Vietnam!
Heading to Ho Chi Minh City in South Vietnam, which was called “Saigon” before the North Vietnamese renamed it after they took over the South in the Vietnam War, I once again failed to do my research on the currency in this country. I went to the ATM because I had nothing to exchange into Vietnamese Dong and proceeded to cash out 2 MILLION vnd, which equaled around $125. Getting in a taxi in HCM City was the most dangerous thing that I might have ever done in my life to date! I thought the driving was bad in Jakarta … this was FAR worse. In a city of 8 million people, there are 4 million motor bikes and only 300,000 vehicles. It was crazy – honking is something they do virtually the entire time they drive – forget taking a nap on the ride! My taxi driver’s horn was so used that it sounded like it a dying cat. Unreal … the pollution in city is overwhelming with all the motor bikes – most people wear masks over their faces to breathe better and keep the dust out as much as possible.
As I was kept awake by my horn-happy taxi driver, I saw a great buzz around the city – it seemed as if they were preparing for some type of big festival. Vietnamese flags were everywhere and there were stages being constructed and people planting flowers; I thought “lucky me, I have managed to pick a week to come to Vietnam where there will be special things for me to see beyond even the normal activities of the every day." With that said, I never have quite received the type of welcome to any place like the one I was given when I arrived in Vietnam to my hotel! I was checking in at the front desk and as I am looking around soaking up the atmosphere, the outfits, the musicians in the lobby, I politely asked the lady, “So, what is the festival for?” She grins from ear to ear and replies back, “Freedom!” A bit confused, I asked her back, “From who?” … she says, “From America!” … at this point I nearly fell over. FROM AMERICA – ARE YOU KIDDING ME? Yup – they were celebrating their 30th anniversary of when Saigon fell to the North Vietnamese. Apparently, it is technically called “Liberation Day” because the U.S. pulled out of Vietnam in 1973 and for 2 more years the South Vietnamese fought the North on their own. On April 30, 1975, Saigon officially fell to the North Vietnamese and the country was all under Communist rule at that point. Trust me, seeing or being in a Communist country for the first time REALLY does open your eyes!
Sick to my stomach, I went up to my hotel room and figured I would go explore a bit Monday afternoon after getting some work done that morning. I knew there was a very big market to go to so I headed their first around noonish. On my way, I was asked time and time again if I wanted a motor bike ride – uh, not so much! Although, crossing the street was an absolute nightmare because you just had to dogde the motor bikes as you made you way about. On my way tot he market, I noticed a girl in front of me that was obviously not Vietnamese and she realized I was headed to the market as well - so we figured it would be better going in together than alone. Her name is Nina and her mother is American and her father is German; she lives/works in Berlin but was touring Vietnam for the next 3 weeks on her own - brave girl!!! Nina and I went into the market and I have never felt so claustrophobic in my entire life. There were people selling things left and right, but they would pull at you and push things in your face as you walked along – desperate for you to buy anything. There was a food market there as well and Nina hadn’t had lunch, so we sat down for a quick bite to eat. Now, I have been in heat before – I have been in 100% humidity before (obviously living in Houston and New Orleans both) – but I have to say, this was a type of humidity/heat that I have NEVER experienced and am not sure I can quite describe adequately. It was the type of humidity where you are just sitting there and every few seconds, you are wiping down your face and your clothes are soaked. It is not like drips of sweat exactly but just absolute wetness – good detoxifier I guess! Nina and I headed out and about to walk the city. I saw 2 Catholic Cathedrals, to my surprise, and a Buddhist temple. The temple was very intriguing - very ornate and was two stories high. After touring the temple and about 4-5 hours of walking through the city, Nina and I headed back to our hotels and agreed to meet up for dinner Tuesday night. One thing that surprised me was to see that lots of things are still referred to with the “Saigon” name. I’d have thought the government would have gotten rid of all references to the old title of the city but apparently not.
As I was kept awake by my horn-happy taxi driver, I saw a great buzz around the city – it seemed as if they were preparing for some type of big festival. Vietnamese flags were everywhere and there were stages being constructed and people planting flowers; I thought “lucky me, I have managed to pick a week to come to Vietnam where there will be special things for me to see beyond even the normal activities of the every day." With that said, I never have quite received the type of welcome to any place like the one I was given when I arrived in Vietnam to my hotel! I was checking in at the front desk and as I am looking around soaking up the atmosphere, the outfits, the musicians in the lobby, I politely asked the lady, “So, what is the festival for?” She grins from ear to ear and replies back, “Freedom!” A bit confused, I asked her back, “From who?” … she says, “From America!” … at this point I nearly fell over. FROM AMERICA – ARE YOU KIDDING ME? Yup – they were celebrating their 30th anniversary of when Saigon fell to the North Vietnamese. Apparently, it is technically called “Liberation Day” because the U.S. pulled out of Vietnam in 1973 and for 2 more years the South Vietnamese fought the North on their own. On April 30, 1975, Saigon officially fell to the North Vietnamese and the country was all under Communist rule at that point. Trust me, seeing or being in a Communist country for the first time REALLY does open your eyes!
Sick to my stomach, I went up to my hotel room and figured I would go explore a bit Monday afternoon after getting some work done that morning. I knew there was a very big market to go to so I headed their first around noonish. On my way, I was asked time and time again if I wanted a motor bike ride – uh, not so much! Although, crossing the street was an absolute nightmare because you just had to dogde the motor bikes as you made you way about. On my way tot he market, I noticed a girl in front of me that was obviously not Vietnamese and she realized I was headed to the market as well - so we figured it would be better going in together than alone. Her name is Nina and her mother is American and her father is German; she lives/works in Berlin but was touring Vietnam for the next 3 weeks on her own - brave girl!!! Nina and I went into the market and I have never felt so claustrophobic in my entire life. There were people selling things left and right, but they would pull at you and push things in your face as you walked along – desperate for you to buy anything. There was a food market there as well and Nina hadn’t had lunch, so we sat down for a quick bite to eat. Now, I have been in heat before – I have been in 100% humidity before (obviously living in Houston and New Orleans both) – but I have to say, this was a type of humidity/heat that I have NEVER experienced and am not sure I can quite describe adequately. It was the type of humidity where you are just sitting there and every few seconds, you are wiping down your face and your clothes are soaked. It is not like drips of sweat exactly but just absolute wetness – good detoxifier I guess! Nina and I headed out and about to walk the city. I saw 2 Catholic Cathedrals, to my surprise, and a Buddhist temple. The temple was very intriguing - very ornate and was two stories high. After touring the temple and about 4-5 hours of walking through the city, Nina and I headed back to our hotels and agreed to meet up for dinner Tuesday night. One thing that surprised me was to see that lots of things are still referred to with the “Saigon” name. I’d have thought the government would have gotten rid of all references to the old title of the city but apparently not.
posted by Keely @ 3:49 PM
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