Went to Saigon/Ho Chi Minh City/HCMC this weekend. Let me just say that one of the highlights of living in Singapore is saying things like that: "Saigon for the weekend." It's only an hour away, but the two places share almost nothing in common.
Although Saigon and Ho Chi Minh City are often used interchangeably, they are technically not the same thing. Saigon refers to the 3 commercial districts within the larger, 19 district-big Ho Chi Minh City. Kind of like Manhattan: New York City. And in Manhattan-like fashion, I never left Saigon, which wasn't due to any kind of Sex in the City-esque snobbery - just simply the fact that I only had 36 hours.
In that time, I must have seen Ho Chi Minh's face 1,000+ times. I think he's like Jesus to the locals. At one point, I stood next to a giant bronze bust of "Uncle Ho" and was tempted to start stroking his goatee for fun. But, I didn't think that would go over well. So, I just stood there and smiled.
The rest of the 36 hours was filled with:
1) ruining my perfect Vietnam street-crossing record when a motorbike ran into me. I deserved it. I flinched when I crossed the road. Never anticipate where they're going. Just trust them and walk with a steady pace. You flinch and you're done. I flinched and I got hit. I escaped without injury, only a tire stain on my cargo pants. I just regrouped on the side of the road and crossed again...
2) marveling at Vietnamese traffic. There were many families-of-four who came within an inch of having bad accidents. Millions of people in the city and hardly any stoplights to guide them all. Somehow, the bikes, pedestrians, tour buses, taxis, and cars, figure it out, but it's not without some jaw-droppingly close calls. It gets to be comical after a while, and you can easily entertain yourself by sitting at a sidewalk cafe just watching it all. On a side note, before I left, I asked one of my Indian co-workers about what she thought of the traffic. The exchange went like this:
Me: What did you think of the traffic?
Co-worker: It's nothing.
Me: Are you kidding?
Co-Worker: Have you been to India?
3) drinking many martinis in an all-you-can-eat brunch at the Caravelle Hotel. It was the first "unlimited martini" brunch I had been to, and it was a damn tasty 3 hours of eating and drinking. The Caravelle Hotel is the spot where war journalists hung out in the 60's.
4) visiting the War Remnants Museum which is dedicated to the history and after-effects of the "American War." It's a difficult experience to say the least. Many of the exhibits lack proper context and documentation (in fact, most of the Vietnamese museums seem badly curated), but the pictures and stories are heart-stopping. Surprisingly, many materials are donated by American veterans and special collections from Kentucky. For me, the most disturbing part as an American is seeing the international tourists who just constantly shake their heads at it all.
5) wondering where all the Saturday night bar-hoppers were. We went to some of the supposedly "hippest" lounges in the city, but the crowds were pretty thin. We ended up at a roof-top bar listening to live Spanish music, drinking mango chili margaritas.
6) touring Independence Palace, where the South Vietnamese president lived until the 70s when Vietnam unified. It's like a time warp in there - shag carpeting, circular couches, rotary phones, and trippy color schemes. There's even an American helicopter on the roof's helipad.
7) walking through the famous market (Ben Thanh Market) and getting repeatedly groped by women who wanted to sell me a t-shirt.
8) drinking Bia Saigon (Saigon beer) and realizing that the Bia Hanoi is better. Speaking of which, if anyone is going to Vietnam, I would recommend Hanoi hands down over Saigon. Both are a lot of fun, but to me, Hanoi has the personality and surrounding day-trips that make it a better destination.
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