Ho Chi Minh City

Vietnam’s commercial centre. This city on first impression was like no other in Vietnam. And after we left, that conclusion still holds. Full of food, culture and vibrancy.

It was a long and short 22 hour bus ride from Hanoi. Long because the bus arrived three hours late. Short because the bus arrived three hours earlier than expected. A wash.

Our main purpose for being in HCMC was that of food. Our first stop was a world famous bahn mi joint (Bahn Mi Huynh Hoa). Turns out we don’t like southern style bahn mi. Too much processed meat. We then went to another restaurant for redemption, ordering bun thit nuong (vermicelli bowls, or how I refer to it and how it will be referred to here on out, “The Dish.”). We stuffed ourselves, went back to the hostel, and had a nap.

Waking up it was dark outside, but that was when the city came to life. It’s too hot during the day for a lot of activity (35C), so instead it occurs at night. We took a nice walk to a night food market for another run of The Dish. This one was very good. Good crispy spring rolls, a flavorful pork on the side, and a nice sauce for the noodles. We spent our time observing all the other tourists checking it out. Drinks were flowing, and it was a nice atmosphere to be a part of.

There’s apparently more exciting night atmosphere to be a part of though, and that is Bui Vanh street. This notorious club avenue is where all the tourists go to party, and due to a tourists feature of temporary (or permanent) joblessness, there’s a party every night. We took a stroll down the road soaking in the sights.

Massive neon signs on either side of the road from competing clubs for two blocks. Each club with their own version of Vietnamese dance music and depressed looking half naked people dancing on tables to entice the passerby in. We arrived somewhat early for the night, and the only full bar was the sports bar with a live band playing Fleetwood Mac.

We then passed through a massive courtyard full of bunched flowers. These were in storage essentially, in preparation for Tet (Lunar New Year). It’s clear from this that whatever was coming for Tet was going to be floral and beautiful. We then called it a night.

New morning! New restaurant for The Dish! Cam ordered some sort of rice paper deconstruction dish trying to get betel leaf wrapped pork. Confused about how to eat dry rice paper without water, she didn’t make it very far, and left half of the meal on the plate after admitting defeat. The Dish was quite good otherwise. It was a Michelin recommended.

It would be a heavier morning for us. Our first stop was the War Remnants Museum, which displays the atrocities of the American War (Vietnam War). We started with the section on the prisons, and got to see tiger cages (barbed wire cages that were too short to lay down in, and too short to sit up in. There would be more than one poisoner in a cage at a time too. The conditions were inhumane, the torture was terrible, and the stories of self disembowelment as a form of protest were as courageous as they were grotesque. It was a very sobering introduction to what would be a couple more hours of honest tales of patriotism, perseverance, senselessness and unnecessary destruction.

We moved through rooms highlighting different aspects of the destruction of war. The lasting effects of Agent Orange, which is still creating birth defects in children four generations removed. Or senseless village massacres, like that of My Lai, where an infantry unit killed an entire village of unarmed civilians. The torture methods used on political prisoners, like the continuous amputations of ones legs. The hits just kept coming, and we left the museum with an extreme distaste for needless military destruction. And a distaste for food. We felt like throwing up.

The next attraction was the central palace. This was the presidential building for South Vietnam, for the short time that it was a country. The interior was dressed for show, with information tablets displaying the purposes of each room, and the eventual surrender of South Vietnam to North Vietnam due to Northam Vietnamese tanks parking themselves on the front lawn.

The grounds were full of Vietnamese people dressed in formal wear getting photoshoot pictures taken with their friends. Tet was near approaching, and we think its a formality to get new photos done for the holiday. The grounds were a great place to do it too. Well manicured lawns with gardens everywhere gave a variety of backgrounds to choose from The palace is a gorgeous building as well.

With our appetites regained, we headed to the night market which was a day market at the time, and got another round of The Dish. It was then time to siesta until the night.

The evening started with another walk to a restaurant, for once again, The Dish! This one wasn’t as great as all the others, but was still good. We then took a long walk down a main street to see what the night had to offer us.

We first stumbled onto a bunch of kids stake boarding around a yet to be opened metro station. They were using the motorbike blockades on the sidewalks to grind. It was a nice vibe, but across the street looked better.

There was a Tet fair. Many vendors selling all sorts of goodies, whether it be clothing, trinkets, or food. The star of the show was in the middle. Some sort of talent show/ singer showcase was happening. There was a backing band consisting of a bassist, guitarist, drummer on a drum pad, and keyboard. Then singers would rotate, performing two songs each. We watched at least five take the stage, before three did a tri-et to end the show.

The singers in Vietnam are really really good. With such a karaoke culture, its no wonder. Each one of the singers we saw were very talented in their range, voice control and projection. The songs were mostly Vietnamese though there were a couple English ones. Our favorite was a cover of Frankie Valli’s Can’t Take My Eye’s Off You.

We must have been at the show for an hour before it ended, then continued our walk into the night. We then came across flower street, which had yet to open for Tet. A large walking boulevard had been transformed with flowers and dragons to celebrate the new year. We took some pictures, and then headed home for the night.

Our next morning was set for another rendition of The Dish after sleeping in. We then crossed town for some South Vietnam Pho. This is the stuff we get at home, near exactly. Comes with all the bean sprouts and herbs and everything. Really really good.

While walking around the town between restaurants, we came across another Tet fair in the park. Inside there was all sorts of colorful and floral decorations, alongside numerous showcases. There were some terrariums. Some open air landscape showcases. Flower arrangements. A Ferris wheel. It was all here.

It was then time for a siesta.

Drama at the hostel though. We walked in to a tourist looking all scuffed up, trading angry barbs with the hostel staff. After silently observing the ebb and flow of arguing and quiet for three hours, we ended up with what we believe to be the full story.

Our main character rented a motorbike from the hostel, using his passport as collateral instead of money. Took it for a spin, and ended up in an accident, losing some teeth, breaking two ribs, and ending up with a $1500USD medical bill. For whatever reason, he did not have travel insurance. The hostel wanted him to pay for the damage that he did to the bike. He is claiming the bike is faulty, and the emergency brake didn’t stop him in time. The hostel said that the bike was working fine, and he was driving recklessly. The bike checks had the brakes working fine after the crash. The hostel doesn’t have insurance for the bike either.

Long story short, don’t fly too close to the sun, and have insurance.

We headed out for the night again. Our first stop was this trendy looking café that we walked by the night before. We each got an iced tea, and then sat on little stools out front watching the busy road in front of us. Every second song was a Drake hit. The vibe weirdly worked really well. We spent an hour or two letting the world go by, before heading back to flower street.

But first, the book fair! In the middle of the busy road, thousands of books were piled on tables and shelves, in a massive sale. All sorts of new translated international bestselling hardcovers to local Vietnamese authors were there. Various shopkeepers were strolling around, and a massive amount of the public was browsing through. It must have gone on for four blocks or so before we arrived at flower street, where the promenade was supposed to be open.

It wasn’t open, but there was a large crowd gathered like something was going to happen. So we joined them and waited. And it didn’t take long for the show. Fireworks started appearing in the sky! The inner gates opened, and some select VIP’s got to tour the flower promenade by themselves, while we all waited on the sidelines. It was quiet, and then without much warning to us, the spectacle continued.

Then some sort of grand opening television performance. There were three different musical acts, all with their own costumes and backup dancers. Drones in the sky to capture footage for the live broadcast. TV hosts introducing everyone. The first act of three female singers seemed to to be the crowd favorite, based on the number of phones videotaping them.

The VIP’s left the promenade, and the masses were let in. We took a stroll down ourselves. Guarding the entrance of the walk were two large animatronic dragon heads. Their bodies crisscrossed overhead all the way down the promenade, as if they were jumping in and out of a concrete lake. Along either side and down the middle were colorful flower beds, lined with brick.

Every once in a while there was a photo opportunity or booth of a foreign country well wishing the new year. As we made our way down, the decoration changed as the dragon bodies became more infrequent, and individual exhibits, like a dragon head boat or lily pads took over. The whole thing was a lovely celebration of Tet that we got to enjoy, just a couple days before Vietnam rings in their new year.

We headed back to the night market for one more helping of The Dish, and with that, our Vietnam saga ends.

We’re off next door now, for another country! We will see you there when we get there.