The Sights, Sounds and Smell of New and Old Saigon

Municipal Theatre. The century-old theatre at Lam Son Square witnessed great operas and plays during the French colonial era. The South Vietnamese National Assembly was temporarily housed in the theatre.
Water Puppet. Vietnam's famed water puppet had its beginnings in the 11th Century. The puppet shows depict life in the countryside in the days long past.

Xa Loi Pagoda. Starting from June 1963 and lasting until just before the fall of Saigon on April 30 1975 a number of monks from Xa Loi Pagoda carried out self-immolation in public by setting fire to their petrol-doused bodies while meditating in a sitting lotus position. Initially they protested against the anti-Buddhist policies of the staunchly Catholic President Ngo Dinh Diem who was assassinated in November 1963. Later the monks protested against the civil war between the North Vietnamese supported Vietcong and the American supported military regime which succeeded President Ngo. In the morning of June 11 1963 a group of monks marched out of Xa Loi Pagoda to the intersection of Cach Mang Thang Tam and Nguyen Dinh Chieu. There Thich Quang Duc a 66-year old monk from Hue was set alight while passers-by prostrated themselves before him.

Pork Galore. Such push-cart stalls selling pork are found in abundance especially in the morning in Cholon, the Chinatown. Don't worry.....no flies, no maggots and your nostrils would not be assaulted!
Hotel Majestic. Old landmark facing the confluence of the Saigon River and the stinky garbage-strewn Ben Nghe Channel.
Hotel Equatorial. The New, a Malaysian hotel chain which started operations in Saigon's Chinatown, Cholon some 10 years back.
The Reunification Palace. This was the former Presidential Palace. A North Vietnamese tank stormed the main gate on April 30 1975 thus ending the civil war. The fall of Saigon was dramatic as besides the chaos arising from the fleeing South Vietnamese army US helicopters made several landings on the heli-pad at the US Embassy to pick up fear-stricken US nationals and Vietnamese employees of the US government. They were ferried to American naval vessels lying along the coast of then South Vietnam. It was an extreme moment of anguish, pain and fear.