Trading Hong Kong for the Viet-Cong

With Katie leaving for Los Angeles & Detroit for over a week and me really unable to swing the trip, I decided that I would do a solo weekend trip to get out and clear my mind a bit. I'm not much of a solo traveler, but its actually pretty cool from time to time.

The primary determinant of where I went was where-ever had the cheapest flight with good times. It would also help if it were somewhere that I would actually like to visit (I'll take a pass on Manilla, after the Philippino army drove a tank through the lobby of the Peninsula and sprayed the joint with bullets and tear gas last fall - no joke) .

After some research I decided on Ho Chi Minh (otherwise known as Saigon before the commies renamed it). With Katie not being there I decided to skimp on the lodging and return to my hippy backpacker roots a bit (if I ever had any). $15USD a night. Not bad! I got in late Friday night so went right to bed when I got there. The morning I was off to check out what the town had to offer.





















First thing about the city anyone who has ever been there will tell you is that the place is overrun with motorbikes. There are thousands of them all zig-zagging around, driving up on the sidewalk going into the wrong lane, running red lights (where there are lights), you name it. Its actually a really cool thing to just watch. Seeing a family of 4 on one bike is not uncommon either. The smallest kid (usually no more than 2) will go in the very front. Then the father, who actually drives the thing, comes next; then the older child is in the #3 spot and, depending on their age, will help support the baby up front; finally the Mom is in the back spot and she helps hold the whole thing together supporting the kid in the middle with her arms around her husbands waist and also holding onto the kid upfront. Crazy.

Part of the craziness is just trying to cross the street. Some roads are 6 lanes wide, and they usually have no traffic lights. There is literally shit (motorbikes, buses, rickshaws, bicycles, cars) coming at you from all angles. You have to learn the rules of the road to be able to properly cross.


Rule 1: Find a good opening (this is usually about 10-15 feet before the next motorbike; anymore and you're lucky);

Rule 2: Focus on the primary direction of traffic, but be sure that you keep an eye on the other direction as well because things really come from all directions.


Rule 3: Keep moving at a consistent pace as much as possible. You have to have a Yoda-like feel for what the bikes coming at you are gonna do and have an unspoken understanding of what you think the other will do. If you freeze or act frantically, it could get messy.


Rule 4: If it gets really crazy and there are no openings, its ok to stop for a moment. The other vehicles will go around you until you start going again.


My first few street crossings were kind of scary, and I was definitely frantic and unpredictable in my movements. After a few hours however, I got the hang of it and actually started enjoying it. I had gotten my rhythm done to a science.


My first stop was the Ben Thanh Market. It was just like every other market in Asia. Fake sunglasses, tshirts, etc. I bought 2 t-shirts for 80,000 dong. I'm sure I could have talked her down but I did not have the heart. Oh yeah, I almost forget to tell you, their currency is the Dong (like the character from 16 Candles) and the exchange rate is over 16,000 dong for 1 USD. Yikes!


Then it was onto the Reunification Palace. This "Palace" looked more like a library from the outside.
My favorite part was the warroom. Its like the Pentagon, if you were running it out of your parent's garage with some old rotary phones and typewriters.






After lunch, I hired a motor-bike driver who ended up taking me to the Cu Chi tunnels, about 40 kms outside the city. The ride was a blast and made me feel like a local, weaving through traffic.

















The Cu Chi tunnels themselves were pretty cool but also creepy. This was a series of tunnels built by the Viet-Cong before and during the Vietnam war to hide from and launch sneak attacks on the Americans. They were very proud of the booby traps made to kill the evil Americans. I told everyone I was from Hong Kong.











The tunnels themselves were downright closterphobic and I could barely fit. I am a tad bit bigger and less agile than the average Vietnamese person.



















One night I went to a famous rooftop bar where all the journalists used to tear it up during the Vietnam war. The Saigon nightlife and this bar (Rexes) were legendary back in the day. Not too much anymore. On this night there was a cheesy coverband from India or something and the clientale looked like they were probably leftovers from the Vietnam war era. Somepeople don't know when to call it a night (or occupation). . .















The next day I was down to the Mekong River Delta. This was an organized tour and was actually a really good time. I met some other travelers from England, Australia and Ireland.

They made us wear the rice hats, but they also helped a lot against the sun.

My guide at the Cu Chi Tunnels was giving tours to fulfill his mandatory military service requirement.