Vung Tau Today I (Joanne) opted for an excursion to Vung Tau, a beautiful beach resort town on the East Sea. The attraction is the largest Jesus statue in southeast Asia. There is a small Catholic population in this area and the statue did not disappoint. It reminded me of the one in Rio, and the outstretched arms seemed to welcome our group. We also had a glimpse of a modern Catholic Church called Song Vinh built about 2011. It was very impressive and seemed to be done in French architecture. Later, our guide took us to a reclining Buddha where we saw many altars with incense burning. There was a monk in prayer close by and pretty works of art on the sides of buildings on the walk up to the temple.
Jesus spreads his arms outt to embrace us. Reminded me of Christ the Redeemer in Rio.
It's the year of the CAT in Vietnam, different than the year of the rabbit, going on in China. There are cat signs all over and I posed in front of one of them on the way to visit a Vietnamese palace later used by the French. Of course, I love kitties and this was a bonus. It was a fun day that concluded at the local fish market, where we were amazed by the variety of fish caught in the muddy waters around here. We admired the upscale beach resorts and even stopped by one of them to put our feet in the warm water and have a drink. It was a long tour - 11-1/2 hours! It took 2-1/2 hours each way to reach Vung Tau from the boat, a long ride, but worth it!
It is the Year of the Cat in Vietnam. Cat pictures are everywhere! China is different; this year in China its Rabbit. I am all for the year of the cat. Miss Bleu Kitty.
Beautiful view of East Sea AKA South China Sea. Vietnam doesn't want the sea to have China in its name. So the sea is the East Sea.
Me posing in a shady spot; it is near 90 F today.
Palace Reception Room
We stopped at this beach resort for a drink on the way home.
What's for dinner in Vietnam?
Fish Market
I asked the tour guide why the Vietnamese throw their trash all along the roadways. He told me that there are not trash bins easily available in country towns and there is no trash pickup trucks. He also speculated that some throw trash to protest their government. It reminded me of visiting San Paulo in Brazil. So much garbage everywhere that blights the beauty of the seashore. Hopefully, the Communist government will someday provide the infrastructure to fix this big problem. There are also "rat nests" of electric wires hanging in many intersections. I wonder how any repair person could begin to deal with it all!
As we came back, the sun had set and Saigon was lit up. Their largest skyscraper was bathed in pink light and was very pretty. The lights twinkled as we boarded the Viking Orion. Such a great way to tour Vietnam!
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