October 2007 - Miss Saigon

Miss Saigon

Vietnam – the one place where I have had more dong in my hands and pockets than anywhere in the world! My hotel bill was over fourteen million dong! That is only about $250.

The Path of Least Resistance

I learn something new everyday. In Vietnam, a mom, a dad, baby and two pigs can fit on a motorbike. Traffic flows like water, all vehicles, mostly mopeds, travel at the same speed without organization or accidents. It was almost impossible to find a break in traffic to cross streets. After observing the locals, I realized that you can not wait for a break in the traffic to cross. You just have to walk into the intersection and the traffic goes around you. As I walk into traffic without getting killed, I feel a bit like Jesus walking on water. Mopeds flow around me, barely touching me as if I had just swum into a school of fish. (Note for later: this does not happen with fish if you have scabs hanging off your body, so I am sure there are exceptions to the rules.)

My father served in Vietnam in the 1960’s. His 60th birthday is in two weeks, where I will visit him in Chicago. I am hoping to visit his old post a Long Binh, about twenty miles outside of Ho-Chi Minh City, to take photos of what it looks like today.

I met up with an acquaintance in Saigon whom I met on the plane on a prior trip to Singapore (the man who informed me of my sleep potato chip eating disorder.) He has lived in Saigon for almost ten years and told me to contact him if I ever make it there. He met me at the Continental, my hotel on the main square where the Quiet American was filmed. He took me on a walking tour of Ho Chi Minh, introducing me to some of the best roof-top bars in the city for sunset. Unfortunately, he informs me that my father’s former post is now an Industrial wasteland and there is not much left of the barracks.

That evening I indulged in Vietnamese shopping through open marketplaces, the most beautiful silk shops, and art galleries. In one day, I had a dress made to fit my measurements exactly out of the silk of my choice for US$40. This is much different from the shopping centers in Singapore and finally I can find some nice bargains. Of course I have to indulge in a $20 massage and manicure & pedicure, since all the people who do my nails in the US are Vietnamese.

The next morning I woke up early to go for a run along the Mekong River before the heat and humidity set in. The city has a very French influence in the architecture of the Opera House, train station, churches and community buildings. I have a dog friend who I named ‘Dinner.’