Day 63 – Ho Chi Minh, Vietnam

Oct 30th

Diplomatic Briefing
Sara woke me up at 8AM to grab a quick bite to eat and watch the shore as we pulled into the Mekong Delta. We were completely surrounded by ships, boats and small fishing vessels, as we progressed through the muddy water. I took another nap before brunch, which was the shop’s incentive to have us sleep in. Then we headed to the Union for the diplomatic briefing by two individuals from the U.S. Consult. Lauren Suddors, a U.S. Consult officer, described the recent economic developments in Vietnam over the last 20 years. Following a “Renovation” policy in the 90s, private institutions were finally allowed to pour into the country. In 1994, the U.S. dropped all trade embargos and in 1995 we finally embraced full diplomatic relations with Vietnam. When Vietnam finally joined the WTO in 1997, it proved it could carry out huge development strides in a very short amount of time. In terms of American sentiments (despite Vietnam War or “American War” as it is called here), two factors contribute to very cordial relations: 1) most of the population is under 30 yrs old and didn’t experience the war and 2) most harbor a strong vision for the future and progress rather than resentment. Vice Carpenter, a Regional Security Officer, also explained the main security threats are not capital crimes (like murder) but traffic accidents and snatch-and-grabs. According to Vice, there are 8.5 million people in Ho Chi Minh and about 8 million motorcycles to go along. There are not always traffic lights and signs are not always obeyed, so sidewalks are not safe territory. He suggested that we just start walking into the road at a steady pace, because they will tend to drive around you.

Ben Than Market
When we finally got off the ship at 1PM (because of the tides coming up the Mekong Delta), we were shuttled to the center of town to begin our adventures. Getting off the boat was a bit chaotic, because SAS parents were trying to get on while the rest of us were trying to get off. This port/city is the equivalent of a college visiting day, since parents could book trips with SAS to see their kids and spend time traveling with them. It made me a little homesick to see all the happy families, but then I remembered I had my girls… we were in Nam! A large group of Vietnmese woman dressed in ao dai (traditional outfit) and conical hats greeted us with a maroon banner that read: “Semester at Sea, Welcome to Vietnam.” I don’t know where they came from, but they insisted we take pictures with them. The shuttle then dropped us off in front of the iconic Rex Hotel, which sits in the hub of the city, and we headed left toward the major market in town. As we ambled along, we admired the street stores that were filled with paintings, wooden crafts, silk clothing and Vietnamese books. Tiny geckos climbed the walls of the buildings and large trees offered shade from the heat, making the city feel pretty tropical. Street vendors offered a selection of fake purses, engraved lighters, designer sunglasses, tourist t-shirts and the like. Women in Vietnamese conical hats were cooking waffle shaped bread in small, iron pots. The Ben Thanh Market itself was a huge indoor warehouse with distinct sections: groceries, clothing and textiles, purses and bags, ceramics, general ‘CVS’ type things and food stalls. It was a little overwhelming just looking at the place, since the vendors carved out tiny alleys wide enough for one or two people to pass, and their goods reached way up into the sky (or so it seemed for someone as short as me). Everyone called out to us “Hello lady, you look.” It slightly reminded me of that scene in Finding Nemo with the seagulls that chatter “mine, mine” continuously. We found some very interesting things, including dried sea horses and colorful fruits I had never seen before.

Pho and the City
After experience the smells and sights of the market and a few more side streets, we meandered down a slender alley and came upon Pho 24, an inexpensive tourist friendly restaurant that served the one thing I remembered I had to eat: pho. Pho is a noodle based soup that can come with chicken, veggies or beef and is normally served at breakfast. I ordered the pho ga (chicken pho) along with a Tiger beer and settled in for a nice relaxing meal. Brit, Sara, Marg and I sampled all the sauces and vegetable ad-ins that they provided to mix into our pho, but we stayed with the traditional broth because it was delicious just the way it was.

City Tour
With full stomachs, we decided to see the People’s Committee Hall, which is a large ornate building that sits right near Rex hotel and the center of the city. Afterward we passed the City Museum to admire the huge war tankers and aircrafts that stand as a constant reminder of past Vietnamese-American relations.
While taking some action shots of the overwhelming cluster of motorbikes in the streets, it started to downpour. We hoped into the nearest shop to keep dry and low-and-behold it was Bacchus Corner, a wine and spirits store! Fabian, the owner, welcomed us in and insisted we sample some wine over cheese and crackers. While gazing outside, we knew we weren’t going anywhere soon and obliged. Once it cleared up, Sara, Marg and I parted ways with the group to walk around the Reunification Palace and Notre Dame Cathedral. The Reunification Palace has a long history within Ho Chi Minh (or formally Saigon). Originally built by the French for Indochina’s Governor-general in Saigon, the palace later changed hands to the Vietnamese Price Minister in 1954. It eventually became home to the South Vietnamese President. When Viet Cong troops entered the city in April 1975, North Vietnamese tanks crashed through the palace gates and a soldier unfurled the Viet Cong flag from an upper balcony. South Vietnamese officials were evacuated by helicopter, and the helicopter is still on display on the 3rd floor heliport. Notre Dame Cathedral was just a short walk across the tree filled park. As it got dark, the Cathedral was beautifully lit and looked impressive towering above all the commotion on the streets. While we made our way back to the ship, colorful lights adorned every restaurants and bars indicating that this city clearly does shut down at night. Before catching the shuttle bus, we found Kem Bach Bam, an outdoor ice cream parlor that sat prominently on the street corner of a busy intersection. I ordered kem long nhan (logan ice cream) because I didn’t know what it was and the fruit “logan” ended up tasting like shit. The ice cream itself was delicious though. FYI: next time order the coffee ice cream. Sara, Marg and I enjoyed the lively city for a bit before making it back to the boat to shower and meet up with the others.

Dinner and Out
Goldie, Falyn, Becca and I headed out for Vietnamese food and drinks. From the center of the city, we walked past the Ben Thanh Market to find a local park where adults were synchronized dancing to the Vietnamese version of “Under the Boardwalk,” while kids everywhere were playing hackie-sack with badminton balls. Around the park, young couples sat closely together on motorbikes watching all the action. It appears that parks are a big gathering spot for every age in Vietnam. On Pham Hgo Lao St, we found Bun Bo Hue, a traditional Hue style Vietnamese place. We split egg-fried rice, bbq pork spring rolls and beef noodle soup. It was delicious including the 5-6 sauces they brought out even if we didn’t know what they were meant for. I washed it down with the “safe” water, otherwise known as a coconut! Afterward, we found the backpackers district where expats and travelers can find happy hour and where we found Alezoo, a restaurant-bar to our liking. A few mojitos later we were on a mission to go dancing. While walking by Lily’s a few blocks down, Ryan stopped us and told us to join him in a group of fold-up lawn chairs scattered on the side-walk pavement. Ryan, an ex-Canadian and ex-journalist, is a permanent resident in Vietnam teaching English as local schools. He brought over Nikko, a self-designated, Finnish alcoholic who works for a few months as a mechanic until he can afford to booze his way through the rest of the year, and Tim, an Australian who just started teaching English in Vietnam two months ago. They bought us a round of Saigon beer and some quail eggs off a street woman. Ryan, Nikko and Tim were wonderful entertainment as they explained their views on Vietnam and the best places see in Ho Chi Minh. They also introduced us to Juan, a vibrant transvestite, who “stole” Becca away to show her his clothing shop and Halloween outfit for tomorrow. He insisted she try on his shoes, which were 4 inch-high-platform, clear-plastic and glittery stilettos! After a few hours, we thanked them for the beers, parted ways and caught a cab to Acopolpse Now, where TV screens prominently read: “Welcome all Semester at Sea students from US to Acolopse Now!” The place was absolutely overwhelmed with familiar faces and SAS students smushed together on the dance floor.

Highs and Lows
My “high” was seeing Goldie get punched in the arm by a three-year-old boy when she wouldn’t buy tissues from him. My “low” was seeing the slew of Vietnamese prostitutes at Acolopose Now with really, old white men AND seeing tons of people in the city wearing hospital masks to protect themselves from pollution (not going to lie, every time I saw one I wondered whatever happened to that SARS thing?).