The Rest of Vietnam

Other than our time spent learning about the Vietnam War, we mostly wandered the streets of Saigon taking in the sites, people and food.  We spent a few days doing homework in a bakery and coffee shop, which we found worked a lot better for all than just sitting in our dorm style accommodations. We also checked out a wide variety of shops and markets and even ordered a few custom tailored clothes - something Vietnam specializes in. Dad got a new completely custom suit, which cost $265 plus $50 shipping to get back home.  If one was buying a few, the savings would totally justify a trip here just to be outfitted!  The quality is as high, if not higher, than anything found back home. Mom got some altering done on a dress for a fraction of the cost at home. 

School at a coffee shop

Dad getting fitted for his suit

We went to Chinatown one day, as it's supposed to be the largest Chinatown in the world, but it was mostly wholesale and while it it was interesting to see, there wasn't much to do there.   We all agreed we felt in the way of the sellers trying to make a living, so we didn't stay long.  Most of the city is set up in unofficial districts, so if you want to buy something in particular, you head to that part of the city.  There is a street known as "guitar street" where there are roughly two blocks of guitar stores. Our oldest used his bargaining skills and Christmas money from grandparents to purchase a small guitar made out of koa wood.  

3 High-rise apartment buildings in Chinatown that were never lived in as
they are believed to be haunted, so 5 new ones are now being built!

Dad had some medical errands to run throughout our stay, as he continued to research medicines and care for his aching feet and psoriasis. We splurged one night, finding a real Argentinian steakhouse that served steaks as good as back home. This was a treat but also a dent in the dining budget.  In hindsight, we spent more time shopping and eating than we would've preferred, but in the crowded city, there wasn't much else for us to do unless we paid up for another tour of some type.  We realized that part of this had to do with our accommodation being so sparsely furnished so that it wasn't desirable to be there any more than was necessary. 

"Funny" moment of being duped into paying for a photo and unwanted coconuts!

Fun drinks our last night in Saigon, overlooking the city

As we walked the town, we passed several movie theaters and all the kids were intent on seeing the new Alvin and the Chipmunk's movie that came out - we were shocked, but figured if this was something they were into, it was better than other movie options!  So one afternoon Dad took the kids to the movie and sent mom to the spa. Figuring Alvin would be a bust Dad didn't "pre-buy" tickets (theaters assign seats here) only to find the movie almost sold out and attended entirely by adults - apparently Alvin is huge in Asia!  Meanwhile mom's massage was awesome!  She was walked on and had the therapist digging her heels, elbow and knees into her as well as doing acupressure on her feet!  It was so incredible that she insisted dad needed to experience it, so he was able to visit later in the week.

We learned a little about the people, government and language as we lived here. The language comes across far more difficult than Thai or Khmer (at least to us). It's a tonal language with 5 different tones used for various words and phrases which when mixed can change the meaning of the word dramatically. For example, the word 'thank you' (CAM-un) is something is we always try to learn in the language of each destination we visit, but if the tone of the "un"  is said differently (CAM-UN), you are saying "shut up". We tried and tried to get this right practicing over and over with our tour guide Ha, but having success only about 50% of the time we decided it might be better if we just gave up, not wanting to offend any of our new friends. Another example we found funny is the greeting "hello," which if emphasized incorrectly asks, "can I have a bowl of soup?"

While scooters are EVERYWHERE, an interesting observation was that there are people hired along the streets to watch parked scooters.  Our tour guide explained to us that stealing is good as it gives over 1000 people a job as a 'scooter-keeper'!  There is also an app called "Track My Bike" and there is an Uber for scooters as many are used as a 'taxi.'  Some of us had experiences being transported on a scooter and it was hard to find a rhyme or reason as to why the driver would go where he did - from a sidewalk on one side of the street, across the street, to drive on the sidewalk on the other side of the street - all the while the street traffic moving at a normal pace!

Watch out for sidewalk scooters!

Hard to see, but between the child and man in blue shirt, is a dog! Also scooter
behind has dude on his phone. These are common scooter scenes!

Many people in Vietnam where face masks.  These are sold everywhere and come in many designs.
Apparently some high-end ones even have carbon filters built into them!

The government here is "open communism" with the government making many of the decisions one might expect in a communist block, but their economy is opening more and more to outside investment. This is accounting for substantial growth of the country with more and more people moving from the country to the cities. There is an upbeat tone to most any of the locals when we inquire on their opportunities and many seem to feel becoming more "open-minded" is a positive thing for their country. 

Vietnam is set up in 24 districts, like 'the Hunger Games but with 24' we are told. One oddity is that you can only buy a car in the district where you are born. So if you move to Saigon from the north, you have to go back up north to purchase a car. The license plates then all have the district number embedded in their code, so you can tell from looking at the plate where any car and driver are from. Another rule is if you work for the government, you are limited to having two children or else your benefits get cut dramatically, but if you work in a private industry, no such statute exists. Lastly, we learned that gambling is strictly forbidden for Vietnamese but allowed for foreigners. So there are large casinos around Saigon but the locals can't go (big with the Chinese). When we checked into our Airbnb, one of the first things our host told us was that if we played cards, to be sure to shut the doors as it's not allowed and the police station is just down the street. Then he went on to tell us that all the police play cards even though they are not supposed to but we should still shut the door (yeah ponder that for a bit). This is funny because, despite gambling being illegal, there is also a government run lottery, which has people all over running around selling tickets. Everyday the numbers are posted online at 4pm. Lots of people buy these tickets but are also skeptical about the whole thing, not really believing it's real. The grand prize is $50,000 USD we are told and 'no one knows anyone who knows anyone who has ever won' but they buy them anyway. 

The highlight of our time here in Vietnam was the tour of the Mekong Valley.  We learned so much that impacted our understanding and time in this country and we were grateful we did that at the beginning of our time in Vietnam.  While the Vietnam War is surrounded by different feeling and ideas of all that was happening during that time in history, learning about it first hand and hearing about its impact on the Vietnamese people, will stick with us as we continue to learn history throughout our lives.  In general, Vietnam is more developed than Cambodia but less so than Thailand. The food and language is different but the people are just as friendly. While we would have loved to visit northern Vietnam, we are all ready to move on, hoping for some softer beds, and looking forward to some down time in Koh Samui, Thailand.