Near Saigon is the legendary Cu Chi Tunnels, a network of underground tunnels controlled by the Viet Cong that at one time stretched to Cambodia. While it is now a popular tourist attraction, we didn't visit there because Roy adamantly refused to go. As a young Marine, he had been in enough of the tunnels to last a lifetime and wanted no part of them now.

There are other places to see in Saigon: Chinatown. Notre Dame Cathedral. The post office with its French colonial architecture. Reunification Palace, the former headquarters of the South Vietnamese government that remains preserved much as it was on the day Saigon fell. There's also the American Embassy, made famous when the last of the US Marines were lifted off its roof by helicopter during the fall of the city.

For the most part, today's Saigon is not what you would expect at all. It's all very new, because much of it was destroyed during the years of war. And since about 80 percent of the population of Vietnam is under age 30, few actually remember the war. Those who do have essentially forgotten it.

The whole of Vietnam is cloaked with the air of ancient Asian mysticism, yet it is very much vibrant and young, with positive energy. And while Saigon is the pulsing heartbeat of Vietnam's energy, we also wanted time out of the city.

We were guided to Exotissimo Travel, an excellent, relatively inexpensive source for trips to the Mekong Delta and other places throughout Vietnam. Our day-long trip was about $70 per person, which included a local guide, a private boat tour, and an amazing lunch of spicy Vietnamese soups, meats, and spring rolls.

This particular trip led to one of the most insanely bizarre moments of our entire journey.

Our guide, Tan, is a wonderfully humorous South Vietnamese with an excellent command of the English language. After learning Roy was a Vietnam vet, Tan almost gleefully pointed out that our driver, whose name was Mian, was a Viet Cong who had also fought in the war.

Picture this, if you will: A tourist van crazily careening through the streets of Saigon toward the Mekong Delta carrying a South Vietnamese, a Viet Cong, a former Marine and Vietnam veteran, and a quite blonde, slow-talkin' southern writer. (CONTINUE...)