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Vietnam Day 6
Today's Travel:
Bus: 20 kms
Train: 350 kms overnight
Map: Today's trip
We visited a number of places today. First was the Museum of Vietnamese History. This covers the story of Vietnam from prehistoric times through to 1945 and is housed in a French period building that was completed in 1926.
A large bas-relief at the entrance showing Vietnamese repelling Mongol Invaders in the 13th century.
Given its location, Vietnam has been ripe for settlement, invasion and occupation by a number of countries and civilisations over the centuries. These include the Chinese from the north on numerous occasions, the Champa from the south and south-east as well as Mongols, Thais, French and Japanese.
Vietnam consists of 54 separate ethnic groups.
It's probably not surprising therefore, that this Buddha is looking a bit bemused.
This one's a bit more serene
The next place on the agenda was the Reunification Palace (AKA Independence Palace). Readers of a certain age may recall the photos in the media with North Vietnamese tanks breaking down the gates to what was then called the Presidential Palace, signifying the end of the war on 30th April, 1975.
30th April, 1975
7th Oct, 2019
It certainly is built on a grand scale, but isn't the first palace on this site. It was initially the Norodom Palace (named after the then king but later renamed the Governor's Palace) from 1871 to 1945 as the home of the Governor-General of French Indochina, and for a period during WWII it was the headquarters of the Japanese colonial officials. It remained as the Presidential Palace until two disaffected South Vietnamese pilots bombed it in 1962, destroying the left wing of the building. The remains were demolished and the present building was completed in 1966. It has a very presidential feel inside.
Back on the bus for a trip to a lacquer-ware factory. Just about all the artwork is hand done to a very high standard. Having had the group add to the Vietnamese economy, we left for our last highlight.
This last stop was a Chinese Pagoda known as the Jade Emperor Pagoda. While this was a tourist attraction, it was also a Taoist place of worship and has been in use since it was built in 1909.
After a last meal and a wander around some evening street stalls, we boarded the bus for Ga Sài Gòn, or Saigon Railway Station, where our private sleeping and dining (= bar) car awaited.
Our comfy 2 berth sleeper that we would return to for each train leg of our Vietnam journey
The Reunification Express that runs (for slower values of 'run') between Saigon and Hanoi.
ALL ABOARD!!
The line between Hanoi and Saigon was built by the French from 1899 to 1936 and has a gauge of 1 metre. This, and the terrain, means it is not a high speed line and can take between 30 and 40 hours to cover the 1726kms (1072 miles). We're generally only going to be on board for overnight segments, but will traverse the more scenic coastal sections in daylight. Our two carriages were coupled and uncoupled to/from the main train as required and waited for us on a siding while we spend some time in hotels in the various cities we stopped at en-route.
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