I fly out in the morning, so here’s a photo essay of my final hours in Saigon.
Monday night on Walking Street, the bar area in the “backpacker” district. Walking street is a bit of a misnomer, given that there was still plenty of motorbike traffic to avoid…This sign gave me a chuckle, although it was not enough to lure me in…I reckon I’ll miss Saigon some, but probably not the Miss Saigon…Truth be told, I didn’t really like the Walking street experience at all. It seemed like every bar was trying to out blast their neighbor’s bullshit music. Just give me that ole time rock-n-roll! Pretty busy for a Monday evening and it was obvious that the bars were going for a younger crowd. I don’t fit that demographic anymore nor do I want to…Hmm, what should I eat?Ah, this will do! Yeah, I had a burger and fries in Vietnam. Man does not live by Pho alone!So much to learn, so little time…An oyster bar snack, then bedtime…Up early this morning and after the hotel buffet, I headed out for my walk. Wound up down by the Saigon river.This is a tough city to walk in. Most streets have sidewalks but they serve mostly as motorcycle parking areas. It was a nice break to have an unobstructed path to walk and no need to dodge traffic…Enjoying the Saigon River views…Some type of government building. The red star Vietnamese flag and the omnipresent hammer and cycle are testaments to the communist heritage of the united Vietnam…And yet, free enterprise abounds as evidenced by the Ho Chi Minh stock exchange…And religion is openly practiced as well, at least the nuns I saw weren’t shy about parading about in their habits…Remnants of the war to expel the imperialist invaders and reunite the people of Vietnam, as seen at the Ho Chi Minh museum.The worst part of Saigon? Well, 7 million motorbikes make walking around a hazardous undertaking…The best part of Saigon? Well, I’ve got to say that the beauty of the Vietnamese women certainly rivals that of the Korean females I’ve so dearly loved…And after much exploration and trial and error, I can declare the In Sai Gong rooftop bar as my favorite watering hole. Although I never did have a water there…Here’s a job I could never do. Gave me the willies just watching them swing around up there like Spiderman…After all that walking, I was ready for some lunch. Chose this Vietnamese place around the corner from my hotel. Most expensive place I’ve eaten at this trip, but why not splurge and live a little? I am on vacation after all.Started with some honey garlic pork ribs that were quite delicious…Then I had half a roasted chicken that was possibly cooked (there were scorch marks on the bottom) and obviously served in this bamboo tube. Never seen that before. However it was prepared, it came out tasting most excellent.And when you order half a chicken, you get half a chicken. Including this foot. None for me, thanks!
Still a few nighttime hours to fill. Plan is to see Alex and the boys play darts then say my goodbyes. Probably head over to In Sai Gong for a final cold beer as well. Then it’s off to the airport at 0630 for my 0930 flight to Manila.
I’m glad I finally made it to Saigon. And even more glad it wasn’t as a soldier.
UPDATE: Well, turns out I was also “wrapping it up” back in November, 2015. I also had no idea that Jee Yeun would be wrapping up the marriage just a month later. Still hurts.
6 thoughts on “Wrapping it up”
What a conclusion! And you even got a shot of a church. Vietnam has its own native religions, but in terms of the big faiths, it’s largely a Buddhist country. Unlike the rest of SE Asia, though, Mahayana Buddhism is big in Vietnam (in the rest of SE Asia, it’s the older Theravada Buddhism that dominates)—especially Zen Buddhism, called “Thien” in the VN. Famous monk Thich Nhat Hanh, based in Paris and a big exponent of Buddhist-Christian dialogue, is a Vietnamese Thien monk of the Plum Village lineage, which he founded. His books on Buddhism concentrate less on metaphysics and more on psychology; his book Anger, in particular, is a good one to read. His language is simple and clear, as is usually the case with Zennies.
One editor’s note: this is the second time I’ve seen you write “hammer and cycle.” At first, I thought this was a joke that I just wasn’t getting, but now, I’m thinking it’s a genuine mistake. The crescent-shaped tool crossing the hammer is a sickle, i.e., a small scythe (rhymes with “pickle”). Together, as you know, the implements represent the labor of the working man.
Whoops! I wrote that Thich Nhat Hanh is “based in Paris.” That was supposed to be “based in France.” He’s actually somewhere in France’s southwest, i.e., in wine country. Heh. And now we know the Buddhist secret to true happiness.
Yeah, I know the difference between “cycle” and “sickle”. I fear it may be early onset of Alzheimer disease…
The cool thing about people who write in public is that it’s easy to track the course of any mental deterioration. Heh.
John,
Nice overview of Saigon. Only spent a night there on my way to another location in Vietnam. Would like to go back for another visit at some point.
How did prices compare to PI?
Brian, a little more expensive overall. Beers were in the $1.50 to almost $3. range. But then, Manila is a bit more expensive than where I am too. I think rent is higher as well.
What a conclusion! And you even got a shot of a church. Vietnam has its own native religions, but in terms of the big faiths, it’s largely a Buddhist country. Unlike the rest of SE Asia, though, Mahayana Buddhism is big in Vietnam (in the rest of SE Asia, it’s the older Theravada Buddhism that dominates)—especially Zen Buddhism, called “Thien” in the VN. Famous monk Thich Nhat Hanh, based in Paris and a big exponent of Buddhist-Christian dialogue, is a Vietnamese Thien monk of the Plum Village lineage, which he founded. His books on Buddhism concentrate less on metaphysics and more on psychology; his book Anger, in particular, is a good one to read. His language is simple and clear, as is usually the case with Zennies.
One editor’s note: this is the second time I’ve seen you write “hammer and cycle.” At first, I thought this was a joke that I just wasn’t getting, but now, I’m thinking it’s a genuine mistake. The crescent-shaped tool crossing the hammer is a sickle, i.e., a small scythe (rhymes with “pickle”). Together, as you know, the implements represent the labor of the working man.
Whoops! I wrote that Thich Nhat Hanh is “based in Paris.” That was supposed to be “based in France.” He’s actually somewhere in France’s southwest, i.e., in wine country. Heh. And now we know the Buddhist secret to true happiness.
Yeah, I know the difference between “cycle” and “sickle”. I fear it may be early onset of Alzheimer disease…
The cool thing about people who write in public is that it’s easy to track the course of any mental deterioration. Heh.
John,
Nice overview of Saigon. Only spent a night there on my way to another location in Vietnam. Would like to go back for another visit at some point.
How did prices compare to PI?
Brian, a little more expensive overall. Beers were in the $1.50 to almost $3. range. But then, Manila is a bit more expensive than where I am too. I think rent is higher as well.