown over for the ceremony. People looked happy. I don’t know. I think that cultural differences are very difficult for couples to deal with – even among Anglos who have different backgrounds. In this case, it is two different societies.

Shopping was interesting. I went to the huge market not far from the hotel. My older daughter had asked me to keep my eyes peeled for a specific product. I did find it, but it was an imitation. I bought it anyway. Someone will use it, at least I hope so.