Back to where it all began.
I can’t begin to tell you how excited I am to be back here after six years. Vietnam was the first country in Asia I ever travelled to, and Ho Chi Minh City was my first stop. I landed on my feet in another world and haven’t been the same since. As a country and a continent, it changed me. It showed me that there is a totally different world than the one I grew up in. From food, to customs, to etiquette; it seemed like outer space at first. The east has a hold on me now. I’m stoked to see what has changed and what remains the same. And of course to measure how much I’ve changed since first stepping foot in this city. It holds a place in my heart. This is where I began to open my mind, and where my deep love of travel truly began.
The city is named after Ho Chi Minh, the first leader of the independent communist state until his death in 1969. It was originally called Saigon and many people (the Romantics) still use this name. It is the largest city in Vietnam, with a population of 8.93 million people. A sprawling city with 24 districts; 19 inner city and 5 suburban. District one is where most of the action is, it’s the centre for tourism, commerce and of course nightlife with all the karaoke you can handle. Most of the museums and monuments are here in the old quarter of Saigon, including the Independence Palace, the Notre Dame Cathedral, Saigon Opera House and Saigon Central Post Office, and of course the Ho Chi Minh City Museum. The last time I was here I toured through most of these sites. This time around, I’m after a different sort of experience. I want to get to know another side of Vietnam, and experience it more on a realistic level. dig a little deeper into the local layers, and just be present. Live a little bit more like a local.
The motorbikes fill the streets here: the hustle is real. This is a working city. Everyone is on the move, making a move, taking on life with full force. There are 7.2 million vehicles registered, and 6.7 million of those are motorcycles, half a million are cars. Add in the commuters and we have 10 million vehicles. There are plans to build a metro system and improve the public bus networks. It wouldn’t be the same without the walls of motorbikes lining the streets, but it’s time for change. I just hope it happens soon enough for the sake of our planet. Getting flashbacks to Jakarta, bracing myself for that sensory overload once again.
The city is a bit on the abrasive side; people are not overly friendly, no one makes eye. contact, you're often just ignored. It's just a matter of etiquette and how life goes here. Everyone has an agenda and just stays in their lane. Quite different from Bali, more along the lines of Jakarta. So just take that in stride, make a plan and get to where you need to be, step back from the main streets to the many hidden treasures this city has to offer. During French rule, the city was transformed into a port for rice grown in the Mekong Delta. There are railroads constructed that run north and south through the city, and straight boulevards that are lined with trees. Outside of these, of course are many winding streets that mark the city as one between worlds of past and future.
The street food here is unbelievable. The markets are fascinating. The smells, sounds and sights are very much alive. I’ve been dreaming about returning to these streets and just sitting down to a nice coffee and a bowl of piping hot pho soup, and letting the scene wash over me. The coffee here is served strong, of the robusta style. There are many coffee plantations throughout Vietnam nestled in the mountains. Last time I visited I drove a motorbike through Dalat, a province northwest of HCMH to visit a few plantations. Very lush and alluring. Get a drip coffee with a personal filter or the famous “cà phê sữa đá” is an iced coffee made with condensed milk, so it is very sweet, thick and rich. It comes in a small portion with lots of ice. You sip it slowly and allow the ice to melt. In this way the moment stretches out, and you’re immersed in a pause as the city races by.
There are coffee shops on every street and every corner here in HCMC and all the other cities throughout the country. Coffee is very much a part of the culture and landscape of Vietnam, a tradition and ritual of its own to enjoy alone, or with friends.
Last time I was here, I spent a month getting to know some of Vietnam’s many layers. Learning about the rich history and all the wars and violence that’s taken place here. I visited a lot of historical museums and archive displays. I learned about the influence history and religion have had on architecture and food. My boss at the time, the great Mike Pham, who is Vietnamese Canadian, met up with me to travel for two weeks. It made for a very interesting experience in relation to perspective. We realized the differences in how information is framed. Between historians, tourist attractions, and the family stories he grew up with, the events of the past are told from different angles. Is it the Vietnam War or the American War? Everyone has a motive and a reason for telling a story. On a lighter note, Mike was a bit of a celebrity in the places we visited. Fluent in Vietnamese and clearly Viet in appearance, yet paler than the locals and a little chubby (in the most endearing way). These are signals of wealth here: having an ample amount to eat, and not working under the sun. Let’s just say there were a few marriage proposals. And he is very shy so it was actually hilarious to witness. We got to attend his cousin’s wedding in the small fishing and farming village south of HCMC where his father is from. I wore a traditional dress tailored by his aunt. She lives in HCMC, District 8 so we visited to buy the fabric and do the fitting. This experience motivates me to tell you it’s a good idea to have a local with you in such areas out of the centre. Just to navigate, and to follow the ins and outs of proper etiquette, what food to order at the market. It can be very alarming for the people here to lay eyes on foreigners who aren’t with a Vietnamese person. It's not a situation you want to find yourself in. At the wedding (which was a catholic wedding), we sat in pews; I had to sit at the back, staggered behind Mike, so the locals would see him first, then me. My appearance and attire led me down a road and I actually ended up in the wedding photos. We partook in a three-day wedding party, got to try some amazing local food and of course some rice whiskey (Bua da)… but that’s another story for another day. Let’s get back to the present. Read on if you dare….
Allow me to set the scene for you on the first night of my second trip to Vietnam. I flew into HCMC on a 4-hour flight from Bali. Up over the Indian Ocean onto the mainland of Southeast Asia. First step: to re-familiarize myself with the country and this city. (Hint: it involves food). So I land at Tan Son Nhat International Airport (SGN) at 6pm on Feb 15; quickly through security with just my carry-on. I have an electronic visa (30-day tourist visa is a requirement to enter), which cost 50 USD. I get my passport stamped (it’s nice to see it filling up again!!!). First, I hit the currency exchange in the airport and switch my remaining Indonesian rupiahs to Vietnamese dong. I’ve got just under 300thousand, which is just over 17 bucks. Enough to get me started for sure! Through the automatic doors; automatically transported back in time. The smell, the noise, the heat, I’m back!!! 5pm is ideal in comparison to 3am, like I did last time, and having to wait out daylight (especially after flying all the way from Canada). We’ve come a long way. I book a grab bike (like an uber, but on the back of a motorbike) and go to find my driver in a mass of green grab helmets echoing troop helmets of years past. We find each other; I have all my valuables in my small pack that I wear, and my driver throws my larger pack in the space at the front of the bike. I click in my helmet, say “Ready,” and off we fly into the heart of the city. It's about a 15-minute ride to my Airbnb apartment: we pass by many commuters, busy traffic circles, tall soaring buildings, fancy-looking retail outlets, restaurants, food stalls. This city has certainly grown up in the years I’ve been away, but it is still so uniquely Vietnamese, something I don’t think will ever be lost. The air, the smell, the noises, the hustle. It’s all still here, just in an ever-evolving form.
I booked a place in Little Japan Saigon, a Japanese corner of the city that’s on the quiet side. The streets look just like the yokocho of Shinjuku, but with a Vietnamese flair. I get dropped off at the opening to the network of alleys. The driver just points me in a direction, and I’m prepared to go the rest of the distance on foot. I grab my stuff and thank him (Cam on). I don’t have a sim card and data at this point, so I’m just going off the couple of pictures and instructions that my Airbnb host sent me earlier. No sweat, I can find this place. This is a dense little network of streets and the address I’m looking for is listed on a building sign at the opening, but it doesn’t give me anything beyond that. I zig, I zag, looking for the landmarks from the pictures: a salon, a restaurant, a bar… let’s just say I did a few laps and got the lay of the land in a nice high thirties evening temp. I finally got a gut feeling that got stronger as I weaved around the back, beyond a long fence bordering a condo going up. Nothing like the pictures, but this must be the place. I punch in the keys on the pad and step into the lobby of the narrow 5-story walk-up. Guess what floor I’m on? Haha. I arrive at my very simple, little studio apartment. It has a bed, a big window looking out into the alleys, a little kitchenette, they even left me instant noodles and coffee, all for 15cad per night. Things are definitely more basic than in many of the places I visited in Indonesia, and I’m happy to take things down a notch and appreciate the differences. I get myself settled, take a nice cold shower, and realize how hungry I am! I make a game plan and walk out into the evening.
I walk out of the narrow streets to the main intersection of this part of district one. I had looked up a few mobile phone shops that were about a ten-minute walk away. It’s just gotten dark, but the city is very well lit with shops and traffic lights. There is a wall of motorbikes on the streets I walk along. Luckily there is a well-established sidewalk here. The infrastructure has improved since last time. There are a few ladies here and there with stuff for sale, tamarind here, fresh fruit juice there. I make it to the shop, get a new sim and a data plan. 5 gigs per day, for 30 days for 10 dollars. Easy. Next up: coffee!! I walk back towards my place and find a strip of coffee shops and restaurants. I choose a cafe with a nice patio and order a cà phê sữa đá. Backstory… once I got my confidence on that trip six years ago to go ahead and start ordering in Vietnamese, the woman brought me a club soda. Luckily Mike bailed me out at the time, but not without a good laugh at my failed pronunciation. Oh beautiful caffeine! The familiar taste gives me a rush of gratitude for bringing myself back here after all these years. You just gotta follow your heart sometimes.
My noodle dreams are fulfilled once again in the perfect little pho shop nearby. There is a nice amount of locals inside and a few spilling out onto the streets. Always a good idea to go where the locals are eating. The woman and her young son were singing out the bowls of pho ba: beef noodle soup. If you haven’t tried this I encourage you to right away. Delicious broth, rice noodles, rare thinly sliced beef, fresh herbs and chilis… I ordered one and it all came rushing back.
The taste, the sounds, all immersing into my present moment. This is exactly where I want to be. The first chapter of this adventure has come to a close in Indonesia. Yes, that makes me a little sad to leave my new friends, and my best friend Alfred behind. But this is time for a personal journey, time to step into the next chapter of my life. By visiting a place where I set down some personal roots, I discovered what serves my soul. It was here that I made the decision that I always must find a way to travel, to explore the world, and to push the boundaries in my life. To flip the coin and find what is out there. Because who knows what we have beyond this one life?
I have three days booked here before I head north to take part in some volunteering I set up a few weeks ago. These few days will be a time for self reflection, days for myself. Catch up to my mind and set clear goals. I will savour the time alone and take a count of where I am and where I want to be, and what I wish to accomplish in the month I have here. Get my spiritual mise en place grounded again. Yes, I’ve left the best job I’ve ever had, working at Charlotteville Brewing Co. I’ve learned so much in the time I spent there, and I want to see how it measures up to the world, how I can honour it, and what I can offer with the wisdom I’ve gained.
A truly Vietnamese occurance took place the next morning as I left my place... the lobby was transformed into a fully operational noodle shop. Just imagine me coming down the stairs and sneaking right through the middle; pots of broth, vegetables, noodles, long line of people and grab delivery bikes lining up in the alley all staring at me as I tiptoe through. Good morning Vietnam!!
In the time I was away this city has grown immensely. I met a teacher here who took me around on her motorbike and showed me the expanse of the greater area of the city. It is incredibly modern with many apartment and office buildings.
Ho Chi Minh City (HCMC) is the unofficial capital of the south. It is the financial capital of Vietnam and contributes to almost thirty percent of the economy. It’s one of the fastest growing cities in Southeast Asia with a GDP growth rate of 10 %. HCMC is also one of the top ten countries in the world to be severely affected by climate change. Because of this, the growth comes with rapid urbanization that carries issues of energy security and water resources. Due to its location among the wetlands of the Mekong, there is increased risk of floods, compared to Jakarta in Indonesia. The main problem is the emissions. Vietnam’s government has committed to a 25% reduction in emissions by 2030. They don’t have the land area or topography to develop hydro power or thermal power resources, but they are working on implementing wind and solar plans to face the demands of growth. Under communist rule, in an effort to cut ties with foreign imports, many businesses struggled and had to close. From 1975 onwards, new ones began and an economy based in self-sufficiency emerged. That “let’s get on with it” frequency flows through many areas of life here. Many handicraft items like furniture and art are exported by a state-run enterprise now. Construction (you can’t miss it - there’s buildings going up every direction you look), mining, chemicals, electronics, food processing, tourism, agriculture and finance are the top industries here.
Take it back:
You know me by now, and you know I love the small streets, the narrow ones, the alleys. The winding patchwork of how things used to be. This is where the heartbeat is. The tiny food stalls with someone’s grandmother serving up some broth, the recipe passed down through the generations. And trust me, I like to think I have a natural talent, and I guess experience in wandering foreign cities, to sniff out the best spots. The sweet and savoury allure of the broth with a little funk of the streets all mixed into one distinct smell that is Vietnam. I’m coming for you.
It didn’t take long. I found the perfect little alley off the beaten path. I found a little cluster of stalls and first things first, gotta get that Vietnamese iced coffee. I had the perfect seat against the alley wall on a little stool. Away from the traffic, a little shade from the buildings. Little piece of heaven right here. Three food stalls linked up, working together, serving the working lunch crowd: slinging coffees, this delicious looking noodle soup and bun cha, which is a grilled pork dish with rice and cucumbers. I just sat here and became immersed in this little corner of the city. It’s a little embodiment of what Vietnam is at the heart. Each woman is holding down her piece of society, and working alongside her crew, her neighbours. I had just planned to have the coffee, and wander, but that soup won me and my senses over. I beckoned to the woman of the soup and motioned that I wanted to have a bowl. She gave me a knowing smile, and brought one over, then started to pack it in for the day. The broth is a deep orange colour, with aromas of coriander, cumin, turmeric. Super thin rice noodles and sweet potatoes. Heaven in a bowl. The spices and nuances tell the story of her past, traditions of her family, a recipe that ties her to a place in time and space. She didn’t let me pay for it in the end. What a sweetheart. Like my own little Vietnamese granny.
On another note, I got myself a few bahn mi in my time here. These are a great gateway into Vietnamese cuisine. The nahm mi is the infamous french baguette with pate, pickled vegetables like cabbage and carrots, cucumbers, chili and cilantro. There are variations like an egg banh mi, chicken, pork belly, or just veggies. Of course the ingredients on the inside depend on which region you are in, what is in season and who is making it! Each stall has its own unique style! It's so exciting finding new corners of vietnam to explore and coming across a banh mi stand. And sometimes they even come to you, rigged up in a Bahn mi motorbike contraption! What a time to be alive. Good thing I have a lot of ground to cover on foot with all this food.
Ben Thanh Market
You can’t come to this city without visiting this market. It is one of the longest standing structures in Saigon. So it represents an important part of the history of the city. What started in the 17th century, as a group of street vendors in the open air, the structure was later built by the French in 1870 and called Les Halles Centrales, and expanded to housing dry goods and retail. Markets here are like living, breathing ecosystems. They are very much alive and their parts interact and coexist together. You have to come and take a look if you ever find yourself here.
It’s absolutely bustling in the morning with produce, meat, fish, noodle soup stalls (the staple breakfast food here!!) and in the evening there’s lots of snacks and street food specialties that hit all the notes of salty, sweet, sour and spicy that make up Vietnamese and southeast Asian cuisine! A place for social gathering spilling out into the streets. Once you get a little deeper inside, there are rows upon rows of dry goods: fruit, seafood like squid and shrimp (a key ingredient in many dishes), nuts, tea, coffee. And deeper into the labyrinth we go to find clothing of all shapes sizes, colours and textures. Some rows are so skinny that god forbid someone is coming towards you from down yonder, because you’ll have to squeeze into a stall to let them pass. No two-way traffic unless you want to get super friendly. As a foreigner you better be the one to move over, or else you’ll get some serious side eye. I visited twice in my three days here and that was some serious restraint. Seriously, don’t miss it if you come here!
HCMC is actually dialed into the craft brewery frequency, which sort of came as a surprise to me. There were at least a dozen in the walking radius of my area. There is one called Seven Bridges Brewing that is a 3 minute walk from my place, with a really nice bartender that I became friends with by the end of my stay. Few really nice beers on tap actually. I tried a pale ale, hazy ipa and chocolate chili stout that made me think of home.
I bought an inexpensive HP laptop here at a place called Doididong (lol). It's like the Future Shop of Vietnam. Indonesia was a time of adventure. partying, being free. Very fun while it lasted and a laptop didn't fit the equation, but it feels good to have the right tools now to be able to write while travelling long-term.
My travel intentions are shifting focus now. A month in, and I’m ready to get down to business. My upcoming volunteer position will bring learning back in the career areas I wish to evolve in: Gardening, teaching, ecotourism. Stories to come on where this part of my journey takes me!
Some Vietnamese phrases:
Hello: Xin chào (you can just say chào in a casual setting)
How are you: Bạn khoẻ không?
What is your name: Tên bạn là gì?
Goodbye: tạm biệt
Please: Làm ơn
Thank you: Cảm ơn
Sorry: Xin lỗi
Beer: bia
One two three cheers: một hai ba hoan hô!
Delicious: thơm ngon
Vietnamese is a very challenging language to learn! Yes, it uses the Latin alphabet thankfully, but there is a tone system that is marked by the accents on the letters. I find it very hard to get the pronunciation down and often say something completely different than I mean. But making an effort goes a long way in gaining respect from the locals and avoiding being charged "foreign rates." In HCMC more people speak English, but once you go rural it's rare to find English speakers.
Resources & Further Reading:
😋your descriptions and photos have my mouth watering! look forward to some Asian market shopping and cooking when you get back 😉
Absolutely amazing Emily. The desciptiveness of your writing makes me feel like I've been travelling along with you. We miss you and are also happy you are following your heart. Safe travels and take care, Ron and Doris.