Believe it or not, flying to Vietnam in a commercial jetliner brought back memories of coming here 40 years ago. Yes, GI's flew to war via Pan Am, TWA or other commercial airlines that were profitable at that time. Maybe that's why they were making money. They had umpteen flights every week completely full of soldiers in their jungle fatigues. It was sort of incongruous to be served meals by what they used to call stewardesses and then have the captain say, as we were coming into land at Bien Hoa Air Base, "It's currently 95 degrees out at Saigon. We hope you enjoy your visit and thanks for flying Pan Am."
Above is the Sophia Hotel where this writer is staying a few days. It is small but very modern and clean. It's in the heart of Ho Chi Minh City, but residents still refer to this bustling metropolis as Saigon. The taxi drive from Tan So Nhat Airport was an adventure. It was $10, which is very reasonable given that it was about 5 miles, but everybody drives with reckless abandon and think nothing of close calls. If you're there first you have the right-of-way. They make Parisian driver look like they should take assertiveness training.
Today, the tunnels of Cu Chi are on the itinerary. More about that, tomorrow. One of the amenities of this hotel is the internet connection in every room. Ciao.
