Cholon is Ho Chi Minh City's "Chinatown" district. In Vietnamese, "cho" means market and "lon" is large. Cholon is the largest market in Saigon. It started as a Chinese market and expanded until it became a Saigon suburb. In 1931, French colonial authorities changed the name of Saigon to Saigon-Cholon. In 1956, the "Cholon" was dropped and the city was once again just Saigon.

The Cao Dai are a religious minority in Vietnam. It's a syncretistic, monotheistic religion, officially established in the city of Tây Ninh, southern Vietnam in 1926. The Cao Dai have their own pantheon of Saints including the Buddha, Victor Hugo and Sun Yat Sen. They were persecuted for years after the communist victory in Vietnam in 1975 but in the 90's they were again allowed to practice freely. Their Holy See is in Tay Ninh, near the Cambodian border, about 2.5 hours from Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon).

The Hanoi to Hai Phong train runs several times a day between Hanoi, the capital of Vietnam, and Hai Phong, the principal industrial port in northern Vietnam. The train leaves from and returns to the Long Bien Station, and crosses the Red River on the historic Long Bien Bridge. The bridge, a vital link between Hanoi and Hai Phong, was bombed repeatedly by US aircraft during the war. Each time it was hit, it was rebuilt.

This is a gallery of photos from my recent trip to Vietnam. I'll be adding to it every day or so.