Cycling Vietnam

Today is Saturday, Feb 11th. Mike and I had a long but smooth trip to Vietnam via Taipei. Two thumbs up to Eva Air for the great service. We popped out of the Tan Son Nhat INternational airport, Ho Chi Minh City (HCMC), about noon yesterday and were slammed by the 37 C heat and the arrivals area chaos. Fortunately, as promised, we were met by a cheerful driver waving a sign “ Parrys” who whisked us into the city centre. [Although we are officially in HCMC - it seems that everyone, including the locals, continue to refer to the city as Saigon]
Saigon is the largest city in Vietnam with almost 9 million people and at least that many motorbikes. As our plane was approaching the city yesterday we could see the extensive system of rivers that converge and flow out to sea as part of the huge Mekong Delta area that this city sits on. The city is essentially at sea level and it was pretty clear why the city and surrounding areas are at significant risk of flooding.
First order of business yesterday after getting settled into our comfortable hotel in District 1 was getting a cold beer to quench our travel thirst. In this heat even I became a beer drinker. Last night we ventured out once the heat of the day had dissipated and hit one of the rooftop bars. Rooftop bars are quite popular in Saigon and are great spots to get views of the city and have a beverage. Each rooftop bar has its own vibe. Some are places to “see and be seen”, others advertise DJs and dancing. One rooftop bar suggested it was a good place to check out beautiful boys and girls. Ah no, that wasn’t the one we went to - nobody wants to check us out. We picked one of the old , landmark hotels to get a good view of the sunset and of the Saigon opera house, that was beautifully lit up below us. The opera house is a riot of late -1800s French neo-classical architecture and the “go to” spot for wedding photos, as we found out on our walk about today.
During the 1850s, the French expanded their colonies to include Asian territories - including what is now Vietnam. Much like the British did in India, the French imposed their own bureaucracy across the country and the region became a source of many important raw materials that the French needed. I’m no historian so I won’t venture any comment on French colonial rule in Vietnam nor Vietnam’s more complex recent modern history. However, the architecture in this city is an interesting combination of : French “neo-classical?? There was a lot of fussy stuff and pillars. [ apologies to my sister Helen who is in fact an architect and would possibly have a better word]; romanesque - as seen in a few churches around town; modernist architecture as we saw in the old presidential building build in early 1960s; and then some super modern high rise buildings that would rival anything in London. Alongside these beautiful building one might see a dilapidated tenement. Unfortunately, we are traveling without my dear sister so that is the entirety of my architectural commentary for this trip.
Last night we had dinner at a restaurant built in the old opium refinery. Once Indochina was conquered, the French realized there was money to be made in then opium trade so the colonial government actually controlled the opium trade and the revenues from it made up over a third of the colony’s budget. The restaurant’s setting was very interesting, although the meal was average and expensive.
Today we hit the streets to shake off our jet lag. The pavement is dodgy here and the traffic is a test of nerves so it was quite the exciting 12,000 steps. Our strategy for crossing the streets is to tuck in beside one of the locals. They are quite friendly and helpful in this regard and will often throw up an arm to stop you if you move too soon. It’s like a dance between cars, the above-mentioned 9 million ++ motorbikes and the intrepid pedestrians.
We hit some of the main “must see” attractions today including the old presidential palace full of beautiful state rooms - now called the reunification palace for obvious reasons. We spent time in the War Remnants Museum - extremely depressing but an essential stop. Locally, the war is referred to as the American War. Probably the most interesting exhibit in that museum included pictures and stories from war correspondents - from both sides of the conflict. After the museum, we headed for a rejuvenating “cool one” at one of the cities many local brew pubs and then we tracked down the old CIA building which most people recognize from the iconic picture of a helicopter landing on the roof during the evacuation from Saigon.
Tonight we went Anthony Bourdain and hopped on the back of motorbikes driven by students. They deftly zoomed us through the crowded streets and we visited a number of tiny eating establishments. They were excellent guides and we had loads of fun and quite a few terrifying moments on the bikes. Mike’s biggest challenge this evening was getting on and off the motorbike. My challenge was not being entirely grossed out by everyone touching the food. We had quite a few interesting dishes at even more interesting spots - often sitting on little plastic stools. It’s 10:30 and still 28 degrees so good ting we have AC.
That’s our news from here. Tomorrow we plan to hit the markets and then meet our fellow cyclists. Biking in this heat is likely to be ridiculously hard but I won’t think about that now. Hope everyone at home is well.
Cheers, Heather (Mom)
PS to the gardeners - there are lots of frangipani trees and the scent is lovely.Read more