More than four hours after leaving Shanghai， I finally landed at the Tan Son Nhat International Airport in Ho Chi Minh City， Vietnam. Although the guide who met us assured us that this was a nice， cool day， I was still recovering from the blast of hot， humid air.
　　Once I’d recovered from the heat， the next thing to hit me was the noise. Ho Chi Minh City is filled with a medley of sounds： honking horns of motorcycles in a steady stream of traffic， roaring television shops， blaring cassette tape stands， the buzz of street side salespeople calling out to would-be customers.
　　It was at dawn when we arrived at the city center. People rushed past； students in white school uniform swarmed around food vendors selling local delicacies； flashing lights illuminated historic buildings， the night markets were still bustling， with food and souvenirs displayed neatly.
　　Once it was light Ho Chi Minh City began to take shape for me.Despite the fact that modern high-rises have begun to dominate the skyline in recent years， there are still many fine examples of French colonial architecture in the city.


　　These include Notre Dame Cathedral， the Old Saigon Post Office， the Municipal Theater and the former Hotel de Ville.Meanwhile， crowded residential areas are full of French-style villas， French bakeries and cafes， pho restaurants and trendy boutiques and galleries.
　　Ho Chi Minh City is Vietnam’s largest city， in the past renowned as the Pearl of The East and the Paris of the East.
　　The economic， cultural， technological， trade and travel center of southern Vietnam， Ho Chi Minh City is named after the country’s communist revolutionary leader， and have previously been known as Saigon and Prey Nokor.
　　 The Mekong Delta tour


　　The Mekong Delta at the southernmost end of Vietnam is not only the location of Ho Chi Minh City， but the country’s main rice basket and fruit garden.
　　The Mekong Delta is where the Mekong River approaches and empties into the South China Sea through a network of tributaries. As the world’s 12th-longest river and the seventh-longest in Asia， the river drains an area of 795，000 kilometers. It runs through China， Myanmar， Laos， Thailand， Cambodia and Vietnam.
　　Characterized by lowlands and earthladen brown water， the river separates into several branches. Beyond its banks， rice paddies extend to the horizon.
　　A river tour of the Mekong River is a must as the river runs through Ho Chi Minh City.The fresh smell of the river greeted us when we approached the harbor where rows of boats were moored. In the distance， local fishermen are busy working on the boat. It was 6：30 in the morning， the sunshine warm and pleasant and the wind brisk. We sailed out on the Mekong River through the traffic of sand and rice barges， past house on stilts and the floating morning markets to experience local life.