Filed under: Asia
Also formally known as Ho Chi Minh City, this place is buzzing with the hum of motorbikes. With a population of approximately 7 million people, it is estimated half of them own a motorbike, although the stats say that there are only 900, 000 licenses. The bikes are often packed with people (I’ve counted four on one) and piled high with merchandise. However, for all the motorbikes on the road, there appears to be few accidents and everyone appears to be good humoured when it comes to navigating the streets and roundabouts. The motorbikes move like a shoal of fish, ebbing and flowing around the obstacles. It’s remarkable to watch. It’s daunting trying to cross the street though, with motorbikes not only going against the traffic but regularly using the footpath too. The only way to cross the street is to walk while keeping your eyes peeled, there can be a wall of ten to eleven bikes coming towards you at one time. But if you stand your ground and keep moving the bikes will flow around you.
I spend three days here in total, too long in the usual scheme of this travel, but I wanted to spend Christmas day somewhere peaceful and not on the road. The city is easy to navigate as it is divided into 16 districts and many places of interest are within walking distance of District 1, which is the main backpackers area. I got in some of the sights including the Reunification Palace, War Remnants Museum and the Notre Dame church. The Pham Ngu Lao area has plenty of western type restaurants, but you don’t have to travel too far to find a traditional Vietnamese eatery. Many of the Vietnamise don’t speak English, unlike the Cambodians. However, while trying the decifer the menu in a Vietnamese restaurant – which wouldn’t be a problem if I wasn’t a vegetarian – a Vietnamese English teacher kindly stepped in to translate and then stayed with us for a chat. He wanted to practice his English and I was delighted to talk to him about teaching and life in Vietnam. Good food and great lesson in Vietnamese culture.
Christmas day was great, relaxed in the peace and quite beside a pool, which I had to myself all day. My companion for the day was a great book – Zen and The Art of Motorcycle Maintenance – a fantastic gem of a book.
After three days here it really is time to move on. With the main aim of getting to Halong Bay in the north, I have to get my skates on. Next destination – Nha Trang on the south central coast.
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