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Published: December 17th 2012
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Saigon
Old Asia meets new. As the North Vietnamese marched into Saigon, it was one of their most significant acts of reunification to rename the South Vietnam capital as Ho Chi Minh City. But being honest, I know it as Saigon, you know it as Saigon, and most importantly, all but the most politically correct of Vietnamese know it as Saigon.
So Saigon. It's up there with the most evocative of cities. The name implies glamour, war, colonialism and an intense rivalry with its northern cousin, Hanoi. Vietnam is one of the few countries with two dominant cities of similar sizes and influence. Perhaps Sydney and Melbourne, and Madrid and Barcelona can be compared in that respect.
What I enjoyed most about Saigon was analysing its differences to Hanoi. There can be no doubt that the cities have distinctly different characters. Where Hanoi has tight streets, low buildings and an exotic south east Asian feel, Saigon is grander, with wide tree-lined boulevards, skyscrapers and colonial buildings. It is still exotic and most definitely south east Asian, but in more of a 'seat of the empire' sort of way. Where Hanoi was occasionally quaint, Saigon seemed brasher too.
That being said, for all the
differences, were similarities. No matter the width of the street, in either city, it's populated by a million motorcycles at any one time. And regardless of the design of the building, you can bet it's filled with industrious Vietnamese ready to take your money.
Our flight from Da Nang was uneventful. Getting a taxi from Saigon airport is infamous for being one of the most scam-riddled of activities in a country with no shortage of cons. However, knowing what to look out for, we negotiated the scrum with ease and within 40 minutes of the plane touching down were in our hotel room.
Our walkabout the next day took us from Ben Tanh market to Notre Dame Cathedral and onto the former Presidential Palace, making many of the observations of Saigon discussed above as we went. The Palace was particularly interesting. Preserved in pretty much the state it was left in when North Vietnamese tanks crashed through the gates and ended the war, it strangely serves as something of a homage to the defeated enemy - the South Vietnamese Presidents. Naturally, like any decent Vietnamese attraction, it features a captured US Air Force Huey.
That night we
took to the bright lights of Pham Ngu Lao - perhaps as similar to Bangkok's Khao San Road backpacker HQ as you're likely to find. Seeing that bars were distinctly more expensive here than elsewhere in Vietnam, Sophie and I sat down at a Bia Hoi place on the street for a couple of beers, and ended up staying most of the evening. This was thanks to the delicious freshly prepared crabmeat that complemented the beer perfectly!
Our second full day in Saigon was dominated by our visit to the War Remnants Museum. In the reverse to Hanoi's Army Museum, the Remnants Museum featured less military hardware outside, but more worthwhile exhibits inside. Some of the pictures on display were particularly horrific. That day had been particularly hot, so my idea of going on an early evening run around Saigon's parks was optimistic in the extreme. With the intense heat and pollution, it is no wonder the locals don't bother with anything too strenuous at their morning and evening fitness sessions. Drained, and dripping, I returned back to the hotel and the coldest shower I could muster. Once recovered, we had a fairly low key evening as we were
Customary Huey
It wouldn't be a Vietnamese city without the customary pictures of downed aircraft. off on a bus to Phnom Penh, Cambodia early the next morning.
Thailand is often seen as definitive of the south east Asian travelling experience. However, with Thailand so developed now, my thoughts as we left were that it is Vietnam that is probably the quintessential south east Asian experience, both good and occasionally bad. It's a whole load of fun. There is a lot to do and see. It's easy to travel around. Sweaty. Exotic. Cheap. Amazing food, beautiful scenery and bursting at the seams with history. The list could go on. To the people, as a tourist you are nothing but a commodity, and you have to be constantly on your toes. But I think this is exactly what you sign up for when you decide to visit this part of the world. To have so many people try and take your money, and still look back on them and the country fondly, must be a special indictment in itself.
Vietnam is most of what you expect and want from south east Asia wrapped up in one country. If you can only visit one country over here, go to Vietnam. Thankfully though, we're seeing the lot!
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