Crossing the street in Ho Chi Minh City made me feel like Moses parting the sea, but this is a sea of vehicular chaos. There are 3 million motorbikes in Ho Chi Minh, and they all seemed headed straight for me every time I set foot on the curb. The Proper way to cross the street in HCMC: 1) Look both ways before crossing 2) Step on the street 3) Look both ways again 4) If there are no traffic lights and there is a continuous flow of traffic, walk at a consistent pace 5) Don’t stop if you don’t have to, but if you do, they will drive around you 6) Walk faster if they appear to be slowing down even slightly 7) Congratulations, you have made it in one piece I had some practice crossing the street in Hanoi, but it wasn’t nearly as bad as Saigon. At first it was a little frightening because there are motorbikes coming from every direction. But, after walking around the city, I started to feel more comfortable. The only scary thing is that while I was in the middle of all of that chaos, the motorbikes came so close to me I thought my foot would get run over or burnt by someone’s exhaust pipe. In Vietnam, I feel better about crossing the street when vehicles are coming at me than I would in Montreal, because in Vietnam they actually slow down.
We arrived in Ho Chi Minh/Saigon with low expectations. Most of the people we had encountered had not enjoyed the city. While waiting in line for a taxi, we ran into Gavin and Max, who had left Hoa’s before us for Nha Trang. We had been told to stay at Madame Cuc’s, but it was booked, and so we began a long and fruitless search for accommodation. Madame Cuc’s sent us to another place, but we were not impressed. After searching for at least an hour, we stayed in the place they had recommended. Our first instincts turned out to be correct. They were to incompetence as Japan is to cleanliness.
Accommodation aside,we were pleasantly surprised by the city. We were staying on the backpackers streets, and the night life was decent. It is certainly not a place to travel in order to party (though the beer is cheap), but it was much better than Hanoi. The food was also pretty good.
It is very difficult to use credit cards in Vietnam. We had not taken quite enough money out of the ATM, and did not want to incur more fees by withdrawing once again, so we went looking for a restaurant that accepts Visa. In the end, we were able to locate one, but the use of credit cards is far from ubiquitous.
On our first day we visited Reunification Palace. It is like a song put out ten years ago: not new enough to be considered modern or cool, nor old enough to be considered classic or chic. However, it is a symbol of the northern victory.I couldn’t help thinking that if Saigon (at the time) had had a stable, powerful government and military in the 1970s, Vietnam would be a first world country. We then visited a market, in which we made many purchases, owing to the friendly prices and decent selection.
On our second day, we visited the Cu Chi Tunnels. This system of tunnels is one of the main reasons that the north won the war. There are more than 250km worth of tunnels. I had much difficulty sliding into one which has been widened to accommodate tourists. The VC were not very large. Life in the tunnels must have been horrible. That said, when fighting for one’s country, it seems one can endure many hardships. It was hard to ignore the parallels between the “American War” (as it is described in Vietnam) and the wars currently being waged by the west. Sights of this nature can never be described as unbiased, but the language used here was almost amusing in its slant. For example, the Saigon government is described as the American puppet government and the words cruel invaders are used liberally. It is not hard to remember that Vietnam is a “communist” country.
We then visited the War Remnants Museum. That was quite an experience. The language there was even harsher. We learned about the victims of Agent Orange, and saw pictures of the horrible effects of this deforesting agent. We also saw the guns, bombs and grenades used in the war. The human race never ceases to design innovative and creative ways of doing harm to itself. Let us say that it was not a lighthearted visit, though it was very educational.
After spending such a long time on the beach, we decided to head to Hoi An. It is an old city which was not destroyed during any Vietnamese wars. There is one main purpose for embarking on a trip to this city, and this purpose is made of material. There are over 400 tailors in Hoi An, each wanting to make suits, dresses, or shoes for travelers willing to be separated from their cash. Many people choose to stay at China Beach rather than in Hoi An itself, making one day trip to have clothing made and a second to pick it up, but we decided that it was time to move on from Hoa's.
Armed with recommendations provided by fellow travelers, Hoa, and shop owners we met at the beach, we stepped into the custom-made minefield of shops, eager to have clothing made, but mindful of getting burned along the way. After much comparison shopping, we settled on two tailors, Sarah's Boutique and Dong Duong. I had two suits made, along with some shirts and ties. Ilana had several dresses made, one of which we designed together. Thankfully, all came out very well, and we were very happy with our purchases.
On one of our days in Hoi An, we rented a motorcycle and headed for a beach bar called Phattie's (yes, Ilana got on the back of a bike, and in the end, she did not hate it). The owner is an incredibly nice Canadian, and he and his wife run the place while putting everyone at ease with their casual demeanour. What passes for a motorcycle in Hoi An is a scooter in the eyes of most people, but the owner let me ride his own motorcycle, which is a two stroke Russian-made machine. A bar employee also let me try his, which is a proper four stroke Bonus. As I had been wanting to ride a motorcycle for several years, this was the best thing that could have happened to me in Hoi An. While I was rather shaky at first, I got used to the bikes and thoroughly enjoyed riding them. Our friends from Hoa's joined us later in the evening, and we left the bar as it closed. It was an absolutely awesome day. Thanks for reading!
We had planned to spend three days on China Beach, nearDaNang. Instead, we spent ten wonderful days on the beach. We stayed atHoa'sPlace, which is run byHoaand his family. They were incredible. He speaks perfect English, even adding a cursory curse word when drinking.
Hoa'sPlace can best be described as basic. However, it more than makes up forwhat it lacks in amenities with its charm. Every night at seven, they have a "family dinner," which most people attend. The food is edible. After dinner, everyone sits around playing poker and drinking. They have an honour system for all purchases, which involves recording your consumption in a book. They run the place marvelously, and everyone feels welcome.
The beach is simply gorgeous. Sitting on the beach, letting each grain of sand slip through my fingers, I could not imagine a better place to relax. The beach was almost deserted during the day, due to the heat, though it was packed with locals later in the afternoon. The waves were rolling onto the beach in fine form, with just the right amount of power to make swimming interesting, but not enough to make it dangerous. Even the beach chair mafia ladies were tolerable, though they were constantly attempting to charge more than the going rate for chairs and umbrellas. They walk up and down the beach offering food and drink, but were for the most part easy to ignore. The locals were very friendly, playing various ball games in the ocean, and even including me in their volleyball game.
I am so happy that I was able to see this relatively undisturbed beach, as Hoa's is located on prime real estate, and will likely be displaced by 5 star hotels in the near future. The only potential problem is the jellyfish, which are only mildly annoying.
Some Vietnamese people wake up incredibly early, and do not seem to have any regard for the beauty sleep of others. Six o'clock in the morning is not an appropriate time to be shrieking with friends and family. I suppose the silver lining of the development of the beach will be the removal of such people from the sleeping areas.
This was a great way to relax after a full two months of travel. I would highly recommend this place to anyone visiting Vietnam. Hoa and his family are the kind of people that I hope I meet more often while traveling.
