When I first visited HCMC (or formerly known as Saigon), in Vietnam as recently as 3 years ago, I felt it great as it was not a biz trip, except to meet with a Singaporean guy who had settled down with his family in that city. It still appears to be like an ancient city, though several towers have sprung up to act as landmarks, especially those owned by Singaporean companies. The streets were filled with motorcycles more than cars. To a first timer like me, crossing a road was almost an impossibility, until I watched and learnt a trick. Be brave and just walk across at some convenient spot, and behold, the motorcyclists will avoid you more than you need to avoid them, in that spirit. There was always order in disorder in the traffic theory in the streets. A few old government buildings have been well preserved to become good class hotels or public centers, each with their national flags flying high. No policemen were seen anywhere, and I felt rather safe wandering around even in the evenings. Most people knew what you spoke in English but they used a simple and large digit display to tell us the price in either USD or Dongs (which has several zeros). Most people were tall and slim, as if they were born that way, and young. Wonder where and how they kept off the older people in the city. Hawkers selling all kinds of simple products or T-shirts or me-too watches dotted the streets. Nevertheless, people take things easy, including my friend whom I met for the first time in that city. Nothing seemed to hurry anyone, unlike the pace in other major cities in Asia. I long to visit Hanoi in the north, someday soon. For leisure only.
Posted on: Mon, 08 Jul 2013 03:49:11 +0000