March 21, 2024

First, let me share with you a photo I forgot to include on my post on Hoi An, Vietnam. I will explain to you later why I am including this picture.

Welcome to Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam. Or is it Saigon, Vietnam? Tourists have come to know this city as Ho Chi Minh City but many Vietnamese, because of their fractured relationship with China still call the city Saigon. Also, many Vietnamese want to memorialize what they consider the most heroic act of Thich Quang Duc the Buddhist monk who died by self-immolation on a busy road in than named Saigon. John F Kennedy said of the photo that circulated around the world of this monk setting himself on fire to protest the harsh treatment of Buddhists, “no photo in history has generated more emotion than that one”. In respect to the Vietnamese, I will refer to the city as Saigon.

Saigon is a city you have to jump into otherwise you will be left behind. It is also the city where I feel most like an NBA basketball player.

I think the reason Saigon feels so busy is because of the number of motor scooters. In a city of 9.3 million, there are more scooters than people! Gas in Saigon is cheap, $1.00 per liter. (the only place cheaper is Malaysia, where with government support gas is 50 cents a liter) And no one in Saigon ever gets rid of a scooter. You see them being refurbished on the street and many families keep spare scooters just in case their primary scooter breaks down.

And everyone, I mean everyone is on a scooter, from grandmas to children just old enough to hold on to a parent’s back or sit in the front.

But most importantly, scooters are a way to conduct commerce in Saigon. No need to own a shop if you have a scooter.

And as the primary means of transportation, it is an easy, if somewhat dangerous way of bringing items back home.

And Saigon is known for their street food. Not food prepared and sold from a cart, but delicious food items served on real plates.

The real joy of Saigon has to be shopping for bargains. Be forewarned, this is a contact sport not suited for the fair hearted. This endeavor requires all types of begging, palavering, walking away, walking back again and all kinds of distorted facial expressions and pretend outrage to gain some measure of leverage against your opponent. Yet, it is all done in great fun! I am convinced that there is a secondary motive for the Saigon shop owner. The intent is to make sure that you leave believing that you got the best price possible so that you will tell your friends what a great deal you got and draw additional traffic to that particular shop.

I also assure you that no matter how good you think your negotiation skills are, the shop owner is always going to make a profit on each and every item sold.

Regarding the photo I included of woman fishing in Hoi An, I was told that even that long standing tradition is being challenged by “fish farms” that are being developed throughout Vietnam. On the way out of Saigon, I saw one of those exact fish farms.

By the way, if you are in Saigon make sure you buy a bag of Vietnamese cashews-still in the shell. They are the best cashews I have ever tasted!

And I got the entire bag for only $4.00. What an Amazing Deal I got!

Or at least I think so.

Thanks for travelling with us…