mrsjono

We met quite a number of Vietnamese who can speak Chinese and/or Cantonese in Saigon. Their ancestors came from China (Guangdong province) and eventually settled down in Vietnam, forming the Hoa ethnic group. The younger generation can converse up to 4 languages (Vietnamese, English, Chinese, Cantonese) fluently. It's time we stop thinking we're great just bcos we're bilingual...

Wedding of Mr Kim Chuy and Ms Van Hieu. Not sure if I got their names right lol. Looks like a Chinese wedding doesn't it? Nice hat there bride.

This pretty girl looks like a Tibetan to me. She gave the "not-again-why-is-it-people-are-always-asking-me-for-a-photo" face, dragged her feet over and forced a smile.


Auntie said 没有再p-ang di了

Remember someone said I look like a Vietnamese? She was right. Some locals talked to me in Vietnamese but not to RS. For instance, he was asking for directions at a bus station and the staff behind the counter asked me to translate what he said...

I had picked 4 hostels beforehand and we didn't stay in any of them bcos they were all full. We did not book bcos we don't know how to. I figured we'll look around when we get there. We met a family of four from Australia on the bus. The moment they got off the bus, the father just walked into the first hotel he saw. Cool.


Nah, the rooms are perfectly fine. Everyone seems to know each other in this small community. They would recommend their relative's place if their rooms are full. We were afraid the Thien Hong family would be upset seeing us coming from their rival's place (just next door) to buy mineral water from them. Silly us.


We ended up at Hotel 96 for a night bcos the sordid owner of Y Nhi let out the room we had reserved (and bargained for US$10) to two Singapore undergraduates who paid US$12 (cos they didn't know they can bargain). His excuse was he thought we were not coming bcos we didn't place our bags at his house. Smelly.

A deserted hotel with a corny name. I think we were the only ones here bcos we didn't see a single soul. Beats staying in that haunted room with cockroaches on the other side of the street. Creepy!

Half a year ago, I did research work for a professor on public spaces in Vietnam. Academia on public space in this country have discussed about personal activities not occurring in private places (inside the house) but happening outside, in the public sphere. This phenomenon is unique to Vietnam and it was an opportune time to see for myself and better understand the literature I have read during the course of my secondary research.

Pavements supposedly for pedestrians have been converted to commercial uses, forcing pedestrians to walk on the roads. I feel insecure walking along the road as motorcycles zoom past, less than a metre away from me.



Due to inadequate private space in homes, domestic activities such as eating, cooking and washing have spilled onto public spaces. In Western societies, people don't carry a bowl of rice and start eating away along the street.

The first thing that caught my attention when we arrived in Saigon was the traffic. Lanes don't exist and honking doesn't work. There are extremely few traffic lights (I suspect they don't have money to build traffic lights so they make do with roundabouts) and zebra crossings on the roads. While the bus was trying to squeeze its way through, I opened the window and looked behind. It was quite an amazing sight.


With no designated crossings for pedestrians, it can be rather daunting trying to cross the road what with the endless traffic. Not to worry, take a leap of faith and you'll get to the other side safely. I noticed the volume of traffic was equally heavy in the day and night. The honking never stop. The guide who took us to Cu Chi described Saigon as a city that never sleeps. It was the only intelligent thing he said that day.

What could be more extraordinary than going on a holiday with a fractured elbow. Imagine the inconveniences one has to go through without being able to use your right hand. It wasn't an easy journey for our injured friend here and he deserves a pat on the back for completing the journey and leading the way. We took this at 6.58AM, 17 mins before our flight. It was on purpose, bcos I didn't want to wait and I believe the plane wouldn't take off with my luggage without us on board. I was strolling on the travelator when we heard our names over the PA system and broke into a run for the gate only to find majority of the passengers were still waiting outside. For a moment, the adrenaline rush reminds me of The Amazing Race. How exciting.