After a brief overnight in Hong Kong (where the Marriott Surprised us with 50th birthday, 25th anniversary and Arsenal cakes), we continued our journey to Saigon/Ho Chi Minh City arriving mid-day Sunday. Compared to the previous cities we have visited, Saigon is noticeably smaller both in population and buildings. In fact, our corner room on the 21st floor gave us a panoramic view of downtown Saigon as as well as the Saigon River waterfront. Our guide in Saigon was United Airlines " 3 Perfect Days in HCM.". We could not have been happier with their itinerary or more importantly, choice of restaurants. Our first meal was at Quan An Ngon where we had our first banh xeo - a giant rice pancake stuffed with bean sprouts shrimp and pork -- and goi which is a shredded salad. We then walked over to the Reunification Palace - previously known as the Imperial Palace and was home of the South Vietnamese President. It remains virtually untouched since North Vietnamese tanks smashed through the front gate on April 30, 1975 -- similar to the War Cabinet Rooms in London complete with a basement commend center. It also offered us our first glimpse of "the other side of the story." HCM is a walking city and we walked everywhere. That night we retired to the rooftop pool where we enjoyed a quiet evening overlooking the city. The following morning we rose early to meet our guide from Saigon River Express for our 75 minute ride up the Saigon River to the Cu Chi tunnels. It was a surreal experience heading up the river I had watched on the Huntley-Brinkley report as a child. The Cu Chi tunnels were where over 6,000 Viet Cong lived in a complex underground city. We were able to climb through the narrow tunnels and see how they lived as well as well see bomb craters that were readily visible 40 years later. We enjoyed a local lunch before boarding the boat home. For dinner we ate at Com Nieu Sai Gon - a local favorite where the specialty is a rice dish baked in a clay pot that is shattered open and tossed in the air to get out any remaining shards! We also enjoyed several local dishes that we had to randomly pick as there was no English to be had. The next morning we woke early so we could visit the War Remembrance Museum and visiting the French colonial era buildings including city hall (fashioned after Versailles) , the Opera House and central market. The War museum traced the history of the war from the French occupation through the fall of Saigon. It was certainly educational to see a different view. Our final stop in Saigon was a local BBQ for lunch called Lang Nuong Nam Bo that was off a small street in the 10th District. Zero English here but with the 3 Days guide we knew we needed to try the grilled goat (kicked over open flame at our table) as well as a whole grilled chicken that included the feet and head! The kids have been adventurous eaters the whole trip and tonight was no exception - who knew grilled chicken feet are a delicacy? We finished the meal with sweet Vietnamese coffee that is dropped through a filter and mixed with evaporated milk. It is really tasty over ice. Soon after we headed to the airport for our short flight to Kuala Lumpur.