Blogs from Ho Chi Minh City, Southeast, Vietnam, Asia - page 265

When we were in Saigon we went to The War Remnants Museum, The Notre Dame Cathedral, and The Post Office. We also went with a few people to visit The Cu Chi Tunnels. On our way there we saw a Vietnamese music video being made. The tunnels were very small and very hot! We all got the chance to fire a gun while we were at the tunnels, so we did. I was a little nervous about firing a gun, but once I had done it, I wanted to do it some more. It was too expensive though. Our hotel was right in front of a really nice restaurant/bar. A group of us went there one night, and they were meant to close at midnight. They ended up keeping it open until about 3am, and gave ... read more

Since arriving, my days have been rather uneventful. Eat, sleep, repeat. I don't think I've ever been this affected by jetlag before. Maybe it's my anti-malarial drugs that are making me delirious. Heck, don't blame the meds; I'm delirious nonetheles. Sometimes I tend to forget things, i.e. it didn't cross my mind that Vietnam was colonized by the French until I started eating french bread and pastries for every breakfast. Vietnamese-french pastries might just be the next best thing than straight from the source. Normally I don't like doing the tourist thing, so it was a bit disappointing when I found out we were going to a backpacker's cafe to sign up for bus trips. M's house was not near the central tourist district, so it was a great place to interact with all the locals. ... read more

Paa fredagen moette jeg Huy, som var veldig hyggelig. Vi gikk foerst til markedet. Det er som det er sagt - hvis de ikke har det der saa trenger du det ikke!! Deretter spiste vi sticky rice med kylling paa en liten gatekafe - nammenam. Man sitter paa slike bittesmaa stoler ved et bittelite bord, og foeler seg som man er paa et barneselskap, men godt er det - og billig. Senere moette vi opp med noen venner av han og hadde middag. Spiste hot pot med biff. Her skal det nevnes at man spiser ikke bare kjoettet paa den kua. Vi spiste brusk og involler, og bittelitegrann kjoett. Til slutt havnet vi paa karaoke - suprise, suprise!! Satt der og trallet avgaarde, og ja... jeg sang!! I gaar var jeg paa national Institute of Massage ... read more

I came to Vietnam expecting it to be a communist country, replete with propaganda-laden billboards, signs the government was watching your every move, a populace fearful of badmouthing the authorities for fear of the ultimate consequence. Instead the neon signs tempted passers-by with advertisements for Coca Cola and Kentucky Fried Chicken. Except for a handful of uniformed soldiers scurrying about from time to time, they was little sign that government was even present, let alone on the lookout for traitors to the Republic. As far as the eye could see, capitalism reigned supreme: coffee shops, fast food restaurants and photocopy outlets dotted the bustling streets of Saigon. So where was the great Communist victory? Yes, there were photos, paintings, busts, and statues of Ho Chi Minh, their savior in every government building. Yes, there were expansive, ... read more

I am finally in Vietnam, after all the times I wanted to come here in Japan but never quite made it! I am in Hanoi, the capital, at the moment. It is absolutely baking hot so I am dying to head to the beach right now. The city is really nice though with little winding streets, lakes and pagodas everywhere. Went to see the embalmed corpse of Ho Chi Minh this morning, so with Mao in Beijing, I almost have the set - just need Stalin and Lenin now! I had planned to walk to see Ho Chi Minh, but a motorbike tempted me to be lazy and get a ride - bad mistake. I honestly thought I was going to die. The drivers here are even more crazy than those in China and the rest ... read more