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in March 2019 my wife and I returned to Vietnam, 25 years after our last visit in 1995. |
Cosmos's excellent vietnam journeysI first went to saigon with my spouse, angela, back in 1995 when i was in bangkok working for the embassy and she was in the military in texas. we spent two wonderful weeks and always wanted to go back. this winter we decided we would go to either Thailand, Vietnam or Cambodia and left in early March, escaping the cold weather a bit.Food in SaigonPersonal comments Vietnam has a well deserved reputation as a foodie's paradise. The food is good to great, mostly inexpensive although there are some expensive places. Other
Asian cuisines are widely available, Chinese, Korean, Japanese,
Indian, Thai, Cambodian, Laotian. There is such a wide variety of styles of food to choose from among the traditional Vietnamese styles of food. Saigon city has so many restaurants one could spend decades eating every night at a different place and never run out of options. There were a few foods that stood out though Vietnamese style omelets - they do eggs right Ban
Chua is a Hanoi style of small plates sort of like the Vietnamese
version of Tapas. Quite good and tasty. Pho - of course Lots of varieties to try. We liked the chicken Pho which is a bit hard to find in the US where they tend to mostly serve the beef Pho Craft Beer Vietnam has recently gone through a craft beer boom. The craft beer is great. A bit expensive double the cost of the standards but still great. But just as in Korea where craft beer has taken off some places advertise craft beer but all they have is the regular crap on tap. And there are two craft beer companies that dominate the market, it is hard to find other craft beer places but they do exist. Traditional Vietnamese rice wine - did not get a chance to try but will try it on my next trip. Local Vietnamese wine - who knew they even made it here? Not that good but much better than years before. Probably worth a try just to say you tried it Snake and scorpion wine - would like to have tried it by my spouse vetoed the idea Artichoke tea - sounds weird but it tastes like hot chocolate! And is one of those great foods for lowering cholesterol etc. Guava tea - tastes great like green tea Coffee - a coffee lovers paradise would be nice to find a decafe option though Tea - a tea lovers paradise as well Tropical fruits galore - loved eating tropical fruit for breakfast especially soursop Vegetarian food options- widespread available almost everywhere Vegan options - not as common but widespread Gluten free - unheard of concept but if you avoid eating fried noodles and stick with rice noodles (usually clearly labelled as such) you can eat gluten free Trends I like to see emerge Gluten Free options MSG free - too much MSG used everywhere Artisanal Rum - Vietnam like most Asian countries just don't get rum. Bacardi is available in tourist friendly areas but other than that no one does decent rum. Yet you could make rum easily enough as they grow a lot of sugar cane. The Thais do a decent job with their Mekong whiskey which is a rum. I wished they would quit calling it Whiskey! Otherwise rum is just not common in the region. Promotion
of traditional Rice wine Artisanal local whiskey - if you can make decent craft beer you should be able to make decent local artisanal whiskey Here's
wiki's take on Vietnamese
food. what's your favorite? please comment love to hear from my readers! Best
restaurants according to Lonely
Planet In this trip I hit the following Asiana
Food Town On my prior trip I hit Appocalypse Now! And on my next trip, I must go to Jake's BBQ because as a Jake why the hell not? Needs me a Jake's bbq t-shirt, don't ya think? Now if there is a Cosmos club or Resturant I will have to go there as w Vietnam Poems [audio mp3="https://theworldaccordingtocosmos.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/03/Vietnam-poems.mp3"][/audio] Cosmos's Excellent Vietnam Journeys - Day to Day JournalSummary: arrived at airport about 1 pm. Went to AIRBNB. We stayed at two different AIRBNB, both in the Pham Ngu Lou area near the backpacker street but not on the strip. Both were nice, comfortable enough. Lots of restaurants, coffee shops nearby. Not too far from tourist sites. We went everywhere by Grab, Saigon's version of Uber. Uber pulled out of Southeast Asia and sold their operations to Grab. It took a bit to figure out the app but once we did it was great. We went out for lunch, and walked about, walked to the Bing Thang market, largest street market in District One. Bought fruit for breakfast, had dinner at Vietnamese Japanese Resturant Saigon is divided into 24 districts but most things that would appeal to tourists and visitors are located in Districts one, two and three. District one is the downtown district and has most of the tourist sites. District Two is across the river and is popular with diplomats and long term expats. Filled with upscale Western and Vietnamese restaurants. The government has announced a long term project to build a new city there that is modelled after Gangnam. Lots of construction already underway. District three is near downtown and has lots of nice restaurants as well. District four is across the river and is the center of the expat Asian community, lots of Koreans and Japanese living there. District Five is the old China town. Still lots of Chinese around. It is also where most of the traditional pagodas are located. And has a large traditional market. We went. It was very confusing but interesting to see. Transportation is chaotic still. The subway is under construction, first line linking district one and two opens next year, eventually there will be seven lines and a high speed train to Hanoi. The buses are cheap and run everywhere but we did not try them. Taxis are plentiful but Grab is more convenient and cheaper. And there are motorcycle taxis everywhere - fastest and cheapest way to get around. The old pedicabs are a thing of the past - we only saw a few. for
more info see the following: Breakfast
at home kefir Wednesday March 6 exploring backpacker's street dinner at street buffet Met old friend who lives in Vietnam. Walked about the backpacker's district. Had decent lunch and dinner. Breakfast
fruit Seeing Ghosts Inspired by a true story - I was looking at an old American who could have been a Vietnam vet back for a trip. He was sitting in a bar drinking a beer. He looked at me and smiled a wistful WTF where the Fuck am I bemused look. I looked up and a few seconds later the old man had disappeared and I felt that I had been seeing a ghost and that there were ghosts all over the city. Very eerie feeling that stayed with me all day and inspired the two following poems Ghosts in Saigon I
walk around the streets The
ghosts of the war So
many people died A
great tragedy unfolded The
ghosts smile at me Leaving
me in the present Old Ghosts Old
ghosts wandering the streets of old Saigon Over
there were the Viet Cong waiting to kill them Thursday March 7 Mekong Delta Long
but good day. Went on a Mekong River tour. The tour guide was
knowledgeable and spoke decent English. Most of the passengers were
Aussies, there were a few Japanese, and Koreans and Europeans, we
were the only Americans. In general, you don't find that many
Americans, most of the white tourists are Aussies, Canadians or
European. Mekong Dreams Traveling
along the Mekong Seeing
the river And
the present tourist boom As
we traversed the river Following
the ancient rhythms
On the way back we stopped at a famous Buddhist temple. Vietnamese Buddhist temples are different from Korean temples. Different style of Buddhism. The temples are everywhere, not just in the mountains like in Korea. Most Vietnamese are probably nominally Buddhist, but there are many Catholics especially in the South, and many adherents to Cao Dai, the local religion, see below. The officially promoted atheism of the communist era is fading away. Buddha In Vietnam In
Saigon I saw the buddha Buddha
lives on The
communists tried But
they failed A
different style But
still Buddhist thought Breakfast
Banhmi and coffee on the street Friday March 8 Breakfast
fruit Met with old friends from my foreign service days. Had lunch at a French Resturant in the French Cultural center. Food was decent. Wine was plentiful but a bit too much. Walked about went to the market headed home took a nap. Went out to Cho Long district five near Saigon University. Met
Vietnamese friends of our friends. Had a great time, winning and
dinning at a Chinese Resturant. A bit too much though. Saturday March 9 Lunch in District 2 with VC2 Met our Vietnamese friends at his house in District Two. He runs an home interior business and is a very lively man. Delightful company. Had a great lunch. For dinner had a simple dinner near our house and went to bed early. Sunday March 10 lunch at Sheraton, Dinner at hotel Equatorial On Sunday met our Vietnamese friends and some Belgium doctors for lunch at the Sheraton hotel. Their bunch is a great value. And in the evening went to dinner at Hotel Equatorial and ate a lot more. Gained too much weight with all the wine, whiskey and food. Vietnamese like to eat and drink and entertain. Like Koreans in that regard. But everything is much cheaper. Monday March 11 walking tour of downtown with friend Met my friend, Jeff, for lunch. We ate at the Five Oysters which was decent. Had Vietnamese Omelet. Then we walked all over district one seeing the sites. We
saw the Post Office, the main Cathedral, City hall, FinTech tower,
Dong Khoi street and Pasteur street and finally had dinner at the
Bing Than market street food stall before going
home. http://www.vietnam-guide.com/ho-chi-minh-city/ben-thanh-market.htm Breakfast
fruit Coffee Lady Every
morning The
owner is a pleasant middle age woman And
I wonder why It
dawned on me Or
perhaps she is found Or
perhaps it is both But
I moved today Might
go back for a final cup To
say good bye Tuesday March 12 moved, laundry We spent the day moving to another AIRBNB, doing laundry and taking it easy. Lunch and dinner in the backpacker's street. Tried Bun Cha which is a Hanoi version of Tapas. Pretty good. Discovered the Asiana Food Court. Great place to eat. We came back there several times. Lots of choices of food. Great prices, and delicious. Bought fruit for our remaining breakfasts. Mastering the Saigon Shuffle [caption id="attachment_1557" align="alignnone" width="300"] Motorbike riders waiting at intersection. Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam[/caption] When
I first visited Saigon And
now 24 years later There
is an art to crossing the street The
art consists of letting the big guys go first In
my two visits I was struck Without
a central authority Somehow
it just is 24
years after first Breakfast:
fruit, coffee Walked about Asiana Market food court Wednesday March 13 Vietnam has great art. Last time we were here we bought four pieces from an iconic Vietnamese artist who has moved on. He painted on oyster shells and his work is quite unique. We wanted to find out more about the artist but were unable to find out much about him. We went to the HCH Fine Arts museum. That is worth a trip. Great art. From Wikipedia Ho Chi Minh City Museum of Fine Arts is the major art museum of HCM City, Vietnam, and second in the country only to the Vietnam National Museum of Fine Arts in Hanoi. The
museum covers three three-floor buildings which house a collection
featuring Vietnamese art works in sculpture, oil, silk painting and
lacquer painting, as well as traditional styles including woodcut
paintings in the Hang Trang, ?g H?, and Kim Hog styles, as
well as Vietnamese ceramics and a collection of ancient Buddhist
art.[1] The first floor also includes a commercial gallery of art
works. Archaeological exhibits such as some of the country's best
Champa and Eo relics are displayed on the third floor.[2] Saigon center Walked to the Saigon Center, one of the premier shopping plazas in District 1. Not bad but overrated I think. From Wikipedia: Phase
1 of the complex was completed in 1996.[1] The phase consisted of a
25-storey building, which set a new record for the highest building
in Vietnam then at 106 metres (348 ft).[2] Saigon Centre provides over 46,000 m2 (500,000 sq ft) of office space across 10 floors in Tower 1 and 18 floors in Tower 2.[4][5] Sedona Hotels operates all 284 residential units at the complex.[6] Dinner at the market place We had dinner at the Asiana food market. Great location, great food selections. Well worth a visit. Old Lady in the Alley There
is an old Vietnamese lady But
everyone knows her To
make sure She
talks to everyone They
smile at her Reminds
me of the phrase And
she for some reason I
wonder why It
dawned on me Or
perhaps she is found Or
perhaps it is both But
in any event Cosmos's Excellent Vietnam Journeys part two week two journeysFinally figured out how to use Grab the SE Asian version of Uber. Grab bought Uber's business back in 2016 and is the region's largest ride share service. They do a lot of other things and are very aggressive. Based in Singapore. Started out as a MBA project idea in Harvard by a Malaysian student. He returned to the region, started in Malaysia moved to Singapore when the business took off. They were rumors at the time that Grab stole Uber's technology, in any event it is very similar concept except that they targeted taxi drivers rather than individual drivers and most of their drivers work for them full time. They also do the motorcycle taxis, food delivery, mobile payment services.So had a better day. We went to Binh Tay market in Cho Long District 5. A bit off the tourism path but we saw some foreign visitors. It is a sprawling complex reminding both of us of Korea back in the day. We bought our coffee and tea. When we go back we are making more Kombucha and we will add moringa to our fake coffee and my plan is to have a real cup of coffee per day and fake coffee the rest of the day. I think I can handle that.
Good
walk. We hit four of the five temples recommended and saw the edge of
the electronics market and we saw some other interesting places in
the neighborhood. https://sailingstonetravel.com/a-day-in-cholon-touring-the-smoky-pagodas-of-saigons-chinatown/ Phuoc An Hoi Quan Pagoda Thien Hua Pagoda Thien
Hau Temple (Ho Chi Minh
City) This pagoda is also known as Quan Cong and also named The Whale Temple and Quan De temple. The exterior of Nghia An Hoi Quan Pagoda is closely that of a Chinese temple. The frontage door of the temple is painted with door gods. Hoi Quan Pagoda is just like that of a Chinese temple. The pagoda is mainly well known for its enormous collection of figurines, carvings and hanging lanterns but it is especially notable for its gilded woodwork, a carved wooden boat hangs over the doorway and there is a larger-than-life illustration of Quan Cong's horse and groom to the left. The horse statue is considered holy to the devotees. People ring the bell around its neck and then crawl under it to go to the other side. They suppose that by doing this they are blessed from the horse. And you can see a big wooden statue of Quan Cong himself at the altar. Nghia An Hoi Quan is also outstanding with ceramic statues on roof tiles or carved with flowers, unicorn statues, parallel sentences, and many invaluable paintings. Such these displays are delicately carved, showing myth stories of China in Saigon to teach next generations. Moreover, Nghia An Hoi Quan is pastoral with images of daily life and colors of life for many generations of rural farmers. This pagoda celebrates with offerings to the spirits and dances staged out front on the 14th day of the first lunar month. This temple is worth the visit. Had a great massage in a Vietnamese massage parlor recommended by Korean tourists on Naver. Near Saigon center. Future VCQ Saigon
is filled with interesting characters In
a nail shop He
had wonderful English He
spoke English How
and why he learned His
Mother was also Amused
it had become the Korean They
had another shop nearby As
we left That
had wined and dined us Wonder
what this future VCQ Had spring rolls and papaya salad from a vegan Resturant. The spring rolls were great, the papaya salad not so great Breakfast
fruit Friday March 15 District 2 Tour We went to district 2 across the river in search of a place for Angela to get her hair done and for me to get a massage. We went there after a haircut in a place advertised as an old fashioned barber shop. Had a good haircut but a lousy shave. Still need to find a good barber = next trip. We found the perm place. We also discovered that District 2 is filled with rich Saigonese, expats and diplomats. It is a quiet suburban district but is soon going to be transformed as the city of Saigon has ambitions to turn District 2 and District 9 into something equivalent of Gangnam. The rest of Saigon especially districts 1, 3, 4, 5, 10 and 11 are too build up. They are building a new international airport and they building a new subway system. When the whole thing materializes by 2025 or so, Saigon will be a very different city. I hope that they don't destroy Saigon in order to save it as they have in Seoul. Gangnam in a way has lost its sense of being Korean as it could be any large city in Asia. Seoul now has two different faces - the northern part which still retains a lot of the old charm of Korea and the Southern part which is newer but perhaps lacking in having a real Korean flavor. And
I hope that they can and will incorporate lots of solar power, water
harvesting and other echo friendly solutions which are sadly lacking
in Gangnam and in Korean cities in general . We had a decent lunch in District 2, went back to Binh Thang market and the food market/court where had dim sum for dinner. District
2, Ho Chi Minh City Qu?n 2 Th?
Thi or Qu?n Th? Thi Position in HCMC's core District
2 Country Vietnam Centrally
governed city Seat
249 Luong Dinh Cua Time
zone Website www.quan2.hochiminhcity.gov.vn Map
showing the location of District 2 within metropolitan Ho Chi Minh
City Thu Thiem Tunnel In the past, District 2 was one of the poorest parts of Ho Chi Minh City due to the separation by the Saigon River from the city center. However, it is now the one of the prioritized area for investment by the government of Ho Chi Minh City. The completion of Thu Thiem Bridge in 2008 and Thu Thiem Tunnel in 2011 were expected to support the development of the Th? Thi New Urban Area. Thu Thiem Tunnel joins District 2 with District 1 (Central S G), the central area of Ho Chi Minh City. The other connection of District 2 to the central city area is the Thu Thiem Bridge, which connects District 2 and Bh Th?nh District. The transportation to District 2 will be much easier when the metro, whose route passes through District 2, comes into use. This will be the first metro in Vietnam, and it will help Ho Chi Minh City to catch up with other developed cities in the world. The
Vietnamese government is seeking to build a completely new district
for wealthy citizens as well as a new economic center. Thanh Nien and
Tu?i Tr?, two newspapers in Vietnam, describe that the new
District 2 will be as modern as Singapore and Hong Kong.[citation
needed] District 2, particularly Th?o ?i?n ward, has a large portion of Ho Chi Minh City's expatriate community, and as such has a large number of restaurants, bars and shops selling European foods, particularly the high street Xuan Thuy. Traffic has become a major problem in District 2 due to its proximity to several international schools and many residents who travel by private vehicle.[citation needed] Education[edit] District
2 is home to many international schools, partly because of the high
number of foreign residents, and also because of its proximity to
District 1. Below is a list of schools that are in this area: We will go back to district 2 for the perm on Monday and lunch and perhaps finish our touring before heading back. Breakfast
fruit Drinks: coffee, guava leaf tea, lemon passionfruit juice, wine in room Saigon Seductive,
sexy, strange Goddess
of the southern lands Dreaming
dreams of past greatness Equally
dreaming of the coming of the future Maybe
becoming the greatest city of them all Saturday March 16 National history museum, Zoo, Botanical Gardens, Lunch with friends Combined with the botanical garden, spreads out quite some distance. A bit confusing and the signs are all in Vietnamese except for the name of the animals. But none the least a pleasant enough walk. The zoo is in need of a major face lift and major renovation, it looks and feels like a zoo from the 1950's. The animals are well cared for but look bored and sad as they do in most zoo's. Some of the birds are running around outside the enclosures which I found a bit unusual. Not much options in terms of food which also surprised me. The van took you on a set course but did not stop and let you get on and off which I found annoying. All in all not quite ready for prime time. But worth a visit. Botanical Garden Combined with the zoo, might be better as a separate park - serious lack of signage or explanations throughout. The best botanical display was the orchid house but I wished it had some English signage. The dessert plants display would be better off if it were in a sealed off building to prevent rain and humidity. Same comment - not quite ready for prime time Following
is the Wikipedia entry Main gate to Saigon Zoo and Botanical Gardens The Saigon Zoo and Botanical Gardens, established in 1865, is Vietnam's largest zoo and botanical garden. Located on Nguyen Binh Khiem Street in District 1, T.P. in Ho Chi Minh City, it is home to over a hundred species of mammals, reptiles and birds, as well as many rare orchids and ornamental plants.[1] Also within the grounds is the Museum of Vietnamese History, housing some 25,000 artifacts of history, culture and ethnography of South Vietnam. The grounds also include a temple to the Hung Kings (formerly a monument to Indochinese soldiers who died for France during World War I). Other parts of the zoo are divided into animal and plant conservation areas, an orchid garden, and an amusement park. On March 23, 1864, Admiral Pierre-Paul de La Grandie, commander of French forces in Cochinchina, commissioned the building of a zoo in Saigon. Malacologist Louis Germain was named the director of the project on March 28, 1865.[2] Construction started on 12 hectares (30 acres) northeast of Thi Nghe Channel, and the zoo occupied 20 hectares (49 acres) by the end of 1865. On February 17th, 1869 the zoo opened to the public, and today the Saigon Zoo is one of the oldest continuously operating zoos in the world. The Saigon Zoo has undergone many changes over the years. In 1927, a bridge across Thi Nghe Channel was built to connect sections of the zoo. In 1985, a stone jetty was built, and electrical wiring was added to improve the zoo. In 1989 the facilities received many improvements to make the environment more suitable for its resident population. In 1990, the Saigon Zoo and Botanical Garden was recognized as a member of the South East Asian Zoos Association. In 1993, the zoo director proposed a long-term plan to improve the quality of management, housing, and care of the animals. That plan came to a close in 2003. The Saigon Zoo and Botanical Gardens is now the largest zoo and botanical garden in Vietnam. The Saigon Zoo and Botanical Garden contains 590 animals of 125 species and 1,830 trees and plants of 260 species, some of which are over 100 years old. This includes 20 species of orchid, 32 species of cactus and 34 species of bonsai. The Saigon Zoo and Botanical Garden is divided into an animal conservation area, a plant conservation area, an orchid garden and an amusement park. The botanical garden contains many species of rare and valuable plants, some of which are not native to Vietnam. There are species of cacti, ferns and plants that have been imported from Africa and America. The zoo has many kinds of mammals, reptiles, and birds such as: monkeys, giraffes, white Bengal tigers, Clouded Leopards, African lions, gibbons, turtles and snakes. Besides native animal species, there are also many exotic species, some of which are seen in Vietnam for the first time, such as: Hippopotamus amphibius, Choeropsis liberiensis, Panthera onca, Struthio camelus, Phoenicopterus ruber. There are lakes with contain different types of lotuses and a myriad of fish species. The
Saigon Zoo and Botanical Garden contains two noteworthy buildings: a
temple to the Hung Kings, originally built as a monument to
Indochinese soldiers who died for France during World War I; and the
Museum of Vietnamese History. The museum is split into two sections:
a 15 room-area displaying items from the beginning of Vietnam to
1930, and a 6 room-area displaying artifacts from the culture and
history of South Vietnam. Outside of the museum there is a large yard
that displays the weapons of France, used during Vietnam's French
colonial era. The museum also contains approximately 25,000 documents
of history, culture and ethnography. The zoo employs approximately
1,000 workers, and estimates that it attracts over two million
visitors each year. The main purpose of the Saigon Zoo and Botanical Garden is to educate the public and protect endangered animals and plants. One of many programs the zoo participates in to protect endangered species is one to breed animals in captivity, the goal being to replenish their populations. The Saigon Zoo is currently the only zoo in the world that has successfully bred crested argus pheasants in captivity. In
addition to conservation, in 1999 the zoo's conservation education
department created a plan to educate the public about how to protect
animals and plants. Each year, 3,200 students visit the zoo and
listen to an hour-long lecture and watch a 30-minute film about
animal and plant conservation. It is also a place for people from all
over the world to study the fauna and flora of Southeast
Asia. The zoo is at 2B Nguyen Binh Khiem Street, District 1, T.P. in Ho Chi Minh City. It has two gates: a main gate on Nguyen Binh Khiem Street at the corner of Le Duan Street and another on Nguyen Thi Minh Khai Street. My
Additional info: National History Museum Worth a visit. Well done. Some obligatory pro-communist propaganda here and there but not overwhelming in your face as in the War Museum and Independence palace. Museum of Vietnamese History From
Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia Location 2 Nguyen Binh Khiem Street, Ben Nghe Ward, District 1, Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam Type History museum Website baotanglichsuvn.com/trang-chu.html The Museum of Vietnamese History is located at 2 Nguyen Binh Khiem Street, Ben Nghe Ward, District 1, in Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam. Formerly known as the Mus Blanchard de la Brosse, built by Auguste Delaval in 1926, and The National Museum of Viet Nam in Sai Gon, it received its current name in 1979. It is a museum showcasing Vietnam's history with exhibits from all periods.[1] It should not be confused with the National Museum of Vietnamese History in Hanoi. The topics covered by the exhibits include the following: o
Prehistoric period
(500,000 years ago to 2879 BC). Further
reading[edit] Water Puppet Show: The national museum has a decent water puppet show. It is only 20 minutes long and gives you a taste of the real thing. There are other places in town to see real performances. I think I want to see the real thing next time. But well done nonetheless. Reminded me vaguely of Korean mask dances or kabuki theater. Very highly stylized with deep historical meaning that is hard for a casual observer to pick up on. An additional fee of 30,000 dong about 1.25 US well worth seeing. The wiki leaks article below provides a lot more detail: Pham Ngu Lao - the backpackers party street We were staying in an AIRBNB a few blocks away from Pham Ngu Lao, the famous backpacker street. So, we went there a lot, booked our two out of town tours there, changed money etc. It is a real happening scene Saturday night when they block off the street and it becomes an open air non-stop party. In some ways like the French Quarter in New Orleans, in some ways like Khaosang Road in Bangkok, in some ways like Itaewon in Seoul but done in Saigon style. We noticed a few "girly bars" here and there but nothing like in Bangkok, and we herd there are other areas for that sort of thing but that is not our scene. And some people were smoking the evil weed - we smelled it here and there. And we noticed that the scene continues on the surrounding streets as well, just not as intense. So, if you want a loud boisterous party with lots of people from all over the world including Vietnamese this is your place, if you want a more civilized quiet night life zone there are lots of other choices to be had. Here's the google listing on Saigon's Night Life Breakfast:
fruit in room boiled eggs There
are two restaurants with the same name near each other. This is the
original and better of the two. There was a dispute between partners
and they split up and operate two restaurants with the same name.
Apparently not an uncommon phenomenon, one of the massage places we
went to on the Korean recommended listing changed its name because
another place has the same name and people were confused between the
two according to the owner. Dinner
corn Down and Out in Saigon Southeast
Asia, and Mexico Why? Booze,
drugs, sex Places
to stay Easy
to disappear The
locals are somewhat tolerant I
was surprised to find In
Bangkok one sees them a lot And
south of the border In
India not so much Back
in the day The
old song comes to mind And
in the States As
it is very difficult And
the various side hustles And
teaching ESL Food
is expensive And
no one loves you Invisible
to all Much
better to be down and out Sunday March 17 Chu Chi Tunnels Lacquer Ware Factory As part of the tour we stopped off at a lacquer ware factory that employs artists injured by agent orange exposure. Funded by the Gates foundation. Had an interesting lecture on lacquer ware. Some nice pieces but did not exactly fit our needs. So we passed on buying them. Lacquer painting From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia Lacquer painting is a form of painting with lacquer which was practised in China and Japan for decoration on lacquerware, and found its way to Europe both via Persia and by direct contact with Asia. The genre was revived and developed as a distinct genre of fine art painting by Vietnamese artists in the 1930s; the genre is known in Vietnamese as "s?n m."[1] Making a lacquer painting may take several months depending on the technique used and the number of layers of lacquer. In Vietnam's s?n m lacquer painting first a black board is prepared. Then outlines in chalk are picked out in white with eggshell and clear varnish, then polished. Then the first layer of coloured lacquer is applied, usually followed by silver leaf and another layer of clear lacquer. Then several more layers of different coloured lacquers are painted by brush, with clear lacquer layers between them. In Vietnam an artist may apply up to ten layers or more of coloured and clear lacquer. In Ming China processes included up to a hundred layers. Each layer requires drying and polishing. When all layers are applied the artist polishes different parts of the painting until the preferred colours show. Fine sandpaper and a mix of charcoal powder and human hair is used to carefully reach the correct layer of each specific colour.[2] Consequently, "lacquer painting" is in part a misnomer, since the bringing out of the colours is not done in the preparatory painting but in the burnishing of the lacquer layers to reveal the desired image beneath.[3] Lacquer had been used since the Shang dynasty (1384-1111 BCE) for decoration and preservation of wooden objects. By the Han dynasty decoration had become more intricate.[4] Lacquer painting is sometimes used for decoration of wooden objects such as the traditional "Chinese candy box". Vietnam[edit] Cg
Qu?c H"Hanoi girl" 1997 Cao Dai Temple The Cao Dai temple is a must see in my opinion. The Cao Dai religion is a new religion founded in the 1920's that combines elements of Buddhism, Daoism, Confucianism, Hinduism and Catholicism. They even have a pope and bishops. It is common in the South, but not that common elsewhere in Vietnam. The temple is extraordinary. for more details see the following WIki article: Cao Dai The
Cao Dai faith All
the religions of earth Founded
in Vietnam It
seems you can't escape the past And
you will obey its teachings Chu Chi Tunnel The highlight of the trip was of course the famous Chu Chi tunnels about 50 miles from Saigon. They played a key role in the defeat of the US military and the Vietnamese are justly proud of their engineering prowess in building these tunnels. for more info see the following Wi-Ki Ghosts of Chu Chi Crawling
down the tunnels Hiding
deep under the tunnels The
Viet Kong creep out at night In
their sleep Terrified
of the mosquitos the
ghosts Through
the emergency escape tunnel Monday
March 18 return to Korea
Over all reflections Saigon 2019 vrs Saigon 1995Thinking back about how things have changed since our last trip, it struck me that Saigon reminds us both of Seoul in the late 80's as it emerged to become the world class city it is now. Same energy, same determination, same visionary desire to become a world class city. Things that have changed Fewer Scams, Safer, lots more foreign tourists Back
in 1995 Saigon was a dangerous place to visit. Lots of scams, lots of
pick pockets, lots of beggars and it was chaotic and confusing. Now
the beggars are gone, fewer pickpockets, fewer overt scams, much
friendly, lots more foreign visitors, lots more English spoken. Much
more pleasant a place to visit. Back in 1995 few motorcyclists wore helmets and traffic fatalities were widespread. Now almost every where is wearing a helmet and we did not see any traffic accidents. Bus are more widespread, as our taxis and grab (Vietnam's uber) is everywhere. Lots easier to get around. Lots more to Do There is definitely a lot more to do. Lots of places to eat, and drink. More museums, more temples, more everything. And everything is still super cheap. Backpackers ghetto Was just beginning when we last visited. Now it is a large and colorful part of the city. Much more diverse tourist crowd - lots of Aussies, Europeans, Asians, but still few Americans. Fewer Vietnam war vets - they dying off The Vietnam war veterans are beginning to die off. Because well the war ended a long time ago. But you still saw a lot of American veterans wandering the streets coming back to visit the country they first saw as military conscripts so many years ago. More English Definitely
a lot more English than before. And google translate makes it so much
easier to communicate! Back in 1995 there were few Asian tourists in Vietnam. Now they are everywhere. Koreans, Japanese and Chinese tourists are all over the place. The Vietnamese have embraced Korean culture, K Drama is very popular, as is K Pop and K food. Much more developed tourism infrastructure The
tourist industry has grown up. So many options to chose from and the
tours we went on were professionally run, informative and
inexpensive. We have so many places we want to travel next time we
come. Things that remained the same - Fascinating city, Great food, Still pretty cheap, friendly people, Traffic still chaotic What we did last time Saigon with a driver and guide We hired a driver and a guide for a private tour last time. We saw a lot of the city but never really got the hang of the place and we were rushed here and there and ate in five star restaurants when we wanted to see the city as locals would. All in all we were a bit disappointed and spent too much money. This trip was much more enjoyable. Buying Art - we bought some nice art work last time - lacquer ware paintings. We met the artist through his nephew who was staying at the same guest house that we were staying at. Touring Traditional Market We did a tour of traditional markets, probably Ben Thang market. Buying gold We bought some gold which we still have Re-unification Palace We saw the re-unification palace which was impressive War Memorial And we saw the War Memorial which was a bit too in your face for our liking. Hanoi We spent a week in Hanoi. We stayed at the at the government guest house. We were among the first independent American tourists in Vietnam as we arrived a week after the Embassy opened. We had lunch and dinner with the Consul who was a friend from the Embassy in Bangkok. We enjoyed touring old quarter the old quarter had lunch and dinner there. West Lake district was nice as well. Conclusion - Don't know why it took 25 years to return but we will definitely be back many times. And you should go if you have not been
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