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So like most Americans my knowledge of Vietnam stems from history books, stories from veterans and things that you see/hear on television (including Robin Williams belting out the title to my blog, which by the way they still sell T-Shirts of at the duty free shop in the Ho Chi Mihn City airport).
This week was very interesting for me. I was able to meet with colleagues from Vietnam, Thailand, Japan, and of course our own folks from Malaysia, but the real intrigue for me was meeting the real Vietnam. I stayed in the Ho Chi Mihn City area for my entire stay (for those of you wondering, yes this used to be called Saigon until after the Vietnam War).
This was my first trip to a communist country, so I was expecting to be interrogated, roughed up a bit, and treated like an outsider. I must say that none of that was even close to true. When I arrived at the HCMC airport, I was greeted by a driver that my office had arranged and he quickly whisked me away into his SUV that was sitting right outside the airport. Within 5 minutes, I realized that we weren't in Kansas, Malaysia, or even NYC anymore. There were people everywhere! Literally, I mean everywhere. Most were on motorbikes, some on foot, some on bicycles, and all going wherever they wanted whether they were supposed to or not. I was simply amazed at the lack of order in a city of 9+ Million people (with 6+ Million motor bikes) when it came to the roads. One of my friends told me that the motorbikes in Vietnam was like water poured out onto rocks, they find a crevice and go. They also carried anything and everything on them (like most SE Asian countries). I saw everything from a family of 5 (only mom and dad with helmets, and the two smallest ones standing up on the seat between them), to a guy carrying 5 propane tanks, to a 8 foot bamboo ladder, to (my favorite) a live snake in a bag (our driver said it was probably for dinner, thank God I didn't go to that restaurant)!
My driver was very cautious, and I found out quickly that you simply cannot drive in HCMC without a horn. I have always laughed when in NYC or even in Malaysia when people honk prior to making lane changes. In Vietnam, I understand why, it is simply a warning to anyone around that you are coming through and people best move. We were stuck in traffic one day coming back from our plant and the city buses were driving on the shoulder honking constantly, our driver chuckled and said it was the last thing that many motor bikers heard before they expired! (1.25 motor bikers per hour is killed in HCMC daily.)
Our hotel was right downtown, so you could walk to many things (if you dared). So after being there for a day, decided that I was going to venture out on my own. My colleague who lives in HCMC gave me the following advice, "When you cross the street, just find a spot on the opposite side to focus on, look right at that spot, and walk at a consistent pace. Don't stop. Don't look, just walk. And don't carry your cellphone in your hand or you won't have it when you get to the other side!" As crazy as that sounds, he was right! Traffic going everywhere and you have to muster the nerve to step off the sidewalk. After that, it's pretty easy.
I have to say that after you get over the traffic/people -Vietnam get pretty normal pretty fast. HCMC is a growing city. I was able to find all of the things that I could possibly want. I found my local chain coffee store that I was able to get my morning fix at. I was able to have a Sarpino's pizza (with real pork on it), even though it did cost me over a quarter million Vietnamese Dong (about $12 USD - don't get me started on currency exchange). I was even surprised to see the newest addition to district 12, the Harley Davidson store!!
HCMC is a big melting pot, just like most metro areas in SE Asia, and thus the foods represented there are just as diverse. I had never had Vietnamese food before, but I am a big fan. I was introduced to both central Vietnamese food, as well as southern Vietnamese food (no Stacey, not like our southern). Both are very rich in flavor, my favorite two dishes while there were clay pot pork belly, and pork satay (yes you do recognize a theme - I am having withdrawals).
I was also amazed that as progressive as HCMC was, there was also many things that brought me back to what I had seen, read, and heard about prior to arriving. Of course, the motor bikes and bicycles are the top of the list, but there were a few more. Almost every street corner had some little Vietnamese woman with her cone pointed bamboo hat, called a non la, carrying two huge pots on a bamboo rod across her shoulders on her way to spot on the street to be able to set up her food stand for the day. In spots around the Saigon River, the dense vegetation made me think back to all of those stories, movies videos about the Vietnam War, and all of those who lost their lives during that time.
All in all, Vietnam was not what I expected at all, but it was very fun! I met some great people, have some good friends who live there, and really enjoyed my experience. I look forward to getting the opportunity to travel there again.
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