The Beat of Saigon (or should I say Ho Chi Minh City)

December 7, 2010

The traffic is a bit hairy in Saigon, but it isn’t as bad as I’d imagined. There are street lights, crosswalks and pedestrian lights at times. The lights don’t always seem to stop the drivers, but at least it slows it. Motor bikes far outnumber cars and you’ll sometimes find them on the sidewalk! Unlike Indonesia though, the bikes tend to stay in a pack and dominate a lane. In Indonesia, especially Bali, the bikes were always weaving in and out, which made it chaotic. Not to say it isn’t chaotic here. I’ve already seen/heard two accidents! The most recent one was just outside the window where I was having tea. It was a small accident where two bikes collided, but I think one had been at a standstill. The bread from the basket on one bike went flying all over the sidewalk. Some pedestrians helped pick up the bread and I assume it was sold and served as usual – yuck! The other driver had a bruised elbow, but everyone (including him) was laughing and having a jolly time. I’ve included a picture of the man hanging out on his motor bike after the accident.

I started my day by heading to the Mariamman Hindu Temple – well actually the adventures began before I left the dorm. I had a fitful sleep because the dorm room has open windows and this neighborhood (the backpackers’ district) is very noisy. I wouldn’t stay awake long, but I feel like I woke every couple of hours. The bed was comfortable though. :) My roommates were already gone when I woke so I did my morning routine. The toilet wouldn’t flush – had the same problem last night – and later the staff looked at it, but they also told me how to fix it. I had guessed what the problem was before – the chain – but I’m not too keen on putting my hand in hostel toilet tanks! The water also cut off while I was showering. I had just put my conditioner on. So I had to resort to the bucket and pitcher. The water came on a bit later so I think that something went haywire because one of my roommates had left the water switch on. Yes, for some reason we have to turn a switch on and off when we use the water. Once ready I headed down the 6 fights of stairs to make my way to the museum. Now these are annoyances, but I am only paying $5/night and I get free internet so I think I can stick it out. :)

I grabbed breakfast from a street vendor and it was essentially a sandwich with various kinds of meat and vegetables. Sorry I forgot to take a picture!

The Hindu temple was built in that late 19^th century and was interesting to see. The décor and rituals was eye catching. Then off to the nearby Reunification Palace…

Entering the Reunification Palace was like a time warp because the décor hasn’t been altered since it was taken by the North Vietnamese in April 1975. It was built from 1962-1966, which you could probably guess from the pictures. It was the South Vietnamese President’s palace before April 1975 and is sometimes used for meetings of the current government. Apparently, the New Zealand ambassador was just welcomed there. The palace was bombed twice and they have the points marked with the red circles and have included a shell fragment. Supposedly, the bombing happened by a SV pilot who was secretly helping the north. I’m not sure why the décor of the palace has been left – did the new government not have the money to “improve” it? Did they want to preserve the history of their enemy?

I not only had one guide, but two for this palace. I had the official guide and then a local student who attached himself to me. He was very nice and wanted to practice his English. He said he is a university student and plans to be a guide. He also offered his services free of charge to show me around HCMC saying that was part of his deal with the government. Now this could all very well be true, but I have also read about scams from seemingly friendly folks so I decided to manage on my own. My New Yorker side also puts up walls when strangers come up to me in public like that. After the tour I joined one of the women from the tour for lunch – well we happened to go to the same place. She said she thought he was my private guide! If he was genuine I feel badly, but I also didn’t want to get scammed into paying him.

My new Portuguese friend and I headed to the War Remnants Museum next. I had heard that it is biased and it surely is. It is a museum solely dedicated to bashing the US during the war. Now, the US government and some soldiers deserve criticism, but the complete omission of any North Vietnamese or Viet Cong action makes the exhibit clearly propaganda. From the exhibit it would seem that the communist side fired no weapons and harmed no one. The only military weapons on display were American and the recent injuries sustained from mines still hidden are only caused by American mines. Apparently, the communists didn’t use mines or none of theirs are still in the field. Their treatment of POWs wasn’t included either. I wonder if I’ll have trouble posting this blog in Vietnam… The atrocities the US committed were well covered in photos and text, but none showed the other side’s horrors or killings that are an inevitable result of war. The war was so complex from the US perspective, but that wasn’t communicated. The Cold War motivations for the US entering the war, even if you don’t believe they were valid, were not addressed.

Next I wandered to Notre Dame Cathedral (guess who built that between 1877-1883!). This area had a lot of high end stores and is not what you would expect in a communist country. HCMC has loosened it reins on communism more than other parts of Vietnam apparently. I also visited the Saigon Central Mosque, which was built in 1935.

Given all the walking and the stairs in my hostel, I am making a good dent on “the cookie effect.”

Tomorrow I’m visiting the CuChi Tunnels and another temple. Then hopefully the Mekong Delta for 3 days. Off to shower before bed. I hope none of my roommates are there. Oh, and I can’t figure out how to turn on the lights in the toilet and shower rooms. Might be difficult to shower with a headlamp… umh.