Cyclo Park

If you ever need a cyclo ride you'll find plenty of them down by the river on the corner of Ton Duc Thang and Nguyen Hue, and on the other side of Ton Duc Thang as well. This kind of looked like a cyclo showroom, they were sparkling clean. TDT has got to be one of the dodgiest roads to trundle along in a cyclo - I find it lung busting on my bike. It carries a lot of heavy traffic and there is NO seperate lane for motorbikes until you turn the corner and head up towards the zoo. That means you'll often get crushed onto the side of the road by buses and cars pulling in to avoid whatever carnage is coming the opposite direction....a ride down by the river? Think again!

Also the other day I noticed the stupendous amount of bikes residing in the underground car park at Diamond Plaza. This picture only shows about half the garage.

I was going to snap the other half when the parking attendent told me not to take any pictures. No idea why. Then when I was sitting outside on a perfectly nice wall, I was told 'no sitting' by another parking attendent. No idea why.

Here's a shot a government billboard, down by the development I was talking about by the river.

As I was taking this I noticed the little guy down in front with his tattered old clothes and his trolley full of whatever he was collecting off the street. I found some level of irony in this guy trudging along in this spot.

Saigon : A Developing City II

Here's the exciting pics I couldn't post last time. A shot of the clean-up down by the canal in D1/D4 :

This sums it all up really. In the foreground is the canal clean-up, and in the background a new block of apartments is rising from the ground.

And here is the construction site at the start of Ton Duc Thang which I presume has something to do with the tunnel AND the new highway....

Currently in D1 there is a large construction site between Dong Khoi and Nugyen Hue, next to the Underground/Lucky Plaza. There is also a big area which will be developed into a shopping mall not far from there at the end of Hai Ba Trung behind Mac Thi Buoi, which used to be a big seafood restaurant. The face of Saigon city centre is modernising and changing at a rapid rate people!

Saigon : A Developing City

I feel homesick. Homesick for Saigon that is. Absence makes the heart grow fonder, and whenever I leave that crazy mish-mash of pastel colours and incessant noise, I really have an urge to get back there. Seoul strikes me as 'Seoul'less with very little atmopshere after living through the daily 'heart on your sleeve' attitude that pumps through Ho Chi Minh City.

Anyway, I want to start talking about the level of development I am seeing in HCMC. I hope to prove it by posting some before/after pictures of builldings under construction out in Phu My Hung, to the South of the city centre. The development is not however limited to PMH, across the city new hotels, apartment blocks and shopping centres are being constructed. Down by the river there are two massive projects underway. One is the tunnel under the Saigon River. The other I have reliably been informed by Mel from Antidote to Burnout is a clean-up of the canal and the construction of a new highway from Cholon to Ton Duc Thang. Indeed I was down there just recently and snapped the clean-up myself....(what luck!)

Here you can see where the far side of the canal has been cleared and levelled out. The houses in the background edge onto a sketchy road that runs along the canal. It's not the best road in the city, and it passes under the stinkiest bridge you'll find (too many fish being sold).

I did have some more pics which I'll upload later, they won't load just now for some reason.

Getting married : Vietnam style

A few days before I left my second home for my third home, if that makes sense, I spent an afternoon with Chi sorting out all the paperwork for our marriage certificate. I've already had a Notice of Marriage posted in British embassy for 21 days. If the NOM survives this amount of time without anyone objecting, which it did, you collect the CNI (Certificate of No Impediment). In other words, I got the green light from the British to get married. Well thanks. And thanks for making me pay over 2m VND for the privilage as well.....then of course they had to be certified by the Vietnamese Office of Foriegn Relations (another 320,000 VND). Also had to get 3 copies of my passport and visa certified, at 'Public Office No 1' on Pasteur. Thankfully that was quite painless and only cost 4000 VND.........but then we went across the street to a translation service to get my 'Marriage Application Form' changed into Vietnamese. 240,000 VND for that. Anyway, you get the idea.....

What I really wanted to talk about was our trip to the hospital. I thought I was required to have a medical, but it seems to depend on where your spouse is from. Since Chi is from HCMC, I only had to have the 'mental' health check. This was just one of those 'experiences' which will stick in my mind. The only other time I've been to a Vietnamese hospital was when I got a health check for work permit requirements last year. This was quite a similar looking place so I took a few snaps :

The office we entered looked something like this:

I had to sneak this photo as to my left were two more desks, one with the nurse processing documents, and one old guy who was reading a newspaper. His desk was exactly as bland as the one above - "What the hell does he do all day?"I was thinking. It looked like the office had been deserted for 30 years and they'd just come back to work. Once the nurse cleared our paperwork we were waved to the guy at the desk. He took my passport and had a good look at it. He began..."Are you, errrr, hmmm, from Northern Ireland?". "No", I replied sincerely, "I am from England". "Hmm". More scanning of my passport. "Errrr, are you, umm, still living in London?". Once again I replied nicely, "No, I am working in Ho Chi Minh City". This intense physcological profiling continued until he was satisfied that I wasn't off my rocker. Safe to say, me and the misses both passed with flying colors.

Pictures from Seoul

Just a couple of pics from the Korean capital I took today.

Myeong-dong : Trendy shopping district - plenty of peps on a Sunday afternoon I tells ya.

Those same-same cars in downtown Seoul

Some Tarot readers working in the subway station. Many Koreans regularly visit such fortune tellers, and I know they do in Vietnam as well. Here you can see the crystal ball and cards laid out on the table.

The subway - still annoying me.

Seoul VS HCMC

Well it's been well over a year and a half since I was last in Korea. I have some mental notes that I need to jot down after living in Vietnam for 20 months minus 5 weeks.

Things I had forgotten about Korea

Seoul is huge.

Everybody has the same cars. There must be 3 or 4 differant kinds. Car parks look more like the Ford factory when you see all the new cars laid out waiting for export.

The princess factor. I would compare Vietnamese girls to Korean girls, but I wouldn't know where to start. These girls over here....man have they got some attitude!

For young people here, looking good is a hobby, nay, a fixation. Subway trains are like huge moving mirrors. Women constantly groom themselves. It's mandatory to have an mp3 player.

Buses are really comfortable here.

ALL old ladys have a perm which is dyed black.

Vietnam/Korea culture shock

First, the cars! All the cars! I haven't snapped the traffic yet as I haven't found a satisfactory spot to do so, but the cars! 10 lanes of gridlock.

Depsite the crazy danger involved with motorbikes, they rule! As I said, the traffic is awful here. The subway system is extensive, but it's time consuming and often busy. Where's my motorbike! RAHH!

WALKING! I forgot about walking. I barely walk anywhere in HCMC. Here if I'm not in a train I'm walking. At least my legs will get stronger.

Daylight! I got totally disorientated last night. It was 7.45 and it was still daylight. It was like having vertigo.....I wanted to run up to someone, grab them and scream "What's happening? It's still day! The sun hasn't gone down! ARGGHHHH!".

Cost of Living

Subway= 900 Won (15,167 VND, 94 cents)
Xe Om ride = 10,000 VND (593 Won, 62 cents)

Average lunch in a Korean Restaurant = 4000 Won (67,000 VND, $4.18)
Average lunch in a Vietnamese Restaurant = 20,000 VND (1,186 Won, $1.25)

Bunch of bananas for breakfast in Korea = 1750 Won (29,423 VND, $1.84)
Bunch of bananas for breakfast in Vietnam = 5000 VND (296 Won, 31 cents)

Crappy hotel room for one night in Seoul, Korea = 30,000 Won (505,000 VND, $31.60)
Crappy hotel room for one night in HCMC, Vietnam = 80,000 VND (4,700 Won,$5)

That's all I've got really so far. More comparisons as they come along. Some of the prices are 'rough', others are accurate.

Sugar Cane

Also check out this guy. He is cheesing at me because he saw me stop the bike and wait for him with my camera. He is selling sugar cane. Good lad.

Reverse Park

Have you ever seen a Vietnamese driver trying a reverse park? If you have, you'll fully understand that it is not a requirement of the driving test. As far as I can see, the driving test involves driving very slowly around Phu My Hung. I was eating outside at Creperie & Cafe(5 Han Thuyen, D1) and I witnessed the reverse park for the second time in as many days. Here it is about 15 minutes into the ordeal.

Out of shot, there is also someone directing from in front of the car. I had to laugh!

China VS Vietnam

Look at this article here posted by The China Law Blog. The title is 'China Is The Next China, Now; Vietnam May Be The Next China Someday.' and I get a mention....

As for blogging, I have so much to write about, enough for a months worth of posts, it's just finding the time! I'm going to Korea tonight for a month, but I'll still be blogging on the intricacies Of Saigon living, with maybe a Korean anicdote thrown in.

I'll start with my day in red tape hell yesterday. I'm hoping to put this up today.

Cheers.

Cheating?

Also today, I've just read this article on the BBC's website, in the Asia Pacific section. The headline reads 'Cheating Rife in Vietnamese Exams'. It's no surprise to me but it seems to be a big problem in Asia. I saw the same thing in Korea, also reported in the BBC's Asia Pacific section here, 'Korea exam hit by mass cheating'. It didn't take much to find a similar story here from China Daily called 'China cracks down on exam cheats'.

'The pressures to cheat - ranging from parental expectations to the system of awarding scholarships to top students - remain strong.'

And in the Korea article:

'It is mainly due to pressure to do well in a test that will decide their lives forever .'

Need some bamboo?

I think I found a shop where you can buy your much needed bamboo antennas I was talking about here. Or you can make your very own bamboo ladder. Or make some bamboo scaffolding. Or build a house.

The Raiders game was CALLED OFF this weeked. Anyone who witnessed the deluge in the early afternoon on Saturday would understand why.

Also, directly opposite the bamboo pole shop, there are lots of little stalls for buying your plants, plant pots and flowers. This is down by the canal on the edge of D4.

More bad wiring

Can you imagine.......

Manager: "Dave, can you go down to Tran Quang Khai?"

Dave: " Why's that boss?"

Manager: "Oh, errr, Outerspace Language School have a problem with their electric - apparantly they can't 'phone home' any more."

Dave: (laughs) Ok boss, I'll go down there and have a look. Where are my rubber gloves?

END SCENE

The light in that picture is not so good. This is a shot at the corner of, well as you can see, Tran Khac Chan and Trang Quang Khai. This is looking down TQK one way.....

and the other way.......

Which brings me to my next point....thank god for the trees in Saigon. Here you can see one of the beautifully tree lined avenues in the city. There are large trees along many of Saigon's streets which give an atmosphere. Also, in a personal messege to the trees, I'd like to say thanks for that little extra oxygen you provide when I'm getting carbon monoxide pumped into my face by 1001 vehicles.

Aliens in Saigon

Have a look at this interview. It's on www.expatinterviews.com. They contacted me because they wanted a Vietnam section on their website. I did my best to answer their questions and make it interesting, whether I succeeded is another question.

I have added a 'Vietnam Blogs' link list on the right hand side. It's a nice way to share traffic and I've discovered that all these blogs have similar listings; bloggers like to link to each others sites. Check them out.

I'd love to hear more feedback from people viewing the site. It's great when I get an email or people leave a comment to tell me what they think, so please do!

Now..........

Imagine your Vietnamese and you want to send your kid (s) to a school to learn English. Families that can afford to will of course send their children to a language school. There are loads of these schools dotted around the city. There are few big ones which have the market share, and there are many many smaller maybe franchised schools. The smaller schools are of course cheaper to enroll in and not so good. Most probably don't have native speakers teaching there because they can't afford to pay them. Anyway, if you had to send your kids to one of these schools, you'd choose one that sounded good wouldn't you? Well, I present to you the most aptly named language school in all of Vietnam...........

You just wouldn't.......

Saigon Advertising

I've noticed a few adverts over the past few weeks. Most of the advertising around town is just as mind numbing as most places in the world.

Much to my amazement, Ronaldhino is on billboards across Vietnam advertising a brand of washing powder called OMO! It may seem strange but then thinking about it the Brazilian is as well known here as he is anywhere. I just wonder how much OMO paid him (or if someone is really good with Photoshop).

Also catching my eye is the new Ford Focus which is hanging off a building in the middle of town. The car is the advert. That's it. Why not.

Parking Matters

Oh my god, Italy won the world cup. Thanks to the 4am finish I'm not too fresh.

Raiders beat Olympique Saigon once again, match report up here.

In Saigon there are kodak moments at every corner. It's only occasionaly I get to snap them, when I find the odd hour or so to drive around and take some amateurish pictures.

Sunday afternoon is a nice time to be out about in Saigon. Not so mad on the roads. Here you see one of the many many parking spots for all those Honda dreams....

Don't worry about the bike, just drop it off with the attendant and he'll write you a ticket and park it for you. The fee is 2000 dong at most places - thats 12 cents or 6.7 pence. Not bad when I think of the price of parking back home. Also remember that a vast majority of shops, restaurants, hotels and offices have their own designated parking spots. Beware however of just leaving your bike on the pavement when there is no official parking area. It's a common site to see the green uniformed traffic police come along in their truck and load as many illegally parked bikes into the back as they can. Have fun getting it back.....!

Portugal Rage

The last few days my inbox has been jammed with things about Portugal and especially the kid Ronaldo. Whilst being an avid football fan, and just as upset as the next man that we went out, I do think all the stuff in the papers is way over the top. He's a diving cheat....ok.....we knew that before the World Cup didn't we?

Who cares?! What a waste of energy, getting worked up about 'Ronaldo'! Get on with your lives!.......

Traffic

If Saigon leaves one lasting impression on its visitors, it is the traffic. Take a look at this video I found, which I think is the roundabout at the beginning of NTMK. The constant hustle of the bikes, the seemingly impossible flow of two, three and four wheeled 'vehicles' (as some can barely be described) and the death wishes of pedestrians can be forever engrained in your memory. It's probably better to be like that, than to think its all normal like I now do. That's what they call a 'false sense of security'. If your going to drive around these streets, you've got to be alert and vigiliant the whole time. None of this daydreaming about the World Cup final that could have been - that's when someone decides to do a u-turn in front of you......

I find there are a couple of places you can go for a striking view of the chaotic traffic. One is at what I think is the start of Cach Mang Thang 8, as you come off the bridge that leads from District 4 to District 1. Here you can see down a long stretch of a busy Saigon thoroughfare. Here's a couple of snaps I took there the other day, indeed my new banner was taken from the pictures.

This city has to be the only place where I can feel like a goody two shoes for waiting at a red light. Sometimes I feel more in danger actually slowing for a red because the people behind have no intention of doing so and could easily crash into the back of you. There are some reds when you're waiting and you could go and everyone else is going but sometimes you wait because its bred into you and it's the right thing to do. Whilst doing this the other night and watching everybody sailing across the clear junction I did feel like a real goody two shoes. No! I'll remain firm......! You can only go on red at the clearest of clear junctions! Even then with extreme caution! When in Rome!

I remember back in the U.K; even if you pushed it through an amber light there there would be panic and ensuing excitement in the car as the passengers scan for any blue sirened witnesses. Passing through a red - absolutely, catagorically NEVER! The person who passes through a red would automatically be labelled a MANIAC!

See my other rant about the traffic here.

Rainy pictures

The rainy season is here in Saigon and its back to its perfect timing; usually sometime in the afternoon, just as I'm about to leave work. The other day, Friday I think, I was tutoring in Phu My Hung when a storm blew in. The wind really howls through these My Khanh apartment buildings.

The view from my students apartment (picture below): looking back across Phu My Hung and District 7 towards the city. You can just make out the cranes of the docks in the distance. It was really striking with the huge black clouds rolling across the white sky, but I'm sure the picture doesn't really capture the effect. When a storm comes over like this it its best to be inside and NOT driving on your motorbike.

Tin roofs and bad wiring

I live right by the river that divides District One and Phu Nhuan District. The big double doors swing open and give me these less than spectacular views over the tin roofs of Tran Khac Chan.

It's very 'hickledy pickledy' as a friend remarked, but it gives you an impression of the local housing situation (maybe!).

Once again, I mentioned the ariels. Long bamboo poles upon which the TV antenna is tied.

Wow, so interesting! When I get around to it I'm going to take some pictures of the power lines around the city. The wiring that runs up and down the streets is quite different to anything you've seen before. This pylon takes care of a few houses in the alley and may give a slight indication of the situation......

On a separate note, Raiders won AGAIN! This time against the Saigon Saints, our first victory against them for 4 years! Here is the match report written by yours truly.