Shops and businesses © Asian-Nation/C.N. Le

This isn't one of my better-quality photos, but it represents the types of shops and businesses located throughout the city. Saigon is built on commerce -- everything from one-person carts and stands on the sidewalk selling cigarettes or t-shirts, to storefronts where you can buy souvenirs, restaurants serving the local cuisine, or bars/lounges to let you sing karaoke until you drop, all the way up to big corporate department stores just like the ones you find in your average big city.