RITZ-CARLTON LUMINARA: Day 8--Saigon in the Rain

Today will be the first time I will leave this ship.  On a bus to Saigon, or Ho Chi Minh City.  Saigon in the Rain sounds like a film, but that is what happened.  Started with a pho for breakfast, with a Bloody Mary and orange juice.

Boarded the bus for our one-hour ride to Saigon,

Took a photo of a cannonball tree.  The balls and flowers have terrible smells.

We got to our drop off point, the Bitexco Financial Tower, also known as the Skyrise Tower, where the skydeck is on the 49th floor.  Was once the tallest building in Saigon.  

However, in 2018, the Landmark 81 tower was completed, making it it the second tallest in southeast Asia to Merdeka 118 of Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia.  Those numbers reflect the number of stories.

We had available an hour to walk around the area, but it began to rain, so we decided to remain on the bus.  Thus I called today's posting, Saigon in the Rain.  Wonder what motorbike riders do in the rain?  Well, have a look.

Left Saigon at 3:15PM, and it looked like dusk or early evening, for the monsoon clouds are thick, blocking out the sun.  Arrived back to our ship at 4:15.

Went for a drink in The Living Room and got roped into tying knots.

Yesterday, we asked about the availability of macadamia nuts, and someone found a bowl of raw nuts.  So they today prepared them.

Decided we wanted to return to Haesu Bit for dinner, but was denied entry because we had no reservation.  We argued that the ship was in port tonight and numerous passengers were in Saigon and many with reservations would not show up.  To no avail.  We were turned away, and went to another bar to complain about this.  The restaurant manager came and agreed with our logic, took us back to Haesu Bit and sat us. The problem with this ship is that they have rules, and the staff is not given the option of using good judgement.  We've seen this in different venues.

Sake is offered to diners as a starter.  Had mine hot.  Ordered sashimi to start, with that sake, Asahi Beer and Glenfiddich on rocks.

For the meal, combined miso soup with unagi sushi and an incredible ultimate wagyu sushi with caviar and truffles.

Went to the Art Bar for some entertainment.

Then The Living Room to end the evening.

Walked 2534 steps.

Asked Google AI about recent movies filmed in Ho Chi Minh City:

Recent/Notable Films Filmed in Ho Chi Minh City:

• A Tourist's Guide to Love (2023): A Netflix rom-com that made history as one of the first films shot almost entirely in Vietnam post-pandemic, featuring many HCMC locations.  Rotten Tomatoes score of 72/65.  Directed by Steven Tsuchida.  On Netflix.
• The Roundup (2022): This popular Korean action-comedy filmed scenes in Ho Chi Minh City.
• The Sympathizer (2024): A major HBO series filmed in Vietnam, with HCMC as a key location. 

Upcoming Productions:

• Leaving Mom (2025): A Vietnam-Korea co-production featuring Vietnamese actors and filming in HCMC.
• SILAA (2026): A Bollywood film that included HCMC in its filming locations before a large 2026 release. 

-