vietnam

So I came into Vietnam with great expectations of cheap shopping, friendly people and with lots of money to spend. It didn’t disappoint in any way!
My first glimpse of Vietnam came at 6:30am when I awoke to watch the ship navigate its way up the winding Saigon River. The river was barely wide enough for two ships to pass and I have no idea how the captain guided our huge ship through the winding course of the river. Along the way we passed rice fields, small villages, and many lonely wooden fishing boats anchored alongside the shoreline. Although the weather was not very nice, it was cloudy and raining, it was a beautiful beginning to my time in Vietnam.
On the day we arrived, Thursday, I had an FDP on the ship at 1pm. I was really anxious to get off the ship to go to be measured for a custom tailored dress so it would be ready before we left. Customs officials had been on board since 5am so we figured the ship would be cleared early after our arrival at 8am. If we were able to leave early, I would have a chance of making it back in time for my FDP. After having my passport stamped and obtaining a landing card, we headed for the gangway. Jenna, Leah and I were the first 3 people off the ship. We headed for the shuttle bus, which was scheduled to leave every half hour. Because we were ported in the industrial port, it was about a half hour drive from the center of the city. No taxis were available so the only option was to use the shuttle. We boarded the bus at about 9:45 but it didn’t end up leaving until 10:30. This was a good indicator of how the rest of the trip was going to be in terms of the shuttle service. Continued excuses of ‘we wait til bus full’ or ‘we wait til other bus come’ delayed our departure. By the time we arrived in the center of Ho Chi Minh City (HCMC) we didn’t have much time at all. We started walking down the main street in search of a tailor. The first one we came to looked reputable so we headed inside. We showed them the pictures of the dresses we had selected and chose the fabric. They then took our measurements and we paid, before being promised the dresses would be ready on Monday morning.
While Jenna and Leah were choosing their fabrics and being measured, I hurried to a nearby market to pick out some fabrics. My mum had told me that they can replicate any clothes that you bring to them perfectly, in any fabric that you choose. I picked my favorite dress and 4 tops to have re-made. After paying about $50 for the fabric (which I am told is reasonable for 10 meters of fabric, I have no idea though) I ran back to Sinva Silk to show them the clothes. I explained to them that I wanted the exact same size and fit of the clothes, just to be made in other fabrics. I figured that even if the custom dresses didn’t turn out, they couldn’t really go wrong with replicating the garments I gave them. When we were finished, about noon, we hopped in a cab and headed back to the port. We had learned our lesson and decided not to risk using the shuttle bus!
After a quick lunch I headed to the Union to listen to Mr. Vecchi, a lawyer in Vietnam talk. The lecture was scheduled for 4 hours but I prayed it wouldn’t last that long. The only reason I stayed for more than 5 minutes was because I had to write a paper about the talk. It was the most boring thing I have ever done and I hated the fact that I could have been out spending my dollar bills instead of listening to him. Thankfully he finished at about 3pm, only two hours after he started. I headed to check my email and found an email from Hanh, a lady my mum had met when she travelled to Vietnam 2 years ago. I had planned to meet up with her and she said tonight was good for her. I emailed her back and tried to call, but in the end had to use one of the dock worker’s phones because my international cell phone didn’t work. We agreed to meet at 8pm for dinner. By this time Leah had come back from her days excursions and wanted to come, and I also invited Jenna and Liz. We hopped on the bus about 7:20 and arrived just in time. We waited a few minutes, and I was a little anxious because I didn’t know what Hanh looked like. I think my mom described her to me as ‘small’. Quite helpful ha!
Well she arrived and recognized us and said I looked just like my mum as everyone does. We got into a taxi and headed to a local restaurant outside the city center. We were the only white people there. That’s a good thing, because you know that the place is authentic! We were a little perturbed when there were pigs roasting on a barbeque at the entrance, but I was excited to try some local food. We let Hanh do all the ordering. She started by ordering a drink for me which was lemon and sugar with soda water. It was quite normal I thought, nothing like the meal that was about to arrive.
First, a platter of the roasted pork arrived. It had a nice taste but the texture was a little off-putting. It had a hard shell-like outside and was tender on the inside. Wasn’t my favorite! Next came a large sea food platter. It had a few different types of squid and some veggies, and I quite enjoyed it. The chicken plate was next, which had almost unrecognizable chicken on it. It was cut very differently from what we were used to but tasted pretty good. They had brought us a wet hand towel and by this time we realized why. The Vietnamese eat with their hands all the time. It’s not a very pretty site to watch but they sure don’t waste any food or leave any on the bone. Next was my favorite dish. Shrimp, about 6 inches long were presented, after Hanh had hand-picked the ones she wanted while they were still living. They were difficult to handle, we had to peel them and take off the legs, but were really delicious once you got in! The last thing we had was a hot pot. It is a burner with a bowl of broth on it and vegetables and raw meats. You put whatever you want into the broth and let it cook for a while then eat it like soup. I enjoyed the meat in the soup but the vegetables looked as if they had been picked from the side of the road. They had think stalks and a strong taste which I didn’t really like. As I have always been taught though, I forced it down as if I loved it so as not to disrespect our host.
After dinner I planned to meet Hanh the next day and headed back to the ship. I was surprisingly exhausted, having not done all that much!
On the second day I woke up early to head out and meet Hanh at ten. After being stuck in traffic on the dreaded shuttle, I decided to hop off and walk the rest of the way. I had no idea where we were so asked some locals until one of them could finally point to where we were on the map. My superior map reading and navigation skills, thanks to much practice in Yorkshire, South Africa and anywhere else my mother happens to be driving, I led myself and group of other students to the bus drop off point. By this time I was very late to meet Hanh and had been unable to call her because of the cell phone issue. Luckily she was still there when I arrived and I hopped onto her motorbike for some local shopping. When I mentioned that I ride a bike in Bermuda she wanted me to drive. That wouldn’t have been a good idea seeing the traffic and lack of order on the roads in Vietnam. First she took me to the post office so that I could mail some postcards. Next we headed off to her favorite shoe store. I was expecting to arrive at a store much like a market stall with millions of shoes in all shapes and sizes. I was wrong. It was much like any shoe store at home, with organized displays and many sizes in each shoe. Although the prices were a little higher than I expected, I found a pair of black sandals that I really liked, so I decided to buy them. For $25, it was much less than I would pay at home, but more than I had expected to be paying in Vietnam. After that we headed to her favorite store. The stores are like stalls on the side of the road with the clothes displayed outside. I knew I really wasn’t going to like much in there but she and the 4 store workers insisted that I try things on and told me ‘beautiful miss’ when I had them on even though half of the things were about 5 sizes too small. I didn’t want to hurt any feelings so I bought a few things. When I said I wanted to go shopping I was thinking like market style or actual stores, but it was a good experience anyway.
After this we went to a photo store so that I could get some of my pictures developed. I have taken so many so far that it would have cost me a fortune to get them all developed when I get home. I didn’t know how much it would cost but I figured it would be less than the 60 cents a print that it is at home. I had selected 500 pictures that I wanted to print. They took the two CDs I had burned the pictures onto and told me to come back in 3 hours. I was nervous about the quality and the price but figured that it couldn’t be that bad.
In the mean time we headed for lunch at Pho Hung. Pho is a Vietnamese beef noodle dish. Once again I let Hanh do the ordering because I would have chosen the most boring thing on the menu. She ordered the restaurant special. It had all types of beef in it, shaved beef, joints, and skin. I only eat the shaved beef and gave the skin to her. She loved anything with fat or skin on it. Once again there was a tray of weeds on the table to put into the soup. Knowing from experience, I gracefully declined when she tried to throw a handful into my bowl. I did add some bean sprouts though to make her feel like I liked the veggies and because I liked them. The food was delicious! The drink on the other hand was not. She ordered sam bong cuc da. I had no idea what it was but when it arrived I was quite repulsed. It was basically ice with ginseng and chrysanthemum. The flower was actually in the drink. I didn’t like the taste of it let alone the fact that I was sucking up petals through the straw. It tasted exactly how a flower smells, a taste that should not be consumed. I forced most of it down and took pictures so that people would believe me when I told them. She said I could eat the flower but I wasn’t going to go that far just to be polite.
After lunch she took me to her hotel and to see her baby Anna. The hotel was off the main streets in the back alleys. It was very small but seemed to be nice. I didn’t get to see any rooms because there were people staying in them. Anna is five months old and so cute. Hanh’s husband is a Bermudian guy who I have known since I was little. Even though I haven’t seen him in about 10 years, Anna looked exactly like how I remembered him looking. I played with her for a little while and took advantage of the internet. At 3pm we hopped back onto the motor bike and headed back to fuji film. The pictures were done and the quality was no different than normal. The price turned out to be very cheap, only 10 cents per print. The photos were very heavy but I headed to the market to do some shopping anyway.
The market is not like anything I have ever seen before. It is huge and very cluttered. They sell everything from fabric, food, fake watches, perfume, DVDs and fake clothing. Needless to say I really enjoyed this and picked up lots of things for very little money. It was very hot and cluttered and I soon became weighted down with bags so I decided to return to the ship. I decided not to do anything that night because I had to leave for my trip at 8pm the next day.
Saturday was spent mostly on a bus, but between journeys at a Cao Dai temple and at the Cu Chi tunnels. We departed at 8am. Our first stop was a local family home where rice paper was being made. Rice paper is a very thin edible film that is used to make noodles and to wrap around vegetables to form something like a spring roll. It was interesting to watch the process of cooking the batter and carefully laying it onto a wicker drying rack. It is then put in the sun to dry. After a short stay here we were back on the road. Our next stop was a ‘happy stop’. When the tour guide told us this no one knew what we were in for but we were soon aware that I was a pee break. They also sold food so I bought some Pringles (yes they are on par to be available in every country we visit). I am starting to get tired of Pringles but feel I must continue with my experiment and continue to buy them in each country.
Our next stop was lunch. We went to a local restaurant for an early lunch before visiting the Cao Dai temple nearby. The food was surprisingly good. We started with noodle soup. We were then served breaded shrimp, rice, noodles and a beef dish. I have a feeling this was not traditional Vietnamese cooking and that they had made it more ‘westernized’ so that we would be more comfortable eating it. After a very quick lunch we headed to the Great temple, the center of the Cao Dai religion and one of the most striking structures in all of Asia. It was a huge building surrounded by gates and gardens. We arrived just in time to observe the noon service. As always we took off our shoes and went upstairs to watch. Although we weren’t told anything about it, it seemed as if it consisted of a whole lot of bowing when a gong was sounded. The entire congregation wore white traditional dress and sat cross legged on the floor. The temple was very intricately designed, with paintings and architecture which didn’t seem to resemble a place of worship but reminded me more of something in a carnival. After taking pictures and observing for a few minutes we headed back out to the bus.
We were now bound for the climax of the day, the Cu Chi tunnels. For those that don’t know, these are an intricate system of tunnels which total about 200km. They would built by the Vietnamese guerillas during the American was in the 60s and 70s. We watched a short movie first to give us a bit of information on the tunnels. There are 3 levels of tunnels; the bunkers at 3 meters below ground, the second level at 6m below ground and the deepest and narrowest tunnels at 8-10 meters below ground. If you didn’t know about them, as the American soldiers didn’t, you would have no idea they were there. The entrances we often tiny hatches the size of textbooks (the Vietnamese are very small people) and are covered by leaves or camouflage. We walked through an area above the tunnels and looked at various features of the tunnels; the kitchen, hospital, weapon making area and viewed the air holes for the tunnels and the place where the soldiers shot out of. We also got to look at some of the weapons that were used against Americans. They are brutal but simple methods of torture. Next we visited the National Defense Sports Shooting Range. We were able to shoot some of the guns that were used in the war. I was very scared to do this but thought this would be a good memory for my first, and probably only time I shoot a gun. I chose an AK 47 because it was the only gun on the list I had ever heard of (I think its in a song or something). I thought it was a hand gun but when I went down into the ditch where the guns are mounted, I found out it was a rifle. I was really scared because it was very loud with other machine guns going off around me. I shot five bullets and had no idea if they went anywhere near the target because I was so scared I didn’t even aim. I kept the shells but quickly hurried back up to the safety of the souvenir shop. I’m glad I did it, but can’t really say that I enjoyed it.
Next was the part we had all been waiting for. We got to go into the tunnels. First we went into the shallowest level. The tunnels had been slightly expanded for tourists but still seemed pretty tiny to me. We had to crouch down and walk almost on all fours. We only went 20m but by that time I was petrified and my legs were hurting from bending down. I don’t know how anyone could stay in there for long, let alone live in there when the area was under attack. I now have a greater appreciation for the soldiers in the war who lived like this. Next we went on to a smaller tunnel. I wasn’t sure if I wanted to do this but figured I would regret it later if I didn’t. Coincidentally my camera died in the first tunnel so I have no proof that I actually went into the smaller one.
The only evidence I can offer are the scratches on my knees from crawling through the tunnel. This one was much longer (50m) and I was definitely ready to get out by the end. I was very dirty and tired because it was very hot down there and was thankful when we reached the end. I scrambled up the exit into fresh air. There was still one more tunnel than was smaller again. Thankfully we didn’t have time to go into this one so none of you will never know if I would have gone into it or not (although you can probably guess). I really enjoyed experiencing a little of what the guerillas experienced during the war. After washing off in the fountain we were rushed back to the bus to make sure that we made it back to the city on time. After dinner I had a good shower and settled in for a good night sleep in preparation for another early morning.
On Sunday I got up early again to prepare for my 8am excursion to the Delta. After a quick breakfast I headed to the bus. Can, the same tour guide from the day before, greeted me. We headed out for a two hour drive to the delta. Our first stop was another happy stop. This time there were a few shops there too, although I managed not to buy anything. Our next stop was a Buddhist temple. We had half an hour to look around. I took lots of pictures and browsed the gift shop. This was also the site where I used my first squatter toilet. I had been resisting since India but figured I should use one at least once! We headed back onto the bus and headed to a local market.
On the way we stopped at a rice to field to take a closer look at rice before it is harvested. It was quite interesting to see it on a plant, but more fascinating to see the women in traditional dress harvesting it. At the market I couldn’t resist and went straight to the purse store. I ended up bargaining for two bags and was late back to the bus. I was 3 minutes late but the stupid teacher took down my name, which I knew would mean dock time (so I couldn’t get off the ship until a certain time in Hong Kong) but it turned out later than I only got a warning.
Our next stop was where we boarded the river boats to head into the delta. We crossed the river on a fairly large wooden boat with a motor. We then disembarked and got into smaller boats with smaller motors. From here we headed to a candy making plant. They were making coconut candy. The whole process was very simple and hardly mechanized. We were able to try the different flavors before being offered some to buy. We then sat for tea. There was jasmine tea with honey and citrus juice which tasted really good. This is surprising because I usually hate hot drinks. We then reboarded the boats and headed deeper into the river tributary. When we got off the boats we got into horse drawn carriages. Now these were not at all like the ones in Bermuda. The horses were tiny and old and skinny and the carriages were simple wooden carts. I felt bad that the poor horse had to pull 6 of us and the driver. We finally arrived at the restaurant where we were to sample some local fruit before moving on for lunch. When we arrived there was a man with a large python. Although I had done the snake thing in India, I did it again. This snake was much bigger! We then sat down for tea and fruit. We tried local mango, jack fruit, grapefruit and dragon fruit. The grapefruit was my favorite but all of them were good. We then boarded small row boats to head into a narrower section of the tributary to the lunch restaurant.
We had heard in advance that we should go with the vegetarian option. I did and was sure glad that I did. The other meal was a whole dried fish with scales and all! The vegetarian meal was great. We started with spring rolls and fried dough, followed by rice and vegetable stew. The food kept coming and we ended with noodles and soup. I was very satisfied when we reboarded the large motor boats to head back across the river to the bus. On the boat they gave us coconuts with straws so we could drink the milk. I didn’t really like it though!
I was glad to get back onto the bus. We had a two hour ride back to the ship and I slept the whole way. I must say that being on the bus for long periods of time means lots of sleep but also means lots of time to look at the people who drive by on their motor bikes. I have found the people in all of the countries we have been to fascinating. I like the scenery and food too but I by far prefer to watch and talk to the people. Most of my pictures are of people when I’m trying to capture their essence!
We arrived back at the ship a little bit late, about 5:15 and I had arranged to meet with Hanh at 8pm for dinner. I did a quick change and headed out for some shopping before we had to meet. I first went to a store that was selling DVDs. They were 12000 dong each, about 75 cents. I bought way too many but don’t regret it one bit. They assured me that I could test them on the ship and bring them back the next day if they didn’t work. I bought a bunch of individual movies but also but some TV show series. I got friends, greys anatomy, private practice, the Disney collection, one tree hill, sex and the city, the OC and desperate housewives among others. I am really excited to watch them after we leave Japan and have lots of free time at sea. I then headed to the dress store to check on my dresses. I was told they were not ready but when I was leaving the seamstress arrived with them. I tried them on, and although they are not quite what I have imagined, they turned out ok. Many of the girls who got dresses made hated them. I also decided to get a suit made and shipped home. I was measured for it and chose the fabric! I think it is a good investment for the future even though I don’t plan on wearing a suit in the near future.
By this time it was almost 8pm but I wanted to run to the night market before I met Hanh. It was much like the indoor market during the day except outdoors. I didn’t buy anything and just walked back to meet Hanh. She had just arrived as I showed up and we walked to a nearby restaurant that she said was her favorite. It turned out to be excellent. We started with lotus salad! They then brought all the meats to cook at the table. Hanh ordered wild boar, squid, shrimp and vegetables. I enjoyed everything except the squid! It was very different from the steamboat we went to in Mauritius because the food was very spicy and there were different sauces to dip each thing into. It turned out to be only $18 for both of us even though we once again had tons of food. After this we went downstairs to a local ice cream store. I tell you Hanh could really eat. I was stuffed from the meal but she ordered a platter of ice cream with 10 different flavors and sauces. I tried to eat as much sherbet as I could, and to be honest it was very good, but I couldn’t manage to eat all that much!
After eating almost the whole platter we ran back to the bus to make sure that I was able to make it onto the last bus. I got back at about 11pm and played all the DVDs on my laptop. Out off all of them that I bought, only 3 didn’t work. I was quite impressed!
For the last day, I woke up early and headed back into the city at 10. I did some last minute shopping. I bought I watch I had been eying, traded the DVDs and bought a few more. I also went to a glasses store and bought some glasses. Even with the lenses, it was much cheaper to buy 3 pairs than it is to buy one pair at home. And they had way more styles to choose from! As I was walking back to the glasses store to pick them up an hour later a lady handed me a flyer for her spa. I decided to get a quick pedicure for $5. It turned out to be pretty nice, they massaged my feet and served tea. I wanted to get a massage but I didn’t have time! After picking up my glasses I returned to the ship in time for lunch before heading off on my afternoon trip to the war remnants museum.
We left at 1pm and drove out of the city to the home of a UPI photographer during the war. He talked to us all about his experiences during the war and showed us some of the photographs he had taken. He had won many awards like the Pulitzer Prize for his pictures and many were also published in American newspapers during the war. It was really interesting to get to ask him questions about how he felt being an observer in the war and to hear his personal opinion about the war. He has travelled all over the war and met many dignitaries including the Clintons. On his property was also a memorial that he had constructed dedicated to all the journalists and photographers who had died during the war. One piece in particular was a statue made out of thousands of bullets. To this day he drives an American jeep that was used during the war. I bought some of his famous photographs and got him to sign them and write the date and location they were taken. I think it’s a really good souvenir to take home, not something that everyone can buy at a store.
After leaving his home we travelled to the war remnants museum. I wasn’t really sure what to expect because we had been warned that the images were gruesome and shocking. Because we didn’t have much time I went straight into the photograph displays. Many of the images were so shocking that I will never forget them. The damage that was done to the people and the country is not something that will quickly heal, although remarkably most Vietnamese people have moved on from the war. Many of the American students said that they were ashamed to be American in that situation. I think I would feel the same way but we have to remember that the brutality went both ways and that the museum was only telling half of the story.
After our short visit we headed back to the ship. I asked to be dropped off in the city to have a last look around. I was planning on getting something to eat but quickly decided it was probably easier to just return to the ship and eat there. I had an early night and by the time I awoke on Tuesday morning we had already departed HCMC and were well on our way down the Saigon River.
I really enjoyed the time we spent in Vietnam and feel that I got to experience their local culture trough spending time with Hanh and the war photographer. I was quite a relaxing port for me, which is good considering China will be quite stressful I think. We arrive in Hong Kong tomorrow and I will spend 5 days travelling to Beijing and X’ian. Until next time… xoxo