Saigon of my heart

I love Saigon. Not the frenetic, frantic feeling that I had when I first went there, but the kind of feeling that settles on you unknowingly, gradually, until one day you just realize that it is there. I love the glaring contradictions of its culture, the order beneath the chaos of its millions of motorbikes, the many faces it presents to locals and visitors, and most of all, the sweetness and innocence of its people.

 

 

A street vendor with her wares.

Back in May, I went around Saigon like crazy, frantic to absorb as much of the city as I could in five short days. However, this time, with twelve days, I tried to savor it more.

I took a lot of walks, without a map, without a plan, and without knowing how to communicate verbally aside from the elementary cảm ơn (thank you), xin loi (sorry, excuse me), xin chào (hello), and the recently-learned choyoy makwa (as it sounds like. I'm sure the correct spelling is far from it, but it is just an exclamation meaning almost anything). To my surprise (or maybe not), I never got lost, and I always found my way back to the hotel.

I took the bus and had a chance to see parts of the city that I did not when I rode taxicabs (not to mention so much cheaper). I found a sports center I could run in, and although the track oval was so small it took me 35 rounds just to run for an hour (feeling like a hamster was not fun!), it was good enough for me. I sat at sidewalk cafés and managed to order not only ca phe sau da (latte) but various com (rice) dishes as well.

Dried goods at Cho Binh Thay in Cholon.

 

I had a very kind and very sweet landlady who considered me a personal friend despite the brevity of our acquaintance. I had a good time talking to her husband about trips they have taken to France and China, and I played with their grandchildren, two toddlers who could seemingly go on and on for hours.

I went to parties where I met a lot of locals—one treated me like a close friend at first sight, and took risks to let me ride on her bike even without a helmet; and another who drunkenly challenged me to a drinking session to prove that the local vodka I brought was the real thing. I also met a viet kieu who firmly informed everyone that she was American, please, not Vietnamese, even though she was born in Vietnam to Vietnamese parents and only migrated to the US when she was already six. I also met others who, despite the language barrier, made me feel as if I were a native Saigonite, welcomed anywhere and anytime in old Saigon.

I met a lot of foreign friends too, those who congregated along Pham Ngu Lao, De Tham, and other streets in the backpacker district. There was the Dutch guy who has been traveling around the world for two years; the Filipino-Australian sporting the only cornrows I saw in Saigon; the German couple whose shaved heads raised eyebrows among the locals; the young American who could speak three languages and who looked so much like a younger Tom Cruise; the German guy who promised to bake a genuine German chocolate cake for us (I’ll take you up on it when you come here, Uli); the tall Englishman who was robbed three times in two weeks and lost his laptop, two mobile phones, and a digital camera but not his faith in Saigon; the Polish guy who came wanting to find a Vietnamese (or he said, maybe a Filipina) wife; the cute Spaniard who made me wish I could still speak Spanish beyond como se llama; and the middle-aged American chiropractor whose clients included big names in the MMA and UFC world, and who had had a vasectomy because he did not want any more children.

 

 

Some of the Couchsurfing members I met in Saigon.

All these people came to Saigon and felt its subtle yet potent power, the power that made them wish they can stay just a little bit longer.

When I went to Siem Reap to see the Angkor temples, I admit that I did not do justice to Cambodia. All I could think of was to go back to Saigon, to the comforting sight of its motorbikes, to its ca phe sau da and delicious bahn mis (sandwich), and to the people who made me feel like I was home.

I did not exactly leave my heart in Saigon, but my memories of the city and its people will always be with me.

A sweet remembrance of my stay in Saigon.

Unforgettable Saigon

I am going back to Saigon! The first time I went was in May 2009 for six days. Mostly I had meetings and consultations so I did not have enough time to go around. This time, I swear things would be better.

Saigon is a lovely city, so full of history and a people eager to please. Looking at the pictures in their War Museum, I could not help but feel admiration for this country who has managed to thwart enemy forces for over 20 years. They showed amazing creativity in making the Cu Chi tunnels, and exhibited great determination not to surrender despite massacres of innocent civilians, villages decimated, and countless women and children whose lives have been destroyed by Agent Orange.

 At the ticket booth to the Cu Chi tunnels.

A tourist tries out an entrance to the tunnels.

 A lot of enemies have fallen through this trap.   

I arrived in Saigon via Cebu Pacific at a little past midnight. Rikke, a Danish volunteer, told me she would meet me at the airport, but I did not expect the hotel owner, Chi Hong, to come with her as well. The Vietnamese in general go to bed early. At 7pm, for example, you would find the whole family getting ready to sleep.

In any case, they took me to Chi Hong’s (pronounced Chi Haum) hostel in District 3. I had a very pleasant room, with a double bed, airconditioner, own bathroom with shower, and wifi. There was a television too, but as I did not (and still do not) speak Vietnamese I did not use it.

Rikke thanks Chi Hong, the hotel owner.

My room, with the welcome toiletries consisting of Colgate toothbrush and toothpaste, and a bar of soap (Dove). For only 15USD/day, it was certainly worth it!

Chi Hong also ensured that a hot breakfast was provided us every morning. Through her, I came to love Vietnamese cuisine. I had this:

 and this…

and this…

A huge banh xeo--a must/eat when  you are in Saigon! 

and this…

 

This is, of course, my favorite. The ever-present ca phe sau da, which can be bought anywhere and any time. 

In between meetings, I walked around and visited landmarks, bought a lot of stuff at the Benh Thanh Market, and generally acted like a tourist. Their Reunification Hall looks magnificent, and the opulence of its rooms reminded me of the wasteful extravagance of Imelda Marcos amidst the poverty of Filipinos.

The wonderful Notre Dame Cathedral in the center of the city. 

The People's Committee Building at night.  

However, what I loved most about Saigon are its people. They are a bit short and small-boned (unlike in the Philippines, I am considered of average height there), very friendly, and they oftentimes go out of their way to please visitors (very much like the Filipinos!).

My motorcycle taxi driver. One ride usually costs 30,000VND (around 80PhP).

A banh mi bi (a kind of sandwich) sidewalk vendor prepares my food with bare hands. It was delicious!

 Vietnamese women value having fair skin so much that they wear a hat, jacket, long pants, and masks before going out of the house, however hot it is. In this picture, taken at the Dai Nam Amusement Park, it was over 30 degrees Celsius.

A young Vietnamese woman on her motorbike

 
A bride poses outside the Notre Dame Cathedral. 

With my flight to Saigon a few days away, I can’t wait to see what else the city could offer! 

Other interesting stuff in and around Saigon 

If 15USD for daily accommodation is too much, one can always go to the backpacker district (District 1). Rooms there could cost as low as 5USD per day. Around the district, there are a lot of shops selling souvenir items at really low prices. Bars and restaurants are also spread around (do not be surprised to see chairs outside these establishments arranged to face the streets. I don’t know why.).

There are a lot of things that one can buy in Saigon. One’s 200USD is already equivalent to 3.5million VND. You can go to Benh Thanh or Binh Tay markets and Saigon Square for mountaineering bags (TNF, Deuter) and other branded items. There are a lot of fakes, though, so you must know how to determine if it is the real thing. 

For people interested in the Chinese culture, there is a huge Chinatown (Cholon) in Saigon, which can take you the whole day alone to walk around in. There are also some nice Taoist temples near the city center.

A two-hour drive from Saigon will take you to the Dai Nam amusement park, with rides and a huge zoo.  I heard it called an amusement park for Buddhists, though I did not have any idea why. The animals were given a big space to move around, so it is not like the cramped conditions of zoos in the Philippines.

A snake poses for tourists at the Dai Nam...

...while a bear tries to show off by showing he can clap. 

Another bear is depressed...

 ...while a monkey goofs around...

 

 ...and a deer cools off.

For day trips and tours in and around Saigon, you can go to Sinh Café in the backpacker district. They have arranged tours to all the major sites in Vietnam, including Nha Trang and Mui Ne (wonderful beaches), Hue, Hanoi, and even a homestay with a family in the Mekong Delta. 

How to go to Saigon:  

Cebu Pacific Air offers twice weekly flights to Saigon. Return tickets cost as low as PhP6000. The drawback is that you will arrive in Vietnam at 1230 in the morning, which is a challenge if you do not have a place to stay. However, the alternative is to take Philippine Airlines, which costs more but arrives earlier in the day. (Don’t book online via Thailand Airways. A return ticket there could cost as much as PhP50,000!)