Tourist Paradise
Trip Start
Oct 20, 2008
1
71
93
Trip End
Jan 31, 2009
Ho Chi Minh City,
Vietnam
Saturday, January 3, 2009
At the cafe, I met a 33-year-old Vietnamese gentleman. He spoke good English and was a civil engineer working as a consultant. He asked me what my job was. I made it up; told him I was a banker. He told me that he was searching for loans for their projects. He added that he would love to work with my bank. Wrote his contact info on a piece of paper and handed it over to me. I was profoundly impressed by how hard he was trying to make the most out of every little perceived opportunity. Will try to pass his info to a friend who may be able to help. Also, this gentleman made some interesting comments about people from Hanoi
An Allegory for HCM
. When I told him that Hanoi was my least favorite in Vietnam, he said that he disliked doing business with people from there, because they are selfish.Some historical facts... The Chinese ruled Vietnam for about a millennium and were finally kicked out in the 10th Century.
Foreshadowing the 2nd half of the 20th Century, Vietnam was divided into 2 for the most of the 17th and 18th centuries.
Towards the end of World War II, Ho Chi Minh received financial assistance from the US to be used against the invading Japanese.
Ho Chi Minh means "Bringer of Light".
The Tet Offensive was the turning point of the Vietnam War. On the lunar new year, in 1968, the Viet Cong initiated a diversion attack in Khe Sanh, close to the DMZ. As the US military attention was drawn to this region, the Viet Cong took control of the US embassy in Saigon. Although the Viet Cong were pushed back out, the US military morale was lost
My Room
. In addition, the large number of US soldiers killed during the Offensive lead to the further loss of US public support.In 1978, the Vietnamese army ended the Khmer Rouge regime in Cambodia. The Viet Cong and the Rouge were allies during the last years of the Vietnam War. Wonder what happened...
Walked through the Dong Khoi Area towards the Saigon Central Mosque. All of a sudden, worn-down, midget apartments transformed into skyscrapers. I could see the Sheraton Hotel right ahead and Louis Vuiton close to it. If the Pham Ngu Lao area is the tourist ghetto, this must have been the tourist paradise! I haven't single part of Vietnam that is as well-developed as this neighborhood solely designated for the rich tourist.
The mosque was on the same block as the Sheraton. From the golden dome of the minaret, the Indian identity of the mosque was obvious. Unfortunately, most of the Muslim Indians have fled in 1975. Currently, there are about 5,000 Muslims living in HCM.
Lotte, the South Korean conglomerate, has entered the Vietnamese market in a big way
Street Leading to My Guesthouse
. You can easily spot their fast food chain Lotteria or a Lotte Mart at the relatively better-off parts of the city.Walked up to the Northern most part of central HCM to see the Jade Emperor pagoda. This early 20th Century building had been dedicated to the supreme Taoist god. However, the Buddhist influence could easily be notices alongside the Taoist motifs. The Buddha statue and the lotus were familiar sights, but the gigantic statues of the Taoist gods with long beards was quite fresh.
My last stop for the day was the History Museum. I can't believe that LP has listed this horrendous place as one of the major highlights of HCM. Simply, it was the best museum that I have ever seen. The collection, layout and the organization were all terrible. Moreover, the grammatical mistakes in the English labeling were unbelievable. Left the museum having learnt nothing about the Vietnamese past.
Set down at "Santa Cafe" to get some fresh fruit. Although the fruit was good, the ambiance was horrible and the insistent sellers wouldn't let you eat your pineapple in peace. This cafe should be omitted from the guide book too.
Street Leading to My Guesthouse 2
I returned to my hotel to go online, but there was an elderly Vietnamese lady playing card games on it. After making myself noticed, I sat down and started waiting for my turn to come. 15 minutes later, a socially awkward British guy came in. He told the lady that he wanted to use the computer; the lady left. I told the guy that I had been waiting for a while. He told me that I should have just asked the lady. "Nevertheless, I had been waiting..." I told him angrily. He wouldn't reply. "Are you just going to take my place like that?" I asked him aggressively. His answer was that he wasn't going to take long. He quickly checked the HBO schedule for a TV series and left. I wanted to punch him in the face.
There is an entire family living on the ground floor of my hotel. Well, it's more of a guesthouse than a hotel... Most family members work at the guesthouse. In the evenings. they throw thin mattresses on the floor of the reception area and watch TV communally.
Had chicken Pho and coconut juice at the same place as last night. I love Pho 24.
