Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam.

Ho Chi Minh City, which is still called Saigon by everyone but the reddest of commies, will be our home for the next three months. Officially, 6 million people live here. Unofficially, it's closer to 10 million. Whatever the real number is, it doesn't change the fact that this place is huge and getting huger by the minute. There are 19 urban districts, but the population is booming so fast that officials have to add a district every year.

Saigon is located in Southern Vietnam just north of the Mekong Delta.. We've been lucky enough to see just about all of Vietnam over the years: Sapa, Hanoi, Halong Bay, Danang, Hoi An, Da Lat, Nha Trang, Phu Quoc, the Central Highlands, and the Mekong Delta. Every part of Vietnam is so different and, so far, beautiful.

We'll be staying at the Intercontinental's Asiana Saigon service apartments in District 1. District 1 is the heart of Saigon and, really, the heart of the whole country. Especially when it comes to making money. There is a never ending supply of restaurants and shopping as well as several points of interest like the Opera House, Notre Dame Cathedral, History Muesums, Art Galleries, Antiquities, the Reunification Palace and several hotels and restaurants made famous during the Vietnam War here. This is not the Vietnam of Oliver Stone, where tiny pajama-clad peasants scamper around in rice paddies with their conical hats and buffalo. Try Prada-clad millionaires ordering their chauffeur to take them from the Hyatt Spa to Louis Vutton in their Porsche Cayenne. To sum up, the heat is on in Saigon and business is booming.

The outside of the Intercontinental Residences. The building in the left corner is the Intercontinental Hotel.

This is the whole complex with the Intercontinental Hotel building, the Residence building and the office building connected by a high end two story mall in the middle of the buildings.

Pictures of our Apartment.

The Kitchen.

The dining area.

The living room.

The view from the couch, and entertainment center equipped with surround sound.

The view from our balcony.

The hallway leading to the laundry room, two bedrooms and two bathrooms. The whole apartment is covered in hardwood floors.

Down the hall first door on your right, Pearce's room.

Pearce's closet.

From the hallway on the left side is a washer/dryer. A very SLOW washer/dryer, but a washer/dryer nonetheless.

The second door on the left is a bathroom.


With a shower.

At the end of the hall, the master bedroom with a desk.

Wall to wall closets and a flat screen on the left wall.

Master bathroom.

The tub. One of the most comfortable tubs ever.

The toilet and shower.

Special features we love about this apartment.

Daily Maid service. They do everything from changing sheets to dishes. Bliss for a pregnant girl. But don't worry, they haven't totally kept me from being a clean freak. I don't know if they were just angling for a phat tip, but yesterday they told me we were their favorite residence to service because it's always so clean.

Touch lamps with three settings of light so you don't have to look for a switch. Pearce was the first to discover this feature. It took him about 5 seconds.

Toilets that close quietly and automatily by itself after use. Usually in the middle of the night Pearce uses the toilet with a bang bang of the toilet seat and lid waking us up, but not here.

The do not disturb button.

Warding off outsiders.

A shower that feels like a rainy day.

Another option for showering. This is great for Pearce. His showers usually last 30 minutes, most of which is spent pretending the shower head is a weapon.

A shower that gives you the exact temperature every time.

Laundry guy who picks it up and drops it off the next day neatly cleaned, ironed, and folded. This may be one of the best features.

This is a common service since using the washer/dryer takes 4hrs for a small load and costs twice as much in electricity.

The residences make life very very convenient. On the third floor, a fitness center, swimming pool and a play room for kids. On the second floor, a lounge/library and computer center. On the main floor, a very small grocery store and a restaurant. Attached is a high end mall that the hotel is also attached to with restaurants and a spa. In sum, it's so convenient that it's going to make Hawaii tough to adjust back to.

The fitness center.

One of two pools.

Pearce at the other pool.

Pearce checking out the playroom.

The bathroom in the playroom has this little frog toilet. I love this.

The restaurant "Basilico" serves Italian, Western and Vietnamese food. We eat breakfast here every morning.

Also, serving hot stone oven pizzas. Pearce's favorite.

A big thank you to the Embassy's travel coordinator, Quan, for once again finding us the best apartment in town. You've got great taste. Our taste.