There is a choice of tours organised by SaigonTourist. One was to the Cu Chi underground tunnels which were used by the Viet Cong during the Vietnam war. The journey takes about two and a half hours and the most amazing thing about that journey is that, apart from about ten minutes driving past paddy fields, there is nothing but houses and shops along the road. Not suprising when you consider that Vietnam has a population of around 70 million people. Although the war ended thirty five years ago, the country is still very poor with people in the rural areas living just as they've done for hundreds of years.
Most people travel by moped or bicycle because owning a car is a dream for most Vietnamese.
Although this is a socialist state, people buy their property and build their houses so it's not uncommon to see a rather grand house built right next to a shack. In the markets you can buy clothes at ridiculously cheap prices and there is some wonderful woodwork and lacquer furniture which they will ship back to South Africa for you. We ate lunch at the Rex Royal Court Hotel in Saigon and the food was superb. I checked prices for hotel rooms and meals and can assure you that even a South African can afford to holiday in Vietnam. The locals don't speak much English so bargaining is done by using a calculator and quoting prices in US dollars.