TRAVEL HO CHI MINH CITY Another midnight landing, and we were in Ho Chi Minh City. A cosmopolitan, modern city absolutely bustling with life – a far cry from its northern counterpart of Hanoi, where the streets were all but deserted by 11pm. We chose to stay near the centre of District 1, not far from the river in the Japanese-themed hotel Silverland Sakyo. The staff here were amazingly attentive and professional – even sending up a bottle of sparkling wine and canapés at midnight when they discovered we were celebrating our wedding anniversary the next day. The street our hotel was on was the most eclectic mix of cultures, with Vietnamese street vendors, Japanese Sushi bars, French restaurants and Canadian bespoke boot stores lining the streets. Saigon (as we affectionately referred to it like many others still do) is infectious, possessing the same wonderfully manic motorbike traffic as Hanoi, but with a bit of added glamour from both its French past and its modern new generation. We travelled by car to the Cu Chi tunnel system, only a short drive from the centre of the city. Now preserved as a War Memorial Park and one of the country’s most popular tourist attractions, it offered a powerful insight into the trauma experienced by the Vietnamese in various conflicts – not just the ‘American’ war. The network of tunnels expands more than 120 kilometres, and a small portion has been widened to allow the larger western tourists to crawl through. Local guides lead the way, pointing out the scars carved by B52 bombs, and purely evil yet ingenious booby traps used by the Viet Kong to eventually defeat their enemy. Intriguing and awe-inspiring, we’re glad we caught a glimpse of the area’s history. The remainder of the day was spent wandering the wide boulevards of District 1, passing the glamorous (yet evidently empty) Chanel and Versace stores housed in the proud and elegant French buildings such as the Continental and Majestic Hotels. We spoke at length with local university students who were keen to practice their English skills with us, and were amazed at how humble they were, questioning why of all the places we could travel to, did we choose Vietnam? We continued our history lesson at the War Remnants Museum where we posed in front of captured and deserted American helicopters, tanks and planes and were moved by the stories and photos of the war’s many victims, from local civilians to war journalists and photographers, and most disturbingly the innocent victims of Agent Orange, which will continue to affect and haunt the Vietnamese people for generations to come. After sheltering in the museum from a tropical afternoon downpour, we returned to the cleansed streets, passing the gothic Notre- Dame Basilica, the beautiful Central Post Office and the understated but imposing Communist Architecture of the Palace of Independence, before finishing at the pulsing Ben Thanh Markets. By night, the city is even more stunning, with famous landmarks such as the historic Rex Hotel lit up, competing for skyline with the imposing modern office towers, complete with laser light shows dancing on their facades. Just like all the other cities we visited, we always felt welcome and safe (as long as you quickly learnt to negotiate the motorbike traffic like a local - there’s quite an art to crossing a street in Vietnam)! We wanted to try something different for dinner, so booked ourselves a table at Noir – a concept restaurant where you dine in complete darkness. Housed in a beautifully-preserved French Colonial building with décor that wouldn’t be out of place in Paris, Noir was intriguing from the outset. We were greeted by the friendly owner, who explained to us that we would be led to the dining room and served by a completely blind waitress (a wonderful example of supporting locals who would otherwise struggle to find employment). We were given a surprise mystery cocktail to start our three-course meal, which was served in parts like a degustation. The food was delicious - I won’t spoil the mystery by telling you what any of it was - each dish was later explained to us complete with photos. Finding out just how wrong we were about some of the dishes really opens your mind and makes you realise just how much food preferences are sometimes mind over matter! After our eyes had re-adjusted, we headed to one of the city’s most popular rooftop bars, Chill Skybar on the 26th floor of the AB Tower. The panoramic views it offered of the twinkling city below were worth the hefty cocktail price tag, but we soon left as we missed the most exciting part of Vietnam - life down on the streets. It seemed everywhere we visited, the thing we noticed the most was how life really did happen here on the sidewalks. Eating, drinking, chatting, kids working on their homework after school – it was wonderful to see the typical Vietnamese life out in the open rather than hidden behind closed doors. We left the manic yet controlledchaos behind, vowing to definitely return sometime soon. Vietnam, its food and its warm people really grabbed a part of our hearts and we’re happy it exceeded all expectations. It will be interesting to see how much it will have changed next time we visit, as it seems an exciting time of growth and recovery for the country – although we really hope it doesn’t change too much – we love you as you are, Vietnam. - Tam Biet Eat • Noir Dining in the Dark • La Mint by Danh French Restaurant • 5KU station • Ben Thanh Markets Stay • Silverland Sakyo (10 Le Thanh Ton Street, District 1, Ho Chi Minh City) Play • District 1 pindaramagazine.com.au Pindara Magazine 75
Pindara Private Hospital Magazine - Issue Six
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