I took to vietnam instantly. Even flying there with Vietnam airways made a good first impression. The plane was spacious and comfortable, the hostesses were in their elegant traditional dress and a full meal was served with free alcohol even though it was only a 2hr flight. Being past 12 in the afternoon, I made full use of this facility.
I stepped out the terminal, getting a taxi in a blink and arranged a price there and then - 150m dong (about a fiver). I then proceeded to get the biggest shock of my travels so far. The Vietnamese road system is nothing I have ever seen. It made the craziness of Bangkok look tame. Cars had little priory on the roads. It was all about the moped. But there were thousands of them and in Vietnam it's not just entire family's who are carried around on these things but half the contents of their house as well! I saw trees being driven, a crate of pigs and even another moped!! Traffic lights also meant little in Vietnam, although drivers were quick happy to honk at anyone who got in there way. At one point my taxi driver so pissed off he got out of the taxi in the middle of the road to scream at this blokes face who would give him space to get through. Traffic was gridlocked for the majority of the journey through town so it was an hour before I got to the hotel. Needless to say I was a bit shellshocked by this point so the idea of a swanky hotel bed was bliss. I met up with Khai, a friend I had made in kuala lumpar and the one who had easily convinced me to come to Vietnam in the first place, and we headed off for the afternoon to visit the beautiful buildings of the opera house, post office and notra dam. All of them had an obvious French design which had been handed down by the France's reign in the last century. By late afternoon and almost dying a few times dodgy motorcyclists avoiding one way signs, we thought we'd have a coffee and wait for nightfall so city lights could be turned on. This, however, was not just any coffee. O no, this was a strong, rich coffee with a good drizzle of condensed milk over lashings of ice. It took all my willpower to not just down the thing in one. After the sun had finally set I could see just how vibrant and lively this city could be. The main roads were lined with thousands of lights, flowers and statues anticipating the arrival of the Chinese new year. Men walking around with huge bunches of colourful balloons and shops had their windows filled with scarily happy moving figures. Nice of them go to so much trouble to welcome me, I thought. I could get used to this.
We returned the hotel slowly picking up a banh mi from a food trolley to share on the way. Now, just to warn you this blog is going to be based primarily on food. Starting with banh mi, the famous and utterly amazing Vietnamese sandwich. 'A sandwich!' I hear you cry. Yes, another french hand-me-down. But vietnamesed up. It's basically a baguette made half of wheat and half rice flour, so it's extra light and extra crispy. Liver pate is smeared on along with a dollop of mayonnaise. Then in goes the tasty sausage meat and grilled pork that has been slowly and carefully marinated in soy sauce. Pickled carrots, coriander and cucumber (sorry Khai, but it's got to be in there) are then added with a squeeze of chilli sauce to finish. I actually thought I died and gone to sandwich heaven. As soon as you finish with one flavour, another equally as tasty one kicks in. It kind of reminded me of when your skint and hungover and you raid the cupboards trying desperately to find something to eat that will drag you out of your alcohol induced zombie-like state. In the end you find yourself with an array of clashing flavours and textures between two slices of bread which surprisingly taste sooooo good! Well, this is a bit like that sandwich but perfected in every way and distributed in a military fashion by the stalls that have specialised in it. That's the thing about the food here. There are few restaurants that supply a bit of everything. If they do, they're usually crap. Instead there are small stalls and food courts that have what they are selling plastered on the front, usually just one type of meal at a time, and you know you'll have it in your hand before the words are even out of your mouth.
That night we hit the town and saw what the nightlife had to offer. It was pretty damn good. We started off in a bar called Go2, trying out the local beer of Saigon and 333. To be honest, I don't remember too much of that night after that. I remember going to several bars but that's about it. All I can say is, thank god for cameras to help piece together the shenanigans of a good night out.
We got up, just, and headed down to breakfast where I got my first taste of pho. Pho is a soup based noodle dish served with thin slices of beef or pork, beansprouts and heaps of fresh herbs. Yep, for breakfast. It's a light, fragrant dish that's not as heavy or intense in the spices as Thai or Malaysian noodle dishes. Like the banh mi, different flavours come through with every mouthful. It fills you up perfectly but is light enough to make you crave another bowl in a couple of hours. After breakfast and 40 winks to shake off the hangover, I went into over-keen tourist mode, armed with camera, guide books, and my very own vietnamese/Chinese/English guide.
First stop was the Independence palace. This was the home of the last president of south Vietnam before the north famously barged through the huge iron gates with the tanks and planted the northern flag, thus winning the war. The whole building was huge, providing a luxurious home for the presidents family as well as his military office and control centre. The decor was very 1960s retro until you came across the odd room filled with Chinese furniture and statues. It was so interesting to find out the history if the family and how they lived as well learning about the days running up to the final downfall of the south.
A short walk around the corner we came to the famous war museum. The courtyard outside the building itself was filled with tanks, army land rovers and fighter jets that were used during the war. The actual building contained three massive floors full of photos, news articles and witness accounts of the war and the horror that took place during those long years. The photos that were taken by the soldiers and journalists on the field were incrediblebut heartbreaking. We learned about the anti-war riots that took place all over the world and some people actually set themselves on fire in protest. I also found out about the orange gas that was used to destroy miles of crops and it's horrific effects on the human body. I came away from the museum on the verge of tears. It didn't seem real that such cruelty went on in this beautiful country. However, the whole museum was very anti-American and, as Khai correctly pointed out, it failed to highlight the help the Americans did for the war and the equally horrific things carried out by the Vietnamese soldiers.
After being finally kicked out of the museum at 5 o'clock (we had only made it half way round) we decided we had worked up enough of an appetite to go an search for a restaurant that sold the best pho in Saigon (according to Khai's cousin). We finally found it on Pasteur street and we tucked into my first real (and massive) bowl of the traditional dish. The mornings pho was nothing compared to this incredible feast that filled me up after only half a bowl, despite walking around all day and only having breakfast. We finished off the day with a short trip to the most popular Bahn mi shop in the city. When we got there the queue was a mile long which just heightened the anticipation of how good the sandwich could be. There were people ordering a dozen sandwiches at a time, and the mopeds parked outside the shop were taking up half the road. Then we realised what all the fuss was about. It was perfect. A good size dollop of everything with the best bread I had ever had. Yep, I could definitely get used to this. That night we had an easy one, as the full stomachs and the hangovers got the better of us.
The next day was shopping day!! I still hadn't received my bank cards so I had to limit myself on what I could get but I decided that it would be wise to get the necessities whilst in Vietnam where it was cheap before heading off the Australia where everything costs a small fortune. We started off in the posh part of town. We're talking about the gucci, prada and louis vitton, and I quickly realised that, despite how cheap it is to live in this country, my small amount of cash wasn't going to last too long here. So we went over to a busy local flea Market, which sold everything from food to furniture but it seemed to specislised in selling bargain clothing. The Market itself was a rabbit warren of colours, fabrics and patterns with the odd brand name stuck in for good measure. After half an hour my head was swimming with the heat and prices being yelled at me. In the end I bought some light camel-coloured fitted knee length trousers which had this preppy cool school thing going for them. More amazing pho later (hope you're spotting a theme) and we tarted ourselves up and hit the town...again. This time headed for Apocalypse, a well known club that was a 10minute drive the road. It was pure crazy and contained the perfect combination of bar, dance floor, food and football, all until 1 in the morning. So we had a boogie, stopped, drank cocktails, ate snacks, watch man utd win on the telly then hit the dance floor again. By 3:30 I was finally in bed, feeling slightly guilty that I had to be up at half 7 that morning to be at a travel shop by 8 to start our long trip south to the river delta.
Five past 8 I woke up the next morning. Khai, who had also slept in, woke me up, I naturally panicked, swore lots and then common sense kicked on, so we rang the travel shop and let them know that we were going to be late. A dash down the road and the coach was just pulling away from the pavement, so we bashed on the side of the bus like men possessed until the bus driver let us on. A few dirty looks from other passengers were thrown our way but we were relieved just to get on. A very sleepy 2 hours later (remember we were Very hungover from the night before) and we stopped at a little village called My Tho that lay next to one of the many estuaries that fed into the main makong river. There, after smothering ourselves with deet, we ate the local fruit and listened to traditional Vietnamese songs that were sang by the local people. A pleasant boat ride later, armed with the good ol' Vietnamese cone hats, we came to where coconuts were collected, squeezed and caramelised into coconut candy. How they carried out the procedure with such simple tools was amazingly effective. The young girls that individually wrap each candy piece had to make up 200 packets a day to meet they're requirement. Rather than buying a packet, me and Khai decided to help wrap the candy. We each made about a packets worth before we got really bored and stopped. It shocks we how these girls can do it 12 hours a day and not want to want to throw themselves into the river. It must put them off candy for life. A hour trip down the river on a bigger boat meant lunchtime!!! Despite the hangover I surprisingly wasn't hungry but the meal was a simple one of grilled pork and rice. Arriving back to the coach meant the 2 hour drive to the hotel in Ben Tre, a small province that ran along side one of the rivers in Mekong Delta. This soon turned out to be a 5 hour drive due to the gridlock traffic because of Chinese new year (imagine the M5 on Christmas eve). We finally settled into our hotel at around 7 and we immediately set off to find somewhere that sold com tam. This is basically a good helping of steamed rice served with grilled pork, pickles and a light tasty fish sauce with a hint of chilli, sometimes served with a fried egg, shredding pork or a kind of thick egg cake - can't remember what it's called. After a good 45 minute walk around the markets and stalls (and even witnessing a group of fully grown men sing and dance to techno outside a bakery!!) we came to a tiny eatery with plastic chairs and tables that looked like they were designed for children and it was packed with locals. As I squeezed myself in and ordered I thought that this was how the Vietnamese really do it. The com tam itself wasn't the best according to Khai, but at 14000dong (that's about 45p) for a full meal, you really can't complain. With all the wandering we did trying to find the place, it took a while to find the hotel again, but when we eventually did I think I fell asleep before my head hit the pillow.
Next day was a 5:30am start. I only knew what 5:30 looked like because I'm usually getting in from a night out. But here we were walking towards the river with a piece of bread in out hands that was our breakfast, getting ready to climb on a long boat to see Cai Rang floating market. It was a crazy busy mass of wooden boats, big and small, mostly trading fruit and vegetable. Even though my eyes were bearly open due to lack of sleep, I couldn't help but feel the buzz amongst the tradesmen all wanting a bargain or a profit. Further down the river was the second floating market, Phong Dien, selling similar produce and with the same atmosphere. We then made a stop to a local village called Long Xuyen, that produced rice noodles. The whole process was so simple but effective, with the sheets eventually being left to dry in the sun and shredded into the noodles that the country's diet is based upon. A short boat journey back to Ben Tre and we were shuffled onto a mini bus (after discovering that there was a com tam eatery right next to our hotel) for a 3hour trip up to Can Tho. On the way we stopped off at a crocodile farm, especially bred for eating and their skins. This was the biggest crocodile farm in the world, keeping 30,000 crocodiles at one time. Some could grow up to 3m long in the enclosures - that's twice as big as me!!! As it was new year the crocs were allowed a special treat of live ducklings and that was my cue to leave. Next stop off was a monastery that was built a short way up a mountain right on the Vietnam-Cambodian border. The views were beautiful and the vibrant green of the rice fields shone out in the afternoon sun. We eventually got to the city and set out to find something to eat. Our tour guide recommended a restaurant that was in the sister hotel of the one one we were staying in (obviously getting commission) so after not really seeing anything else that tickled our fancy we headed there for dinner. We ordered a small feast of curry, salad, vegetables and a prawn dish, all Vietnamese style, of course. This proves how the places that sell a bit of everything are the worst. We sat there for an hour for a food, and when it eventually made, it was brought out in single dishes with the rice coming out last meaning we couldn't eat anything until it had all gone cold. It then turned out to be the most expensive meal we had in vietnam. We went to sleep that night full but dissatisfied.
The final day of the tour was a lie in (6:30am) and we got on yet another boat to the floating village. This is pretty self explanatory but it was remarkable how an entire community had built itself up along the riverside. These buildings were huge, some were like floating bungalows, some were on stilts, there were even restaurants and shops. Stopping off at a local village taught us how these people live and how they go about their daily life. Sitting there, I watched a group of children play a game with pebbles and broken beads and was humbled with how happy they were in such a simple life. We stopped off at a mosque with a school attached, being surprised by the end of how many Muslims were in this part of the country. Hopping on the boat again and we were back on one of the floating houses to discover it was a fish farm designed to make fish food. They kept the fish in large tanks under the floor of the floating building and when food was added they went absolutely nuts which was 5minutes of entertainment. Back on the mini bus on land and a 3hour journey back to Ben Tre to stop off somewhere to eat. There Khai introduce me to Bun Thit Nuong. This is a dry noodle dish (no soup involved) with grilled pork, pickles, a heap of herbs, and a good amount of fish sauce. To me it was a bit of a mixture between Com yam (the rice dish) and pho (the noodle soup) and to me it was perfect. There were so many flavours and textures which was more interesting than the rice in com tam but you weren't bloated by the liquid in pho. Two helpings later (I dont know how Vietnamese girls are so skinny) we were back on the big coach to head back to ho chi Minh city. The journey was 4 hrs an actually went quicker than I thought. It was actually nice to be back in the city.
I decided to quickly check back into the hotel we were staying at before the tour to see if my cards were finally there. The answer was, of course, no. I was leaving Vietnam the next day so this put me into panic mode. I phoned mum and asked her to double check the address, she then went down to the post office to check on their systems where the parcel was. It was in Australia. Great, bloody great. I quickly checked my accounts and thankfully they hadn't been touched. However it did mean cancelling all the cards and starting the whole process again. Arghhhhhh!!! It was like banging my head against a brick wall. So, back to square one, with no money, I cancelled all the cards. Khai ended up loaning me cash an I transferred a lump sum into his account so all was good for the time being. So, in all the stress, and for those who know me well it was a definite stress Katie moment, I decided that since it was my lay night in Vietnam it was time to hit the town. We met up with Jenna and Sarah, girls who had been travelling throughout Vietnam and were in Saigon for a few days. A few drinks in a local bar later and we found ourselves in Gossip, a pretty trendy club round the corner from where we were staying. It was pretty good as far as clubs go, with more security than Buckingham palace, fending off any annoying drunks that got too handsy on the dance floor. After a few boogies we hit Go2 for more drinks and merriment!! It was an awesome night and a perfect way to say goodbye to Vietnam.
The next day we woke up at about 11 quickly followed by a power cut. Bloody great, I thought what else can go wrong. If the whole city was down that meant screw up in flights. Thankfully, for me, it was only limited to a few blocks as there had been a car accident that had gone into the power line that supplied the local electricity (no casualties to my knowledge). So, after a few hours veging out, eating banh mi and nursing a headache, I said goodbye to Khai and was on a plane to Singapore. Looking out the window of the plane I knew that I would miss Vietnam more than anywhere I've been so far. O well it just means i'll have to cone back one day.