I went to Saigon in Dec 2005 for two weeks, during the Christmas (school) holidays. During that trip, I went with my mother. It was my first time abroad. My mother is Vietnamese, and she took me there to see my roots. We weren't able to travel earlier in life due to finances (or lack of it). It was only in 2005 that I was able to see my relatives from her side.
My mom's family is from the south, so they're not commies. We stayed at my aunt's place in Saigon, near Dien Bien Phu street/avenue.
This was Dien Bien Phu in 2005.
Take note of the tree in the middle of the street. It serves as a rotunda/ roundabout.
This second pic is further up the street. In the first pic, the direction of the vehicles (and the woman pushing the cart) is towards the city center or the 1st quarter.
I think in the second pic, these motorbikes are still going in the direction of the city center, but this portion of the street is after the rotunda.
After the 2005 trip, I printed out the pictures, made an album and put captions on them. Good thing I did, since I've forgotten most of the details about the places! I scanned the pics recently, after the trip this year.
Btw, please take note that my mom wasn't a ho during the Vietnam war. Both my parents graduated from uni (through hard work and scholarships), and they made sure that their kids did too.