May 23 Arrival in Saigon (Katie)

Our time references in post content are in Vietnam time.

My dad, Kira, and I landed at 10:15am this morning in Ho Chi Minh City (Formally Saigon before the North Vietnamese captured the city on April 30th, 1975, marking the end of the Vietnam War). This landing brought on very different emotions for my father than when he landed here 50 years ago in Chu Lai. Kira wasted no time trying out Vietnamese phrases she had been practicing in anticipation of our trip; she eagerly greeted a little girl in the airport and our taxi driver in their native tongue, both of whom seemed pleasantly surprised and cheerfully responded. We are now at our hotel recouping from our flight which totaled over 24 hours in the sky. In a bit, we will head out to walk the bustling streets of central Ho Chi Minh City. We are anxious to meet with the people that my dad is helping... thanks entirely to donors' continued generosity throughout this all-around healing journey that began in 2010 and is still going strong today.

Katie

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