So-So Saigon

My plan to spend four days exploring Ho Chi Minh City (formerly known as Saigon) was thwarted by my unexpectedly extended stay in Hoi An. Thus, my time in Vietnam’s largest city was reduced to just a day and a half. That turned out to be a bit of good fortune as Ho Chi Minh City was not quite my cup of tea.

Granted, my limited time restricted my explorations to just a couple of the city’s main districts and a couple of key sights which may not have provided the most rounded view of the city. Plus, HCMC’s place on the schedule of my tour of Vietnam may have also contributed as it was hard to accept the city’s urban chaos compared to the last ten days spent amid Hoi An’s rural wonders and Hanoi’s old world grandeur. But, I did make a concerted effort to explore a rather extensive amount of the city’s most well-trodden areas to give me a good enough sense to confidently form an opinion of it.

Unfortunately, most of that opinion is not overly positive. HCMC is congested, dirty, polluted, noisy, confusing, smoggy, overcrowded, overwhelming and chaotic. It smells too. Homes, store fronts and just about everything else are jammed tightly into narrow, unsightly streets adorned with seemingly hundreds of telephone and electrical wires hanging haphazardly from rickety poles. The streets are packed with swift moving motorbikes with obvious contempt for pedestrian obstacles. It would be a bit overstated to say the streets are laid out in anything resembling a grid and attractive, tree-lined avenues seem to be a monopoly reserved solely for Saigon’s capital neighbor to the north, Hanoi.

From Ho Chi Minh C...

Even the people, usually the redeeming quality to any location I’ve found not to my liking, seemed a bit disgruntled and irritable. Not that they don’t have good cause to be so. Having been on essentially the losing end of a civil war (i.e. the Vietnam War), the people of South Vietnam evidently still endure some prejudices and hardships from their northerly brethren as a residual effect of the war’s ultimate outcome. While that seems to be fading for the most part after a couple of generations separation from that turbulent period, that could be the cause for the slight cynicism I sensed in HCMC.

Time constraints and cynical citizens aside, I still found more than a few things to do and explore during my thirty-six or so hours in HCMC. Most of it revolved around the city’s District 1, still known as Saigon, which serves as the main tourist area. It’s centered around Dong Khoi road which is built up in a slightly more attractive manner than the other districts of central HCMC. It contains a shady lane or two with a couple of outdoor cafes and restaurants, doing it’s best to provide an attractive oasis for foreigners and locals alike. The area is also home to a couple of upscale department stores that seem slightly out of place compared to the rest of the city, but seem to do a moderate business nonetheless. A couple of holdovers from Vietnam’s turn as a French colony also provided some noteworthy attractions. The attractive Notre Dame Cathedral sits smack in the middle of a section of Dong Khoi road and the equally attractive Post Office is just across the street, both constructed in a classic French colonial style.




The two main sights where I spent the most time, however, related to the Vietnam War (known to the Vietnamese as the American War). The Reunification Palace and War Remnant’s Museum are a couple of HCMC’s main attractions. Luckily, they seem to be among a dwindling number of war-related attractions around the country as our two countries resumed conciliatory relations well over a decade ago. But, I was intrigued to see a bit of history on display and perhaps glean some insight into how the Vietnamese view the war decades later. I’ll also admit I did so with a slight bit of apprehension as to what that might turn up.

The Reunification Palace has gone under a couple of names that seem to match it’s equal number of edifices. The site was originally home to a French built palace that housed the French governor who ruled the colony then known as Indochina which comprised Vietnam, Laos and Cambodia at the time. When the French left, the new prime minister of South Vietnam claimed the palace, but when he was assassinated about ten years later (1962), the palace was leveled. In it’s place arose the current building which looks more like a 1960’s corporate headquarters than it does a palace. It was called Independence Palace, a moniker meant as much for independence from the North (and communism) as from the French. It was (in)famously captured by the North on April 30, 1975 - better know as the Fall of Saigon - amd thereafter called Reunification Palace.






A tour of the palace is interesting enough although not entirely remarkable. I whisked through three floors of presidential offices, meeting rooms, conference rooms, dining rooms and even a gambling room. Perhaps the most interesting part of the tour I found was the well-preserved sixties-era design and furniture that served to provide an eerie feel of being back in the sixties in the middle of the war. Enhancing that feeling were the more interesting finds in the basement and on the roof terrace. The roof sported its own U.S.-built Huey helicopter - which I find to be one of the war's emblematic icons - which the North‘s conquering president used to fly around the country post-war. The basement consisted of what was essentially a war bunker complete with multiple war rooms with large maps on the walls depicting which territories belonged to which side and indicating strategic initiatives. Leading from the main war rooms was a dark, dank, ominous hallway that stretched the length of the palace and was packed with tiny rooms dedicated to every imaginable form of communication from high-frequency radio to field radios to tele-type. It’s a far cry, I would imagine, to what’s likely located below the U.S. White House, but it was still very intriguing to get a glimpse into anything of a remotely similar nature in a former presidential residence.






Back outside was a display of a couple of Russian made tanks which were key parts of the Viet Cong arsenal in its efforts against the South Vietnamese and United States. From the front steps, the way the display tanks are positioned, it was easy to imagine similar tanks crashing through the palace gates in late April forty-one years ago as the North raced into Saigon to claim ultimate victory. I’d be willing to bet that’s not a coincidence.



Reunification Palace served mostly as a place of interest for its role as a headquarters for the South and was for the most part devoid of anything referencing the actual battles of the war. The War Remnants Museum, however, was significantly less restrained in that regard as the very name might indicate. The museum is meant to depict the ravages of war and oppression that Vietnam has endured over the last century or so. While it makes a faint effort to loop France and South Vietnam’s first prime minister (Ngo Dinh Diem), who the North evidently views as a vile dictator - my own knowledge of the subject, from either perspective, is non-existent- the vast majority of the museum focuses on the Vietnam (American) War. In fact, it could almost be called the American War Remnants Museum because it’s almost entirely made up of exhibits - including a display of war planes, machinery and weaponry made up solely of captured U.S. Army items -depicting the United States’ role in the war with not so subtle inferences to America essentially being a diabolical perpetrator of a multitude of egregious wrongs against Vietnam.





I reminded myself that I was in Vietnam, home to essentially the winning side, and I understood that the war would likely be portrayed in manner different from what I'd long experienced stateside. But, it was done in such a heavy-handed way that it seemed to erode a bit of the impact from the otherwise captivating displays. It also made the tour a bit disconcerting and uneasy, but perhaps rightly so. Also likely was that my own patriotism was silently rising as a shield attempting to deflect criticism as I made my way through the museum.

But, one exhibit did serve to leave a resounding impact regardless of any overall bias. ‘Requiem’, as the exhibit was called, was a collection of starling, often unnerving, photographs and news articles that showcased the devastating effects of the multitude of guns, grenades, mines and bombs on innocent bystanders. In particular, the exhibit gave significant focus to the effects of napalm and phosphorous on soldiers and citizens alike. The subjects of the collection of disturbing images were those who had lost limbs, been disfigured or burned, or suffered birth defects due to their parents exposure to substances like napalm and phosphorous when military ordinance found its way into the path of those caught in the middle of a brutal war. It was a glaring reminder that war is a losing proposition for all involved.

Most of a day spent touring through monuments to war certainly didn’t serve to bolster my feelings about HCMC. But, perhaps its that very war that’s affected HCMC more than any other city in Vietnam and it’s just trying to get by as best it’s can as it digs out from its past. Still, one would hope that as Vietnam begins to embrace economic reform and seeks to revive its stagnant economy that HCMC will begin to transform its self from the seedy, chaotic metropolis that it is today into Vietnam’s most vibrant, alluring city which it certainly could, for all it foibles, be capable of doing. It would be good not only for visiting tourists, but maybe even more so for the locals who inhabit its chaotic confines on a daily basis.

HO CHI MINH CITY PHOTO ALBUM (click photo):

Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon) '07

Tailor-Made

My second stop on my tour through Vietnam took me to the middle of the country along the eastern coastline to the small city of Hoi An. For a small city it has a lot to offer, with an attractive central town featuring a dearth of cheap tailor-made clothes makers and great art galleries, an undiscovered gem of a beach close by and a collection of ancient temples just an hour away at My Son.

For all the attractions that Hoi An and the surrounding area had to offer, I had plenty of time to explore them as the Tet holiday left all modes of transportation booked solid. The first flight I could find out of Hoi An left two days later than I’d planned, leaving me five days to thoroughly check them out. Plus, after four months of traveling with the same limited wardrobe, I was in the market for some new clothes anyway.

To get to Hoi An, you fly into Da Nang which is about 25 miles north. It makes for an interesting introduction as you pass the remnants of the massive former U.S. Air Force and Army bases, including the famous China Beach, that still occupy their long-deserted parcels thirty some years after the Vietnam War(American War to the Vietnamese) ended. It’s a quick reminder that traveling freely around the stunningly beautiful country is still a somewhat new opportunity having just opened it‘s borders to foreigners just over a decade ago. It’s a realization that was not lost on me as I thought about my father’s own ‘visit’ to this same country some forty years ago under much different circumstances. A quick reminder that the ability to take a trip such as the one I'm doing is indeed a privilege.

From Hoi An '07

But, once you get to Hoi An, memories of more troubled times fade away. Hoi An could be mistaken for a large village as much as it could for a town. Riding a bike from one end to the other takes all of ten minutes and walking maybe twenty-five. But, it exudes a certain relaxed charm that makes it instantly likeable and seems even a bit bigger than it’s diminutive borders might indicate. It’s a town that seems a piece of classic Southeast Asia seems pulled right from the pages of a National Geographic issue. It's picturesque dirt and cobblestone streets are lined with yellow-hued, low slung store fronts and restaurants. The south end of town is bordered by a river which provides waterfront dining on each side, although the north side seems more geared towards tourists while the south is more for locals.




While the multitude of stores offering tailor-made clothing services (about one out of every two stores) could pass for Vietnam’s version of rampant commercialism, Hoi An is devoid of anything except locally owned businesses including its hotels which makes for a refreshing departure from other destinations - not that rampant commercialism and familiar brands are unwelcome on other occassions. Interspersed with the clothing stores are a number of proprietors offering hand made, high quality art and craft work. The numerous small art galleries showcase impressive work done by local artists in vivid colors and textures sometimes using subjects native to Vietnam and sometimes more abstract, but always eye-catching. They hold more than their own against anything else I’ve seen around the world, at least in terms of art that normal people can actually afford.







What a lot of people come to Hoi An for, however, is the tailor made clothing. In just twenty-four hours you can have a complete wardrobe full of multiple suits, pants, shirts, or anything else you can dream up all for about the cost of any one of those items at a decent retail store in the U.S. You get to pick the fabrics, designs, colors, how many pockets, zips or buttons, flare or straight-leg and just about anything else you can think of to make your custom-made clothes unique.

It’s typically best to walk in with ideas ripped from the latest magazines or off the internet, but I managed to walk in sans visual aids and a near nonexistent ability to speak fashionese and the staff still figured out what it was that I was looking to get made. By the next afternoon my clothes were ready for an initial fitting after which a couple adjustments were made and two hours later I walked out the door with a new shirt and pants that fit just right for all of thirty bucks. Had I had more room in my already over packed bag, I would’ve opted to have a couple of custom-tailored suits made for all of about eighty dollars each. If you ever find yourself in Vietnam and near Hoi An, it’s well worth spending a couple days to revamp your wardrobe.

The nearby Cu Cai beach does it’s best to attract visitors for reasons that rather inspire shedding clothes versus donning a wardrobe of new ones. Cu Cai is just a couple miles outside of Hoi An and its an attractive ride even just getting out to the beach. That trip is usually made via pedal bike or motorbike along a road that meanders along a river lined with rice fields and coconut trees. The beach itself is refreshingly still mostly undiscovered and untainted, as it seems to have yet avoided making it onto most traveler’s must-see lists although it seems to be increasingly popular with domestic visitors. But, it’s pleasant sandy beach fronting the South China Sea and a small forest of palm trees as its background seem to make it ripe for one day being mentioned in the same breath as Phuket or Bali. Regardless of Cu Cai’s potential future it was great to find this hidden gem before most of the rest of the world and spend the better part of a day walking its unspoiled beaches.




For my last day in Hoi An, I decided to put away the present day luxuries of tailor made clothing and basking in the sun and actually take in some history. About an hour’s bus ride southwest of Hoi An is a modest site of ancient temple ruins, called My Son. The temples were built centuries ago by the Cham people who once inhabited the area. It’s one of Vietnam’s UNESCO World Heritage Site’s that houses a series of small, connected temple complexes that were lost for hundreds of years, covered over by dense forest after the Cham people died out.

But, the ruins were finally re-discovered and remain preserved mostly in the state in which they were found although much of the brush that covered the temples has been removed. The temples are built entirely of bricks fashioned from the ground on which they stand and bonded together with a natural tree resin that the Cham people discovered and used frequently centuries before mortar or cement fulfilled the same role. They are not the most remarkable set of ruins I’ve ever laid eyes on, but they do make for interesting exploring.

Adding to the interest is the fact that they served as a hiding place for Viet Cong during the Vietnam War and two of the complexes were mostly destroyed by American bombing campaigns done to flush out the VC from the area. Although, the American Army evidently had no idea at the time that the temples existed and have since paid a sizeable sum to fund the restoration of the remaining complexes.

The nice part of the basic nature of the temples is that you are allowed to walk into any of them and see them as they were centuries ago untouched by restoration efforts for the most part. Inside are sacrificial alters, stone carvings honoring the various Cham gods and other carvings depicting sacred scenes and animals. Almost as interesting is the setting in which the temples are set - an overgrown forest of dense, leafy trees and ivy-like underbrush surrounded by similarly covered mountains nearby. It very much fit the picture of Vietnam I had in my head from every movie, magazine or other image I’ve seen about the country’s landscape in my lifetime.







So, after touching up my tan, refreshing my wardrobe a bit and checking out an interesting bit of history, I finally took my leave of the pleasant town of Hoi An and headed south to Saigon. But, my five days were time well spent as Hoi An let me immerse myself in a more natural slice of life in Vietnam’s rural countryside to see how most of the millions of Vietnamese citizens live daily life. It’s certainly one of the most naturally beautiful areas of the world I’ve found. One day maybe everyone else will discover this little slice of quintessential Vietnam and Southeast Asia. But, for now I’ll try to keep it my little secret.

HOI AN PHOTO ALBUM (click photo):

Hoi An '07

MY SON PHOTO ALBUM (click photo):

My Son '07

A Hobbling Happy New Year In Hanoi

From Hanoi '07

Hanoi was one of those places that barely found the edges of my radar screen prior to embarking on this trip. This was mostly due to the numerous other cities I prioritized before it and the lack of research I did on the city due to such prioritization. I originally viewed Hanoi as a launching point to visit the nearby natural wonders of Ha Long Bay, figuring I’d at least check out the city while I was in the area. I figured even a brief exploration would provide fodder for comparison to the larger Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon) that I'd be visiting a few weeks later.

Thus, I arrived in Hanoi with few expectations. Four days later I departed Hanoi having found it to be one of my favorite cities in all my travels. My affection for Hanoi could be in part to the unknowingly auspicious occasion of my arrival. I set foot in Hanoi, and Vietnam for that matter, on the eve of the country’s biggest national holiday, Tet New Year. Tet is an age old celebration of the lunar new year, an occasion more commonly associated globally with Chinese celebrations. In fact, the day I arrived kicked off a solid week’s worth of celebration that had most local businesses closed for the duration as everyone dispersed around the country to visit friends and relatives. The effect of the all those people traveling at once is something that would come to affect me at my next stop in Hoi An.

The pending celebrations provided an ideal introduction to the country’s national capital. Before I was made aware of what was going on by the staff at my hotel, I sensed the city was unusually abuzz, which was further illustrated by the numerous stages and decorations set up at various points around the central hub of the city for concerts, acrobatic performances, parties and fireworks. However, the celebrations would not begin until after sunset which left me ample time to explore Hanoi.








The city’s epicenter is the picturesque Hoan Kiem Lake that’s encircled by a thin band of tree-lined parks. The lake’s attractiveness and simple surroundings coupled with the decided lack of any buildings over five stories - Hanoi boasts one ’skyscraper’ at a whopping twenty stories - contributes significantly to the unexpectedly old world feel of Hanoi. That old worldliness is enhanced by the city’s engaging French Quarter lined with most of Hanoi’s best hotels, shopping outlets and restaurants along wide, airy, tree-lined streets that seem almost ripped right out of Europe some fifty years ago. The sidewalk cafes and restaurants that fill the area and provide excellent atmosphere and sensational food at absurdly low prices - even for the most high end spots - add to the European-esque allure.










Hanoi’s Old Quarter, north of the lake, is a definite departure from the quaint French Quarter to it’s south, yet no less engaging. Replacing the French Quarter’s wide, airy streets are the tight, narrow ones of the Old Quarter which are packed with ramshackle storefronts and narrow tube homes built just 6ft-10ft wide, but typically 30ft-50ft back. The odd shaped housing is thanks to an old French-influenced tax scheme where homeowners were taxed on their street frontage instead of square feet/meters. Those homes and business remain long after the tax plan was abandoned and make for a densely packed, energetic area that provides a glimpse of the everyday life of most Vietnamese living in their capital city.







Regardless of the area of town or width, the streets themselves provide their own spectacle. Motorbikes are the main mode of transportation in Hanoi - more by need and affordability than perhaps preference - by a wide margin. Automobiles are reserved for tourist taxis or the rich and are found only infrequently. In fact most motorbikes serve as the family car and its not uncommon to see a family of four crowded onto one bike on their way to dinner or the market.

But, the better maneuverability of motorbikes seems perfectly suited for Vietnam’s roads which are among the most chaotic I’ve ever experienced. The only rule that applies on the roads of Vietnam is every man for himself. Motorbikes, cars, buses and trucks all swerve from one side of the road to another, including the oncoming lanes, with accidents narrowly avoided nearly every second as each driver uses every available inch of space to advance their own journey. The horn is seemingly the most important feature on any vehicle as it‘s used with migraine-inducing frequency to announce one‘s presence and demand that slower parties remove themselves from impeding the progress of faster drivers. Intersections are particularly hair raising as few include stop lights or stop signs and drivers fly through from every direction with seemingly little thought for crossing traffic.





Even crossing the street as a pedestrian in the middle of Hanoi is an ’at your own risk’ proposition. Pedestrians are an afterthought to anyone moving through the city on two or four wheels. My first attempt at crossing a Hanoi street happened to be on the widest and busiest street in the city, at rush hour no less. I spent a couple of minutes observing the sea of motorbikes constantly streaming past, as well as other pedestrians who managed to successfully complete their own crossings. Then, I stepped into the street and began to wade through the onslaught of exhaust-spewing motorbikes, picking my way step by step until I finally managed to reach the other side more or less unscathed. I got used to it after a few attempts and eventually strode through the tides of motorbikes with increasing confidence. But, whether a pedestrian or passenger, Vietnam traffic is not for the faint of heart.

Street-crossing obstacles aside, Hanoi’s small layout makes it an easily walkable city, the majority of which can be covered in less than a day. So, as nightfall came I’d managed to nearly complete my initial tour of the city and headed back to my hotel to prepare for the night’s exciting festivities. Much like NYC on New Year’s Eve, I noticed crowds beginning to pack the streets around the lake in anticipation of the fireworks extravaganza to be unleashed a few hours later. Signs and decorations began to glow as the daylight faded and stages began to show signs of coming to life.

But, on the way back to my hotel while scuttling across the street to avoid the oncoming surge of motorbikes, I felt a 'pop' in my right calf. I was suddenly rendered unable to walk, a fact that significantly infringed on my plans to celebrate the Tet New Year with the throng that night. I hailed a cab and returned to my hotel to evaluate my options for the evening.

As luck would have it, my hotel decided to host a New Year‘s Eve party for guests on it‘s roof deck. With the hotel just a block from the lake, it provided the perfect proximity from which to view the fireworks. What’s more, they were providing free food and drinks, including celebratory champagne. So, about twenty minutes before midnight, I hobbled up the stairs to the roof only to find out that I was the only guest to take them up on their party.

But, hanging out with four Vietnamese men on the roof of my hotel, as their most beloved holiday kicked off with an impressive display of fireworks, turned out to be one of the more memorable experiences I’ve had. Within just twelve hours of arriving in the country, I got a unique opportunity to experience a small slice of Vietnamese life. As the clock struck midnight, I joined in the toast for a prosperous New Year, which each man equally wished me as much as each other. I watched as the men exchanged excited smiles and wide eyes as the fireworks show thundered to life in the sky. They regularly turned to me to make sure I wasn't missing the best ones. About three quarters of the way into the fireworks, I even noticed as the excitement gave way to a quiet, almost introspective reflection and sense of happiness for the start of the new year as evidenced by the satisfied smile on each face.





As the fireworks died down, we did our best to make conversation, in their broken English and my lack of any Vietnamese. We traded tidbits about ourselves and life in our respective countries, about the weather - a conversational element that seems iniversal! - and our work lives. When I made to leave, having felt I’d stayed my welcome, they insisted I stay for another glass of wine eager to share their holiday with a complete stranger. Two more defeated intentions to leave later, I finally said a final ‘thank you’ and ‘goodnight’ which was met with a series of hearty handshakes and well wishes for a happy, healthy new year.

I spent a few more days in Hanoi relishing in the Tet New Year’s festivities that enlivened the city as well as it‘s day-to-day natural charm. I even made it out to Ha Long Bay which had been the initial reason for my stop in Hanoi. While Ha Long Bay turned out to as naturally stunning and interesting as expected, it ended up being upstaged by my visit to the unexpectedly alluring Hanoi. Perhaps a few glasses of wine, some fireworks, and four men going out of their way to be overly hospitable to a complete stranger on their most cherished national holiday had something to do with that.

HANOI PHOTO ALBUM (click on the photo):

Hanoi '07

HA LONG BAY PHOTO ALBUM (click on the photo):

Ha Long Bay '07