An Introduction to the Emerald Realm
THERE is a strong Vietnamese community in Brisbane – most of them South Vietnamese who proudly wave their yellow and red flags and hold no truck with the current Vietnamese government! Therefore, in conversation with ex-pat Vietnamese, it is always a conundrum whether I should refer to Vietnam’s major commercial metropolis as Saigon or Ho Chi Minh City…
Whichever term I use, I do not mean any disrespect to anyone.
For many tourists, HCMC is their gateway to the fabled emerald realm that snakes its way south from China, hugging Laos and Cambodia and bending its back against the might of the South China Sea.
The city is serviced by Tan Son Nhat International Airport, which opens on a sea of humanity waiting to secure your dollar for the trip into Saigon. Dumbstruck with the level of activity, I stood with what appeared to be a benevolent smile, waiting for our driver to collect his herd of rattled tourists for the trip into Pham Ngu Lao, HCMC’s backpacker nirvana.
With the assistance of VT, I had divided the city into manageable tourist locations: Cholon, Dong Khoi and Central HCMC. The first is Saigon’s Chinatown, with an interesting market and a variety of religious structures. Dong Khoi represented upper-market shopping and some stunning architecture. Central HCMC introduced us to Vietnamese history in the form of museums and the Reunification Palace.
We loved the vitality of the backpacker area, particularly the hotel we called home for a short while. The manager, Chanh, is a treasure and it was an honour to sit on the hotel steps, watching as little children played beneath the soft orange glow of swaying lanterns - listening to stories of a local citizen’s daily life…
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