Saigon - Life on a River

Thien Hau Insense

Ho Chi Minh City, located on the banks of the Sai Gon River, was until the 17th century a small Khmer fishing village. Later, issues with Chinese refugees during the Nguyen Dynasty, saw a new rule, growth and a change of character.  In 1859, Saigon was seized by the French giving the city a feel of a French provincial town. Saigon was later to become the capital of the Republic of Vietnam. In 1975, it was renamed Ho Chi Minh City after the founder of the modern communist state.  Now the network of waterways is bustling and the city booming.

We flew into Saigon over a panorama of fields and wide, muddy rivers. It looked and certainly was, warmer and much more humid than KL. 

After settling into our hotel, The Grand Hotel on Dong Khoi Street - what a position! - we took an orientation tour, walking with our guide, Hip. 

Group numbers appeared to swell as we moved through the streets. Was this performance art?  We seemed to have acquired a troop of tourist police (to ensure our safety) such as crossing those frenetic streets and negotiating a gaggle of assorted and very attentive hawkers.  All attentive to ensure our $US were wisely spent....  

We needed a coffee to relieve our frazzled nerves and there it was, Gloria Jean's!  As recompense, we had a local dinner at the Indochine. Set in an old colonial building, not yet restored, although well preserved might be a better word, but it did have character. Disappointingly, local food is not particularly spicy.

General Post Office

Dong Khoi Street used to be known as Rue Catinat and is the centre of the old French Quarter. We took in the Notre Dame Cathedral (1883) with two bell towers, the General Post Office and Municipal Opera Theatre (1899). The Post Office is quite spectacular and my endeavours to photograph floor tiles sparked a bit of a "theme" for me, especially being a patchworker. 

We drove past the People's Committee Building (formerly the Hotel de Ville, 1908), the Rex Hotel, a haunt of journalists during the American War, the Continental Hotel, (a setting for Graham Greene's, The Quiet American) and the renovated highrise, Caravelle Hotel. 

Afterwards we lunched at an interesting pho, or noodle shop, decorated in the old style with lots of dark timber panelling, all quite intricately carved and old chinese furniture.  It brought back memories of those fabulous old cafes in Malaysia with their black furniture, small mable-topped tables and dark, mysterious interiors

Notre Dame Cathedral

Our explorations next took us to downtown Cholon (Chinatown) past a very busy and large local produce market, Cho Binh Tay, through Thien Hau, a Chinese temple of the Goddess Protector of Sailors, with very tolerant worshippers, I must say.  Being sailors, we made an offering in the hope of good fortune and safe passage. After the calm of the temple, it was not long before we plunged into the depths of the Ben Thanh market and its wall to wall stalls, and as a final stop, every shopper's delight, the Tax Trade Centre in Nguyen Hue. Back for a swim and a beer before a disappointing, albeit interesting dinner.  Frogs, eels, crocodile Belgian style and snails on the menu. Snake's head porridge. Mmmmm? Perhaps not tonight!!!

Vive Viet Nam

Vietnam: A Snapshot

Battle Tours (Australia):  2007

Hue Kites

A few statistics, some with comparisons to Australia for us to appreciate the differences, and of course, interesting bits & pieces (sourced mostly from guides, internet sources) to enlighten us and provide a background for our trip:

The Socialist Republic of Vietnam: Land of the Ascending Dragon

Capital: Hanoi

Area: 325,360 sq km (Australia has 7,617,930 sq km)

Climate: Tropical and monsoonal

Population: 85,262,356 (Australia has 20,434,176) (as at Jul 07)

Scenery: Vietnam has a long coast line facing the South China Sea. It stretches from the low, hot & steamy Mekong Delta in the South (Nam Bo), through central highlands (Trung Bo) and up into the cool mountainous regions and Red River Valley of the North (Bac Bo). Vietnam has common borders with Cambodia, Laos and China.

Cau Hai Lagoon

People: Aprox 87% are ethnic Viets (Kinh) who are descended from the Hung or Lac originating from the Red River delta. Other significant groups are the Hoa (Chinese origin) who predominantly live in Cholon and the Mekong Delta, the Khmer (Cambodian heritage), who also live in the Mekong Delta and the Cham, who can be found on the central coast or Mekong Delta. Various important ethnic minorities, including the Muong are located in the central and northern highlands.

Culture: Vietnam is a Communist State. Culturally close to China, the Vietnamese are followers of Mahayana Buddhism, a Chinese evolved doctrine of the belief. They respect and follow Confucian teachings (moral & ethical principles), revere Taoism (preservation of natural balances eg yin & yang) and retain spiritualist traditions. Vietnam also has a representative group of Christians, largely Catholic; followers of Cao Dai, an eclectic religious mix (more later) and a small community of Hindus and Muslims.

Economy: Largely agriculturally based (rice growing represents 45%GNP) with a growing industrial sector (30%GNP); tourism and foreign investment have only been encouraged as recently as 1992. Vietnam has one of the lowest standards of living in the world, however we certainly saw evidence of strong and purposeful development in the areas we travelled, particularly in Saigon and Hanoi. What was particularly heartening was the attention given to public spaces and concern to preserve the past.

Street Stall - Cholon Style

Currency: Dong with an exchange rate guaranteeing at least 15 minutes of millionaire status - less for the shoppers among us. US$1 purchased VDG16,225.  

Ancient History: A fascinating mix of truth and legend, Vietnam's history can be traced back to tribes living in the Dong Song (or Red River delta) to times well before the Bronze Age. Southern migrations of these peoples, periods of Chinese domination, resistance to Malayo-Polynesian settlers and Khmer peoples has resulted in a complex yet interesting history. 

Current History: French Colonialism 1858-1956; Japanese occupation 1945; American intervention 1965-1973; Communist State declared in 1973 with reunification of North and South Vietnam in 1976. In 1979, Vietnam invaded Cambodia in response to the activities of an expansionist Khmer Rouge regime backed by the Chinese. As a result it was ostracised internationally until its troops were withdrawn in 1989. The US lifted its embargo in 1992.

Vietnam: Itinerary



Halong Bay

Itinerary: Flying into Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon) with excursions to Vung Tao for a Long Tan Commemoration Service, the Mekong Delta and Cu Chi. Flying on to Hoi An and driving on to Hue. Our flight to Hanoi was cancelled so we elected to bus it - something you have to do - just once.  From Hanoi we travelled to Halong Bay for an overnight cruise around the islands. All up 19 days. We had booked our tour through Battle Tours and found our guides to be experienced and friendly, the hotels nice (those with pools especially so) and our fellow travellers very pleasant company.

Technical Details: Disappointingly, many of my photos turned out fuzzy. My camera had been repaired, which it seemed affected its focus. And, as you do, I didn't check the camera well enough before we left.  Yes, I know!  A poor workman blames his tools; but on reflection, always invest in the best quality equipment you can afford. 

Roti Canai for Breakfast

Still the best Asian cookbook out there
(from Book Depository)

Back to the travelogue. I can't leave Malaysia without some comment on their glorious food.  Despite the obvious influx of western style foods, there are still plenty of food halls (and open air market stalls) selling delicious local food. Back then, we used to eat out regularly in the local style, trying most of the restaurants and stalls in PD and beyond. Our local night market was also an opportunity to sample out-of-town specialities.  Best of all was the little man on his scooter who delivered fresh goodies to our houses.

Delight of the Orient  - for some!

I learned to cook special curries from our acquaintances and loved to shop with the locals at the Seremban market for fresh, seasonal fruit and vegies. Pork, located in a separated complex, was available as was mutton (goat), beef (buff) and quite an array of birds, aside from the usual chicken - all melt-in-your-mouth.  I even found a man that sold frozen New Zealand lamb - well, it was perhaps best described by those of us with a taste for lamb, as mutton or really ancient sheep - but at least we were able to get our fix.  Malays find the taste of lamb too strong.... beats me how they can taste it over all that chilli heat!! 

Malaysian hospitality is wonderful and I loved their all-inclusive style of celebration called "open house" and method of serving food in "banana leaf" style - no plates or cutlery, just a variety of curries and  condiments served on a banana leaf and eaten with your fingers. A very free and relaxing way to run a party or entertain!  Here's a few of our favourite dishes that we encountered back then and hoped to re-sample this visit:

Nasi Lemak.  Rice in coconut milk served with cucumber, egg, peanuts, ikan bilis (small fried fish) and finally, lashings of a fiery, chilli sambal.  To make it more of a meal, a meat or vege curry such as beef rendang or sotong sambal could be added. Of course, it's best served banana leaf style.

Noodle Dishes. Char kway teow made with fresh vege and flat rice noodles, stir fried in a wok and prawn laksa, a rich coconut "soup" with prawns served over rice vermicelli rank as my favourites. We were often served these dishes at the Port Dickson Club on weekends. Mee, thick yellow wheat noodles, were also good either stir fried (mee goreng) or in a soup dish.

Other Staples. Roti canai, papery thin breads whirled over your head by the cook as you wait for this breakfast treat. Add some curry gravy, dhal or perhaps a little ayam curry and I'm in heaven.  Karipaps (curry puffs) helped fill in those gaps when you felt a bit hungry!!
  
Stall Specials.  Nothing beats chilli mud crabs.  Coat freshly caught & steamed mud crabs in chilli sauce, eat with your fingers and try not to get too emotional! 

Chicken satays fanned whilst being cooked over hot coals, then served with peanut sauce are too good to pass up on hot, steamy nights.

Kitchen Essentials.  Belacan - smells ghastly but adds that special zing to your curries.  Charmaine Solomon has written extensively about food in South East Asia. Try one of her comprehensive cook books. And a wok - can't live without my wok! 

Deserts. With an abundance of fresh fruits such as lychees, bananas, mangosteens etc, etc - too many to list - we only tried a few very sweet deserts or cakes such as dolol - coconut cakes wrapped in banana leaves to make cute triangles, then steamed.  Most memorable however, was ais kacang; shaved ice served in a tall glass with toppings of cendol (small gelatin cubes), peanuts, cincau (black jelly), red or black beans, rose syrup, coconut cream (santan) and finally gula melaka.  Makes your teeth rot just thinking about it!  I can't finish without mentioning durian. Yes, we tried it and it tasted to me like creamed garlic. Mind you I had my fingers firmly holding my nose at the time. 

Drinking.  Finish it all off with a Tiger Beer or a foamy teh tarik (stretched tea - you'll understand once it is served!). 

Of course you can't really cook up a storm without the help of Charmaine Solomon.  Her Cookbook has been around for years and is still the best available if you want an authentic recipe or several.   

River Baptists et al

The River Baptists by Belinda Castles is my latest read; unfortunately despite being a winner of the Australian /Vogel Literary Award, it's not up on Amazon yet, so no cover for you to see.  Not a bad story and of course it's set locally - hence my interest.  I believe there are a few other novels about the Hawkesbury River area so I am looking forward to seeing what makes the area so interesting to authors?? 

A recommended movie treat, the "Oyster Farmer" also sets a somewhat interesting angle on our "locals".  The river, it seems, harbours its fair share of quirky people with dark histories (Wow!! How long have I been in the neighbourhood and not really noticed??) but it is really nice to see a departure from the usual depiction of Aussies as laconic dudes from the outback (Priscilla, Queen of the Desert), weird city boys (like Mad Max or Romper Stomper)  or indeed, comedic dancing queens (Murial's Wedding and Cosi). So, wind up the DVD and watch some of Aus's best. 

(Ed. An update: finally found a cover copy of the River Baptists......)