Last Scenes from Saigon

I spent the last few days of my trip in Saigon.

The Tet celebrations were in full swing when we got back to the city. It meant there were flowers everywhere!



Also lots of activities in the streets. These lion dancers just showed up one afternoon on the street where our hotel was and held an impromptu dance on the sidewalk.



This sign has nothing to do with Tet, but I loved their slogan. Who says truth in advertising doesn't work?



And finally, we did get to see the water puppets before leaving, after our numerous attempts. We read a little about the artform while we waited for the performance to begin. It turns out that the performers used to be at risk for, and contract, a lot of water born diseases (although apparently the conditions are much better now). The puppeteers actually stand behind a screen in the water, and manipulate the puppets under the screens through sticks attached to them and hidden in the water. If you click on the image you can see a video of part of the puppet show--it's fishing the way it was always meant to be done....