"A vibrant city catching up with the... " a Ho Chi Minh City Travel Page by yukisanto

A street scene of Saigon at night. A harrowing heart-thumping experience, whether you're on the road or just crossing. There's absolutely no traffic rules, no traffic lights. Even though I've mastered the art of crossing the road in the day, I still value my life too much to try it at night. Being on a bike at night was exhilarating though, with the cool breeze in your face and hair (since no one wears a helmet)

The economic divide in Saigon is manifested in the vehicles on the road. It's either a Mercedes and BMW, or else it's a scooter. But still, I love being on a bike, since it gets me to my destination in half the time!

It was a short 4 days that we were in Ho Chi Minh City, but it was enough to make me love the city. There's something about it, despite all the dust and chaos, that acts as a magnet. Maybe it's the life of the city, its vibrancy. Getting around the city by motorbike sure helps. You see everything on the streets so much more clearly, you'll see the buildings, the people etc. It's different from when you are ensconced comfortably in a air-conditioned taxi, looking out through the small window. You'll never hear the bustling sounds of the city, the constant horns of the motorbikes around you. That is what gives the city its character. I have never heard so many horns in my entire life! Back in Singapore, when a car horns, it is a rude display of temper, yet over here, it's got a different meaning. Horns are used to communicate everything - from watch out, to i'm overtaking you to please move aside.

The juxtaposition of buildings with various architectural influences makes Ho Chi Minh City an interesting place to explore. There are old buildings, reminiscent of any other Asian city, and there are those which are artfully designed to create an eye-catching statement.

Of the buildings, Notre Dame cathedral stood out to me. It is as any other functioning church is, and only opens for mass. It's not supposed to be a tourist attraction, even if it's in the guide book. Still, we went and had a look. Beautiful. There was an up-and-coming actor who was doing a photoshoot on the road just beside Notre Dame. Although he looks more like any other model than a star to me =P

There's also the History Museum and the Reunification Palace where the architecture was really good for photos. There were at least 2 wedding couples taking their wedding photos at the museum.

Cholon (Chinatown) was the reminiscent of the one in Singapore. Hey, they also have a Chinese New Year festival celebration over the 15 days, much like the River Ang Bao in SG.

There's the food too. BANH CANH THIT HEO (rice noodles with pork) which I had at a coffeshop, was familiar yet different. There's another dish, rice vermilion with grilled meat, and the meat is the same taste as satay (a type of food in SG)! The sugarcane juice which I had had lemon blended into it - taste good!

Thanks to our local friends' hospitality, we got around on their motorbikes for the days we were there. You know what I learnt? People of the world, unite! Pop culture has seeped into every part of the world. In Vietnam, Korean stuff is hot - so you get lots of korean eateries, and nearly everyone knows who Rain is. My friend, My, loves Norah Jones, and she listens to English pop as well. Music is the language of the world...haha.. The two of us were off chatting about stars gossip and so-and-so singer, while my guy friend and another of My's friend were chatting about the English Premier League. Guys...

I didn't buy much stuff on this trip, since most of their foodstuff were similar to what I had in my country, and I'm not particularly interested in wood carvings, sequined bags or lacquered bowls. I did buy an oil painting from a local artist though. The local people really do prefer dong, the Vietnamese currency, and only the hotels and airport used USD.

The total damage for this trip:
Airfare: SGD180
Accomo: SGD150 (oh well, we stayed at Amara, which was a 4*)
Tspt: 105,800D + USD2
Food: 93,250D + USD17
Day trip to Mekong: 105,000D + tips for boatman 5,000D
Attractions entrance fees: USD4
Airport departure tax: USD13 + 15000D (It's actually USD14 or Dong equivalent, but I didn't have enough USD, so I paid in a mixture of currency)

Shopping:
Painting 45cmx45cm: USD19
2 tabletop picture displays: USD6
2 lacquered namecard holders: 46,000D
Earrings: 40,000D
Sling Bag: 45,000D
Book: 50,000D

Let me see...all in all, I spent about SGD530 on the entire trip, I think. Not bad.