Along Hai Thuong Lan Ong Street

This is what you'd call the main drag in the Cholon area of District # 5. It's a street that appears endless, and filled with people and merchandise every which way you look. I present a collage of some of the photos taken that day so as to give you a true feeling of the bustle of the area. Everything and anything is happening, right down to the red traffic light.

It's also a shopper's haven, as you can find just about anything you might be looking. When we left the market, we started to walk around, and lo and behold, there was a jewelry store with watches. Though I cannot explain it, I can tell you that Chuck has an insatiable appetite for watches, and if he would wear all those that he purchased in the last thirteen or so years, they would go up his arm and around his neck, all the way down his other arm. But you know what they say about lemons, - and I sure made lemonade that day. I found the daintiest, sweetest pair of silver earrings with posts, and of course, in Saigon, they actually help you try them on, as you can see. We lingered in there for a long time, most likely because they had a fan in the shop.

For about US$10 (or 155,000 dong), we were able to get a 32 inch, red cloth suitcase with wheels which came in very handy. Of course, there is truth to the saying that you get what you pay for, and we only needed this valise to last until we returned to the states with our collection of treasures, so it served the purpose. Naturally, there will be higher quality goods if you need them, but then, don't come for them at Cho Bin Tay. I actually dragged this thing without minding too much, as I relished at the idea of all the things I could now remove from the hotel floor, closet, and plastic bags and just pack away.

Here's an interesting piece of trivia for you. Hai Thuong Lan Ong Street is known as "medicine street" in Saigon's Chinatown. We are not speaking of medicine in Western terms, but rather in Chinese traditional, where exotic scents and plants and barks are sold out of huge burlap sacks to cure whatever ails you. In the previous post on the indoor market, I did show some very exotic and saffron looking pieces of bark which are used for medicinal purposes.

Actually many of the very same mushrooms and dried bananas and other animal parts which are believed to have multi-purpose medicinal effects are found in our own Chinatown in New York. And also in the slightly larger San Francisco Chinatown. Some of those dried banana cakes showed up on our trip to the My Tho Fruit market. I can tell you that these mixtures worked for me when I was suffering with severe knee problems which had me on crutches for several months; the only drawback was the agonizing taste and horrible smell.

With all the activity and going about the business of life and trade, don't expect people to give you smiles and greet you as they might on Hai Ba Trung Street. The Cholonese are very busy people, and especially those that are in the indoor market, as competition is quite stiff.

What is also an interesting mix of old and not so old, are the ancient, crumbling shops on the lower levels and street levels, topped by the pastel colored, gaudy multiple story buildings. Here are a couple of examples:

the pink and yellow just don't make a very attractive combination

but there is always someone working on repairing, painting, patching or fixing

Here you get a better sense of the juxtaposition of the

shops and the colorful apartments that top them

This is a very typical dwelling: a balcony, laundry lines and always potted plants

Essential to Chinese life and tradition are the festivals and costumes which accompany them. Especially around Tet, the New Year Celebration, dressing up as a dragon is de rigueur. You will find all that is necessary here for the party.

There are lanterns that are covered with silk fabric and in the prerequisite red color; also for the New Year are the traditional master calligraphers along this street with their huge brushes with which they expertly spell out their goodwill messages.

Cholon is also home to several pagodas and temples which we did not have time to visit, but will look up on our next trip. And as will all Chinatowns, anywhere in the world, food is something to be samples and savored. As always, sport good walking shoes and stay hydrated.

Cho Binh Tay - Chinatown Market

Every city in the world most likely has its Chinatown. And Saigon is no exception. The character of the market is quite different than Cho Ben Thanh, but it is surrounded by some beautiful parks and architecture that beckons one to slow down from the seemingly endless madness and bustle one finds inside its perimeters.

Do a cab as it's faster and provides some relief from the heat, which can become unbearable. If you just say Cholon (the word means big market), they will immediately know what you are talking about. Cholon refers to the district where allegedly the world's largest "Chinatown" is found.

An estimated one million people live here, and have their shops and foods and all things ethnically Chinese. In sharp contrast with District 1 where we were staying, which has modern, high rise buildings, Cholon in District 5 provides a time warp that may take you back a few hundred years. Which makes it all the more exciting.

Let's go through the market and continue on outside where a sitting area is available, but the only people we saw sitting were children. The adults appear to have way too much to do to spend any of their time out here. But it's lovely and reminiscent of some of the topiary we had seen on the grounds of the Grand Palace in Bangkok (albeit on a very very much smaller scale). All of the elements for harmony and balance are found; water, beautiful foliage, huge urns where joss sticks are burning continuously, as offering to the spirits, or to keep the evil spirits away. And for more protection, the requisite dragons are in full form, black stone and menacing.

All around the area, you will see pagodas, temples and monasteries built by the Chinese to accommodate the influx of their people into Vietnam. They have their own clan associations, which allow them to respond to their own cultural and religious needs.

An interesting bit of a trivia is that even though the Vietnamese have dubbed the area as Cholon, the Chinese refer to it as "ti-an", which means enbankment. Some of the temples and institutions which were built in the area date back to the French occupation, and others predate it.

When you've had enough fresh air, head back inside the market and start navigating the aisles. They have separated durable goods from consumables, which makes a lot of sense. There is also an upper level with more shops, that are in reality similar to stalls. Most have goods stacked to the ceiling, in certain cases very neatly, and in worst cases, very helter-skelter. The next few pictures will give you an idea of optimization of space. These people have mastered the art.

this is the upper level of the market seen from below

the market shows its age through one of the tiles in front of the hat displays

If I recall accurately, we did buy a suitcase here, after doing some price comparisons, which , are you will find are not necessary here. By our standards, most if not all prices are ridiculously low, and one tends to get caught up in the enormity of the number of dongs rather than their value. 150 thousand dongs is only US$10. Unfortunately, no matter how many times you do the math, you still get sticker shock. At one point, Chuck had a brilliant idea, and devised his own tables of dollars versus dongs. It did help us with the rest of the trip.

Cuisine is one of the most exciting things to sample, and it's no secret that the Chinese represent one of the three top world cuisines. The other two are French and Italian. At Ben Tay Market, you can not only browse the aisles for purchasing foods, but you can watch people cooking and eating whatever the day's menu brings. The colors and smells will transport you to another world. In some cases, I had absolutely no idea what was in front of me, but I was nevertheless mesmerized by the colors and sheer quantity of variety.

the only thing I can identify here are the scallion pancakes on the extreme right-yummy

they love chilies in this country, and it's the death of me.

of course, everything is absolutely fresh

If I had to guess, I'd say these were mushrooms

The colors here would make an artist drool; the middle pile looks like tiny shrimp

So now you have a preview of a small slice of life in Cholon. Don't wait too long before you visit.

Saigon, the city that hardly sleeps

It was once the capital of South Vietnam, but since reunification, it has ceded to HaNoi, its sister city in the North. However, Saigon is sassier, sexier, faster, turbulent, sultry, and on a path to becoming one of the must-do destinations of Southeast Asia. I haven't seen enough of it, but the people of Ho Chi Minh City (most people in the South still call it Saigon) left an indelible impression on me.

These last few weeks, I have witnessed more reporting on Vietnam in the media than ever before. In July of 2009, we will celebrate 14 years of diplomatic relations with Vietnam. A fantastic journey was featured on Link TV recently called "The Reunification Express" which symbolically represents the end of the Vietnam war with America and the re-uniting of the North and Southern parts of the country.

On board the Reunification Express, you'll see a lot of farmland and friendly people

But it also signals that despite this union, the North and South maintain different habits and ideas. The train itself is the link between Vietnam's major cities, Hanoi and Saigon. We took that train, and I was on board again every minute of the broadcast. At times, I had tears in my eyes, because everything I saw on the screen was deja-vu.

photo: it takes 36 hours from north to south, so they have to feed you.

This entire week, a news broadcast which I have started to watch religiously called "World Focus" is featuring a 4-part series on Vietnam. This is a wonderful lesson for those who still think of Vietnam as a former enemy country, with people who hate us. It couldn't be further from the truth. Vietnam is too busy growing and moving forward, and 3/4 of its population was born after the war. They aspire to visit us, link with us, and speak our language.

I will never forget this woman I met at the Qing Café

In the meantime, I aspire to see Saigon. I miss Saigon. I miss the grandeur of the Continental Hotel, even though in its company are other 4 and 5 star hotels. But they are all too Western for me and reflect little of what I long for by way of Indochina. War correspondents will tell you that this hotel was one of a few that sheltered the media during the war coverage.

the balconies at the Hotel Continental

The others were the Rex Hotel which is within walking distance, and the Caravelle, where Chuck and I spent our last evening in Saigon on its terrace looking down on the lit streets, sipping on fruited cocktails and listening to live music. Finally, the Majestic Hotel, which we did not visit, hosted war reporters and spies during that infamous war.

An evening at the Caravelle rooftop

Every report and every video of Saigon will never miss to show what fun it is to cross the street. I say fun now, but my first attempt at getting across Hai Ba Trung was heart stopping. Here's a piece of advice: if you hesitate, you will never get to your destination. Therefore, do look at the oncoming vehicles (mostly cyclos, motorbikes and bicycles) and start walking. They will go around you, even though you feel death at your door. After a few tries, it becomes second nature..like brushing your teeth.

They will never stop coming, so you'd better cross that street

What might be a bit scarier than negotiating street crossing is riding a cyclo. The men who drive them think it's very funny to launch their passengers into oncoming traffic, head on. I speak from experience. I have not tallied the accidents which may have happened with these cyclos, but it wouldn't surprise me to find some. Most cyclos only accommodate one person, even though we taxed a poor driver in the city of Hue, and were completely squeezed into his cart. We made it, but I think he must have been exhausted.

Tree lined Le Loi Avenue

Le Loi Avenue is grand for walking (avoid in extreme heat, because even though you may feel enthusiastic, you will be in a coma the next day,-again experience speaking here). From our hotel, it is quite a long walk, but our eyes tried to capture snapshots and slices of life all the way until we reached the Ben Tranh market.
This is the country's largest, has an outdoor section, and sells everything you need, and some things you've never heard of. Its endless aisles and sub-aisles are an amazing grid of activity, and we felt so welcomed by everyone despite communication handicaps. It's a joy to see people faces light up when you say you are from America.

photo: Vietnamese women are a crucial part of the workforce.

A concert on the steps of the Opera House in Nam Lon Square

The Opera House in Nam Lon Square is host to many events. They had a concert in the open air one Sunday, and on another weekend, they were holding a marathon. Next visit, I would love to go inside and see something cultural.

And if you want trendy, chic, and the very latest in fashions, amble down Don Khoi Street. You might want to plan a couple of hours, as it is impossible to resist going into every single shop you come across. I had my eye on a silk dress that was just regal in its design and simplicity. I purchased a couple of purses made of what seemed to be mother of pearl rectangles. A year later, I found the very same purses in Manhattan. A small world indeed. And among all the hooplah is the Paris Deli café, where Chuck and I met one of his corresponding buddies. He had been kind in recommending a hotel for us upon landing, and it was the right mixture of economy and authentic Vietnamese not spoiled too much by Western touches. Of course, there was internet; on the mezzanine floor of the hotel, we had free access as part of the room price.
I'll take you to the War Remembrance Museum (above photo) which is impossible to miss. And the Women's Museum which talks about Southern Vietnam's heroic women. We'll visit the pet market, and walk by the Headquarters of the People's Committee in Nguyen Hue Square, which was built by the French. We'll go to an authentic pho restaurant where a hero lived and sheltered the resistance. We will also meander around Saigon Plaza for a lesson in the modern mall and tourism attraction. And if you like books, as I do, the Fahasa chain of bookstores is there to serve you. We'll check a few restaurants and I will reveal to you the quality of health care, just in case you come down with food poisoning. Bring good hiking boots and ensure you are well equipped with bottled water. Diet coke is hard to come by and costs more than regular.

photo: statue of Ho Chi Minh in Nguyen Hue Square; in the background the Headquarters of the People's Committee

See you in Saigon.

Inside the Forbidden City

the emptiness represents bombed areas for the most part

Though everyone equates Hue with its imperial past, it is not only splendor and royalty that are recorded on these walls. During the Tet Offensive, a turning point in the War, the Viet Cong and North Vietnamese forces fought one of the longest and fiercest battles in this ancient capital city, killing masses of people and carrying out systematic executions in what was to be known as the "Massacre at Hue". If the walls could talk, I am sure they'd have stories to tell. Once you get past the gate, and away from the Palace, you begin to realize how immense this city was and is. Aside from the vast expanses of green grass and dirt roads are stand-alone walls that were once part of a building of sorts. The American War, as it is called here in VietNam, caused much of the damage, though hostilities prior to America's arrival had already left their mark here.Some of the walls still have their lovely archways, but all there is to see is grass on either side. At times, beyond the uncut grass, you'll catch a glimpse of part of the moat, its waters so still , except for the one nearest the entrance, which brims with life of koi fish.

I stared at the walls of this archway for a long time, as if waiting to hear something. It was still standing as if to tell me, I am here, but I have seen horrors; I have seen the inhumanity of man against man. And my old bones will remain so that I can tell those that will follow you and cross my path.

It was well after the war that mass graves had been discovered on these grounds, and the evidence showed that civilians had been tortured before being murdered. Some were thought to have been buried alive. Such carnage in an area that beheld so much splendor and majesty!

One of the buildings that appeared unscathed, but was closed to visitors, was the "Thai Binh" Reading Pavilion. It was surrounded by a beautiful garden, and someone was lovingly tending to it when we arrived at its entrance. It was built during the reign of Thieu Tri (1841-1847), and underwent restoration in 1921, and again, after the American War, in 1990 and 1991. The mosaics are superb and the style in great part Chinese. When I looked at the roofing, I was immediately reminded of similar roofs I had seen in Bankgok, at the Grand Palace. Far apart, yet bound by the same influence.

The Thai Binh Reading Pavilion

We walked around the building several times, peaking through the windows to try to catch a glimpse of what was inside. There were ladders and cords everywhere, and it was hard to see anything.

This is the landscaped garden to the side of the Reading Pavilion. It is not difficult to imagine that it must have been majestic at one time. A very high and ornate wall runs along the entire side as part of the enclosure; remember that you had to go through several gates to get into the heart of the Forbidden City.

The columns which support the structures are quite decorated colorful mosaic designs and Chinese characters. The Pavilion is the only building to have escaped destruction from the war.

This flower and rock garden lies directly in front of the main gate to the Pavilion

The workmanship of the roof is stunning

We walked around and during those walks we would come upon a structure, like a gazebo, that has been restored by the Canadians. There would be an inscription giving the date and credit to the contributing country. As we neared the end of our walk, we came upon another building, also closed. At the foot of the steps were stone lions, much like guardians in their demeanor. Right in front was a huge cannon, and I wondered if that was part of the original landscape, or a remnant of the war.

There was much more to see in Hue, but on a less than 48 hour stopover, we never saw the seven Imperial urns. It's a great excuse to come back.

if walls could talk

Train Station at Hue

The Train Station at Hue is either deserted or mobbed. That entirely depends upon the train schedule. As you can see from the below photo, this was way earlier than the train was expected to arrive. We also had to get our tickets, and we had first class reservations since the trip was an overnighter. All stations are lined with vendors vying for your business; it's mostly food and drink for the ride. 

For all the francophiles out there, "Ga", meaning station, was taken from the French word "Gare". Since it was the French that built the railroad for the Vietnamese, I guess it makes some sense. But other words sneaked their way into the language. Here are a couple just for fun: bia (beer from the French bière); dam (woman from the French "Madame")and bup pe (doll from the French "poupée").

Though the line had barely three people in it, there was one particular individual who was intent in cutting in front of me. My guardian angel, who had been there when we arrived, showed up to say goodbye, I suppose. The photo I took of him is absolutely awful and unfocused, but the only one I have. He very kindly stepped to the window in front of the "shover" and allowed me to get the tickets. I was so grateful that I walked back with him to his little café/grocery across from the station to stock up for the trip. He had fresh croissants, coconut cookies, peanut and sesame brittle which were to become my new obsession, Snicker bars (hey!!), and bananas...I knew that whatever I bought would never go to waste, and of course, it was extremely inexpensive. I hope he sees his picture here. He thanked me profusely for my purchases. 

Upon my return, we were told to move to the main "waiting area", and now I know why the station wasn't crowded. Everyone who was leaving Hue was in this room. After we sat, we quickly realized that the air conditioning system was on the blink. This is not a good thing. The windows were on the other side of the hall, and we decided, with all the luggage, to make a move to the other side, in search of air. Though we did not find much relief, we did manage to meet some of the nicest people who were seated in front and to the side of us. 


This is when I learned all about the Viet Kieu, the term used for Vietnamese nationals who left the country , or rather escaped, after the American War, mostly from the South and made America their home. There is almost a quarter million of them living in Southern California, and these men proudly told us they were from America, and had come to Hue to visit family. The Viet Kieu contribute billions to the local economy in Vietnam through investments and family support. Until recently, and I don't know if the law has changed, but there was talk in the newspapers about allowing these expatriates to hold dual citizenship to make either visiting or re-locating to Vietnam more attractive.

It started innocently enough with the young woman who was sitting next to me in the stifling waiting room. She was a ceramics designer, and was accompanying the rest of the family, including the war veterans, to Saigon, for an even larger family reunion. As the conversation became wider, the men began to talk about fighting the war against the North, and then so proudly told us, we are Americans, just like you. I beamed. 
We would be waiting here for the train for over two hours, as mid-way through our wait, we heard over the loudspeakers that the train was being delayed. I kept thinking of the relief on board of the air-conditioned cars, which is a heavenly blessing in this type of weather. 
Suddenly, everyone was talking and exchanging business cards and emails. We ended up sharing our compartment with the traveler from Taiwan, a man who offered me a paper fan when he realized my distress with the heat. I still have it in my office, and it's purple, just like the Forbidden City of Hue.