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UNESCO and Vietnam Governmentfunding, much of the old cityis being faithfully restored. In theevening we enjoyed traditionalsong and music on a dragon boatcruising the Perfume River.We take a walking tour of Hoi Anwhich was once a major tradingcentre of South-east Asia in the16 th century. We visit an old merchant’shouse where we are introducedto the current occupant whoinforms us that seven generationsof her family have occupied thishouse. Hoi An has a distinct Chinese atmospherewith tile roofed houses and narrow streets with lacqueredboards and panels engraved with Chinesecharacters. The town also boasts a Japanese CoveredBridge. The afternoon was shopping time andit was here that people took advantage of the tailoringtrade by having clothes made to measure inan amazingly short period of time. The results wereincredible, men and ladies suits, skirts, tops andpants all made overnight to be picked up the nextday. Some minor alterations were needed and everyonewas happy with the fi nal results, no one moreso than Dragica who had some traditional Slovenianoutfi ts made.Ho Chi Minh City or Saigon as the city is still frequentlyreferred to, is Vietnam’s largest city that isfull of contrasts. A typical street scene is of peoplecooking on the side walk or selling fresh fruitand vegetables next to western style bars andboutiques. The high cost of motor cars in Vietnammakes them prohibitive for the average citizen sothe popular middle class vehicle is the motorcyclewith hundreds of them jamming the parking areas ofHo Chi Minh City. We visit the Reunifi cation Palace(formerly the Presidential Palace), War RemnantsMuseum, the Old Saigon Post Office and Notre Dame Cathedralbuilt by the French who importedthe bricks from France.The Cu Chi tunnel network wasestablished as a means of wagingguerilla war against superiorFrench and later American fi repower. The network stretchesover 250 kilometres and extendsto three levels underground providinga remarkable insight intothe method and determination ofCommunist forces during the VietnamWar. Our tour was cut short due to a late afternoonthunderstorm and most of the group wasdisappointed not to see more of this jungle setup.However, we can say that for a short time we experiencedwhat some of our soldiers went through;muddy, hot, humid conditions with heavy rainfall occurringday in and day out. Absolutely dreadful.We leave Ho Chi Minh City and drive overland toCan Be which is in the heart of the Mekong Delta.Known as the ‘Rice Bowl of Vietnam’, the delta isVietnam’s agricultural centre due to being the mostfertile region in the country and is the main sourceof rice and tropical fruits. On arrival we board asampan for a cruise along the river and its multiplecanals. We visit a fl oating market, a rice and cornfactory and taste local specialties with lunch at anold colonial house.After packing our bags ready for the departurehome and a bit of lunch there is still some timeavailable to head off to Saigon’s Central Markets.Rows of kiosks are arranged to allow for all kindsof goods from the inexpensive to highly valuableto be sold. Vendors shout and scream, sometimeswith microphones, to attract the crowds. Masses ofpeople jam the streets and pedestrians can hardlyfi nd a way through the crowds. Half way through ourshopping time a heavy thunderstorm erupts causingthe street and market area to quickly fi ll with water.While the locals take it all in their stride, we haveto try to stay dry for a fl ight home. The bus arrives,takes us back to the hotel to collect our luggage andsets out for the airport. Time to check-in, hop on theplane, holiday over.To Mary, Stan and our fellow travelers thank you fora wonderful time and we wish you all a Happy andHoly Christmas with a healthy and prosperous 2011ahead. Magda and Jože Slavec, NSWmisli | januar - februar 201127