Happy New Year from Saigon (aka Ho Chi Minh City)

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Hope everyone had a good Christmas and New Year celebrations. Christmas was in Hue and then the group travelled down to Mui Ne for New Year, and we are now in Saigon. Mui Ne is a beach resort and a centre for Kite Surfing - great spectator sport and looked exhausting. Not on my agenda at all! We did manage a half day excursion by (ancient Russian) Jeep with a slightly manic driver - hey if you want to turn left off a dual carriageway why go all the way to the next junction and turn back when you can drive the wrong way down the road against the oncoming traffic and take your turning. And what are red lights for - very pretty but they don't mean anything do they? Phew. There are some t-shirts here with the traffic lights on them: Green: I can go. Amber: I can still go. Red: I can go but on the sidewalk! Anyway we made it in one piece and enjoyed the sights, Walking up a sandy riverbed to a waterfall; see a fishing village with hundreds of boats moored up (it is the centre of the fish sauce industry after all) and then onto the white and red sand dunes - spectacular.



Now we are in Saigon which, as you would expect, is a bustling city with thousands of motorbikes and scooters. We have seen some amazing loading of bikes - 24 crates of cans of beer .... the pillion holding a plate glass window ..... dozens of wicker baskets ..... 4 barrels of beer ...... and of course the street traders with their charcoal burners and woks, and even one turning his kebabs as he was driving along. At one restaurant when I ordered a soup it was delivered by bike with the driver holding it in one hand and steering with the other, he parked up and bought it straight to my table, and it was complete with cream swirl decoration! Since then we have seen a number of bikes carrying food like that, and even two or three plates on a tray - amazing. Crossing the road is also challenging, but we have learnt to look for a slight gap in the traffic and then start walking at a steady pace and they will drive around you. If you stop then that is when they might drive into you. It does take some getting used to, but you have to remember that for everyone here bikes are a normal way of travelling, and children are carried on them from when they are babies, although sometimes the junctions resemble a motorcycle display team as they criss cross each other.



We have done some of the sights here too. We started with a half day city tour to the War Remnants Museum (previously called the War Crimes Museum) to see lots of information about the American War (note they don't call it the Vietnam War). It is very well laid out and very informative. Then on to the Reunification Palace (their White House) when you could see all of the formal reception rooms, and then to Norte Dame Cathedral and the Post Office. The Post Office resembles one of the grand London train stations with a vaulted ceiling and desks for writing your postcards. I also went to a tailor and had a silk dress made. Very floaty and elegant. Just waiting for the right occasion to wear it now as the normal day/evening wear is still shorts and t-shirt. Apologies to those of you freezing in the UK but here it is bliss to have fans and air conditioning!

Off to Cambodia tomorrow - so another border crossing, and another visa in my passport. Any betting on how long it will take to get through the formalities - currently averaging an hour on a good day. Fingers crossed.

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Comments

[Meg Green]

Book
Hi Fliss, I'm reading a book at the moment called The Silk Merchant's Daughter, set in Vietnam in 1952. I'll keep it for you to read on your return. I enjoy reading your blog. Take care xx

[FlissGapYear]

Book
Thanks. I'll look forward to reading that. My knowledge of Vietnamese history (and that of Cambodia and Laos) has certainly grown, and although I am far from a history buff, it is all making more sense now, albeit from a Far Eastern perspective. Here they call it the American War and not the Vietnam War!