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Published: July 21st 2009
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The Bread Lady
She was so cute We have now officially left Australia and for a change, we decided to blog in more or less real time. But once we get a chance, we’ll update you on our last few weeks in OZ, including a great week in Cairns with our friends, Shaneel and Heing. While we were sad to leave Brisbane, we were excited for new adventures in SE Asia. Vietnam and Cambodia here we come! First stop - Ho Chi Minh City (more commonly known as Saigon, even by the locals).
Upon arrival in Ho Chi Minh, we were greeted by an army of blue-masked airport staff. They take the recent Swine Flu outbreak very seriously and require all visitors to complete a form stating that they have not had any symptoms within the last 15 days. This was a bit problematic as both Sidd and I had colds and thus could check off almost half of the list! Choosing wisely to not declare any symptoms, we avoided quarantine, although I did glare at Sidd as he coughed violently in the customs line…
After we finally managed to clear customs (took us only 3 tries, much to the amusement of our customs officer!), we
Singapore Terminal
Only three airlines fly from here, including Tiger Airways. Our flight from Singapore to Ho Chi MInh was all of $10USD! hired a cab to our hostel. Our first impression of Saigon was of a bustling city, with very narrow, tall buildings butted up against each other and thousands of motorbikes negotiating traffic through the chaotic streets. Along the sides of the road, many vendors offer up intriguing foods and wares while local Vietnamese lounge on the street, eating, socializing or napping. Within 5 minutes we were hooked - it’s hard not to fall in love with one of the most vibrant cities in SE Asia. Here are some of the highlights of our stay in Saigon:
The Food You may have guessed it, but one of the main reasons we picked Vietnam was for the food. And it certainly did not disappoint! In our 4 days in Saigon, we roamed the city in search of local treasures and have feasted on many steaming bowls of Pho (Vietnamese noodle soup), stir fries, seafood hot pots and even French pastries. The array of food is dizzying, including some strange dishes such as Oxtail Penis hotpot and bloody cockles! One of our most memorable meals was during our day trip to the Mekong Delta, where we watched our fish
River from the Sky
View of the surrounding countryside around Saigon. get caught, killed, cleaned, fried and then beautifully presented on our table. We then rolled it in homemade rice paper wraps with fresh veggies - yum!
The People Although we were warned that the Vietnamese were somewhat abrupt, we have found almost everyone in Saigon to be extremely nice and helpful. One of the interesting things (and somewhat problematic at times) about Saigon is that relatively few people speak English so makes getting around somewhat difficult. Sidd also has a tendency to speak very loudly and slowly in English… as if this helps…
The one phrase, however, that all Vietnamese can say is
“same same”. For example, the locals think that I am Vietnamese and speak to me in their language until I have to shrug and tell them I’m Filipino - to which they same,
“Vietnamese, Filipina… same same…” The Shopping Ahh… the shopping - another reason why we chose Saigon. The range is mind-boggling, from high end malls selling Valentino and Ferregamo to the knock-off clothing in the Ben Treh market. Haggling is a must in the markets, which is an art that Sidd and I are
Traffic
When it starts to rain, the Vietnamese don rain ponchos and continue on. The person in the back shares the poncho! still working on. In general, if you cut the price by 2/3, that’s a good starting point. You normally end up at about half of what they asked for, which is probably still a rip-off, but you have to expect that as a tourist! Nearing the end of one long day of shopping and eating, we managed to haggle so hard that the shop-lady got pissed off… but she still sold us the shirt so we obviously still paid too much. Another funny moment was when I discovered that I am a XXL in pants - these Vietnamese women are tiny!
On the other end of the scale, we took some advice from the great staff at Saigon Mini Hotel, and got a ton of clothing made at Cathy Silk. The ladies were fantastic and were able to make us beautiful suits and dresses in less than 2 days. I think the ladies here got sick of us constantly popping in and asking to have more clothes made!
The Traffic Saigon is one of the safest places for visitors in SE Asia and few people experience violent crime. However, crossing the road is a huge danger.
Pho
Breakfast at the hostel! Yum yum. Over 9 million motorbikes clog the roads, dodging pedal bikes, pedestrians and larger vehicles. The bigger you are, the louder your horn and the more everyone else has to get out of your way. It’s mayhem! As a pedestrian, you have zero right of way and cross the road on blind faith. The key is not to stop or make sudden moves. In theory, as everyone is used to weaving around, if you continue along your straight and steady path, you should be fine. The other method, which I prefer, is to find a local Vietnamese crossing the road and attach yourself to his side (preferably on the side not facing traffic!).
“A rifle in one hand, a plow in the other” On one of our days in Saigon, we took a ½ day tour to the Cu Chi tunnels, located about 70 km from the city. These tunnels were used by the Vietnamese villagers in the area to resist the Americans. The system of tunnels is over 200 km long and in some areas, are barely large enough to crawl along. Definitely not a place for the claustrophobic! Prior to entering the tunnels, we watched a
movie about the war, which was heavily anti-American. The viewpoint was from that of a Vietnamese farmer, who wanted nothing but to peacefully farm his lands - but for the invasion of the “evil American enemies”, their young men and women would not have picked up rifles and won medals for killing the invaders. One can see why Americans in Saigon often pretend to be Canadian, even going so far as to sew the flag on their packs.
This theme of Anti-Americanism was continued during our visit to the War Remnants Museum which was previously named the American War Crimes Museum. Needless to say, the exhibits were both enlightening and saddening. Atrocities were committed on both sides and the effects are still being felt in Vietnam.
Vinh Long - The Mekong Delta On our last full day in Saigon, we ventured off to see the Mekong Delta, Vietnam’s “rice basket”. Vinh Long, one of the larger towns in the area, is located about 2.5 hours south of Saigon and is the gateway to river islands and home to the Cai Be floating market. As we were tired of large tours where you get hauled from one place
Night Market
Fake Gucci anyone? to another, we opted to hop onto a local bus and arrange a river tour upon arrival. This all sounds fine in theory, but we failed to take into account that about a dozen people in Vinh Long speak English! However, after our surprisingly comfortable bus ride down, we managed to only meander around the town for about an hour until we managed to find a tour agency that had a boat available. Although we only had 4 hours on the chocolate brown river, we thoroughly enjoyed the trip, including the floating market, row boat and watching the locals make coconut candy and rice paper. What a great place for pictures!
Next Blog… Angkor Wat!
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Hani
non-member comment
As always, fantastic pictures and narration. You guys really make me want to go to Vietnam now! Btw, I'm so curious for that seafood hot pot ... And you guys are not getting tanned, but roasted.