Aug 26, 2010
Aug 14, 2010
Nowhere to go
An old TEFL colleague of mine, Thomas Hutchings, recently recommended me to take over his column in the weekly magazine Doanh Nhan Saigon Cuoi Tuan (Saigon Business Weekly). The column is called 'Another View' and focuses on expat lives. I can write about anything* I want, socially or culturally speaking. My first attempt is called 'Nowhere to go'and focuses on the lack of public space in the city, especially for children. I feel honored to have the chance to share some thoughts with the Vietnamese readers as the articles are translated - and very well I am told. Perhaps if you see the column, you can tell me if that is true...
Here it is...
Recently I read a discussion in an expats forum - a new arrival to Ho Chi Minh City was asking for a list of suitable activities for their young children. Thinking of my own experiences with my 20 month old daughter the thought of replying ‘sorry, there’s nothing’ sarcastically flashed through my mind. Thankfully someone more helpful stepped in and pointed out the places that you can take toddlers in the city.The list was a recital of big shopping malls and their play areas - loud, busy places where older children run riot. It doesn’t exactly fill a parents heart with joy to consider these places for a fun filled day trip. Two stressful hours making sure no accidents happen followed by a sugary drink - might as well stay at home and play with toys on the floor. So where else is there to go?
My wife and I often joke about the options - it’s either the zoo or the swimming pool. Yes, making light of a tragically bad situation is a way of coping. To my knowledge there are very few swimming pools catering to toddlers. One close to our house in District Seven is especially good because it has large, safe, shallow areas to play in and has often been our saviour. The zoo is good not so much for its animals but for its oxygenated city hide away, one of the few places one can escape the hectic streets and dirty air. I heard the zoo is moving to Cu Chi and will be replaced by high rise apartments.
Parks and open spaces are what our children need, not neon lit windowless rooms with ball pits and 17 other children fighting over toys. We live in Phu My Hung and intentionally chose an apartment within walking distance of a park so our daughter can play and run and get some fresh air. I fully understand most people do not have this kind of access, having also lived in the city for many years. Yes, there are some parks but they are hardly designed for our children to frolic. An emphasis on ‘look but don’t touch’ springs to mind. When signs of ‘keep off the grass’ sprang up across Phu My Hung parks recently they were dutifully ignored by, well, everybody. Are we supposed to stay on the concrete path and observe the nice soft green grass from a distance? No, parks are for people and children to enjoy, as long as they treat them respectfully and clean up after they leave.
Listen here city planners - what about the kids? Wouldn’t it be a nice surprise to see some city block demolished and given over to the public rather than more apartments that no-one can afford to live in and more shops that no-one can afford to shop in. How about a planetarium? A modern museum of science and nature for kids to enjoy? Or of course, a space like a park or an open air venue for plays and shows. My heart sinks to see the city expanding in the south and the west and still no space being incorporated for public enjoyment. The potential on the outskirts of the city is larger where there is countryside and lots of room but this is ‘prime real estate’ and profits are too high to turn down.
Do not despair however residents of Ho Chi Minh City. One last hope remains and I am talking about the frontage of the Saigon River in Districts One and Four. Nguyen Tat Thanh currently houses the Saigon Port which I hear will be moving to Nha Be District at some point in the future leaving a wonderful stretch of riverfront available from the Tan Thuan bridge all the way to the Museum of Ho Chi Minh. And why stop there - once heavy traffic is diverted from Ton Duc Thang with the completion of the tunnel and the East-West highway, the river front here could also be developed. Picture it - kilometers of walking, restaurants, cafes and family attractions. With the District 1 skyline in one direction and the Phu My bridge in the other, the esplanade would be the envy of South East Asia, thousands of new visitors would flood the city, and long suffering residents and their children would finally have somewhere to enjoy.
Sadly the likelihood is that this prime location will be given over to real estate and shopping, and our kids and the families of Ho Chi Minh City will just have to keep on looking for places to go.
Here it is...
Recently I read a discussion in an expats forum - a new arrival to Ho Chi Minh City was asking for a list of suitable activities for their young children. Thinking of my own experiences with my 20 month old daughter the thought of replying ‘sorry, there’s nothing’ sarcastically flashed through my mind. Thankfully someone more helpful stepped in and pointed out the places that you can take toddlers in the city.The list was a recital of big shopping malls and their play areas - loud, busy places where older children run riot. It doesn’t exactly fill a parents heart with joy to consider these places for a fun filled day trip. Two stressful hours making sure no accidents happen followed by a sugary drink - might as well stay at home and play with toys on the floor. So where else is there to go?
My wife and I often joke about the options - it’s either the zoo or the swimming pool. Yes, making light of a tragically bad situation is a way of coping. To my knowledge there are very few swimming pools catering to toddlers. One close to our house in District Seven is especially good because it has large, safe, shallow areas to play in and has often been our saviour. The zoo is good not so much for its animals but for its oxygenated city hide away, one of the few places one can escape the hectic streets and dirty air. I heard the zoo is moving to Cu Chi and will be replaced by high rise apartments.
Parks and open spaces are what our children need, not neon lit windowless rooms with ball pits and 17 other children fighting over toys. We live in Phu My Hung and intentionally chose an apartment within walking distance of a park so our daughter can play and run and get some fresh air. I fully understand most people do not have this kind of access, having also lived in the city for many years. Yes, there are some parks but they are hardly designed for our children to frolic. An emphasis on ‘look but don’t touch’ springs to mind. When signs of ‘keep off the grass’ sprang up across Phu My Hung parks recently they were dutifully ignored by, well, everybody. Are we supposed to stay on the concrete path and observe the nice soft green grass from a distance? No, parks are for people and children to enjoy, as long as they treat them respectfully and clean up after they leave.
Listen here city planners - what about the kids? Wouldn’t it be a nice surprise to see some city block demolished and given over to the public rather than more apartments that no-one can afford to live in and more shops that no-one can afford to shop in. How about a planetarium? A modern museum of science and nature for kids to enjoy? Or of course, a space like a park or an open air venue for plays and shows. My heart sinks to see the city expanding in the south and the west and still no space being incorporated for public enjoyment. The potential on the outskirts of the city is larger where there is countryside and lots of room but this is ‘prime real estate’ and profits are too high to turn down.
Do not despair however residents of Ho Chi Minh City. One last hope remains and I am talking about the frontage of the Saigon River in Districts One and Four. Nguyen Tat Thanh currently houses the Saigon Port which I hear will be moving to Nha Be District at some point in the future leaving a wonderful stretch of riverfront available from the Tan Thuan bridge all the way to the Museum of Ho Chi Minh. And why stop there - once heavy traffic is diverted from Ton Duc Thang with the completion of the tunnel and the East-West highway, the river front here could also be developed. Picture it - kilometers of walking, restaurants, cafes and family attractions. With the District 1 skyline in one direction and the Phu My bridge in the other, the esplanade would be the envy of South East Asia, thousands of new visitors would flood the city, and long suffering residents and their children would finally have somewhere to enjoy.
Sadly the likelihood is that this prime location will be given over to real estate and shopping, and our kids and the families of Ho Chi Minh City will just have to keep on looking for places to go.
Aug 6, 2010
The Road to Cau Phu My
By the 'road to cau phu my' I don't mean some spiritual path of contemplation that somehow ends up by the Phu My bridge, I literally mean the actual road to cau Phu My. It's terrible. Now, the elevated stretch of highway on the Phu My Hung side which I mentioned before as being shoddy turns out to be shoddy. The road has already started to subside.
That was taken in the morning on the way to work. The real disaster is on the other side of the bridge called Thanh My Loi. It's falling apart in places. Already...!
The view looks nice enough, as we start heading towards the bridge.
The toll gate:
So here's a video I took taking the approach up to the bridge. After I started filming I thought what the hell and continued going over the bridge. Best turn the volume down cause the wind just howls into the microphone! Everyday I see trucks breaking down on the bridge. The incline is steep and a lot of the container trucks just can't hack it. They crawl up there at 20km per hour before finally overheating. Kind of similar to the highway they built to My Tho - 50kms straight - and it had an incredible amount of breakdowns because people could actually drive fast for the first time and blew the engines on their old busted trucks! Anyway - broken down truck does appear at the top of the bridge here too...
That was taken in the morning on the way to work. The real disaster is on the other side of the bridge called Thanh My Loi. It's falling apart in places. Already...!
The view looks nice enough, as we start heading towards the bridge.
The toll gate:
So here's a video I took taking the approach up to the bridge. After I started filming I thought what the hell and continued going over the bridge. Best turn the volume down cause the wind just howls into the microphone! Everyday I see trucks breaking down on the bridge. The incline is steep and a lot of the container trucks just can't hack it. They crawl up there at 20km per hour before finally overheating. Kind of similar to the highway they built to My Tho - 50kms straight - and it had an incredible amount of breakdowns because people could actually drive fast for the first time and blew the engines on their old busted trucks! Anyway - broken down truck does appear at the top of the bridge here too...
Jul 31, 2010
TAS - My new lab
My new computer lab at The American School of Vietnam, (TAS), which I was lucky enough to design, is awesome. On the ground floor of one of our 5 villas that comprise the secondary campus, it has over 30 computers. The room is huge, bright and airy, with a view out to the swimming pool and football pitch at the back of the school. Not as beautiful as the views from the primary campus of the Saigon River, but still not bad...it feels like a home rather than a classroom. Quiet, peaceful and sunny. Wait until I start decorating! Notice boards and posters are going up next week.
For the rest of the school, the finishing touches are being applied.
For the rest of the school, the finishing touches are being applied.
Possibly the best place in Saigon for kids
Possibly the best location in Saigon for kids is the swimming pool in Phu My Hung by the 9 hole golf course. It has a large sandy area where the water is only a couple of inches deep and another shallow area for the kids to play. In a city where options for the small kids are severely limited this place is an absolute god send.
It's way pricier than other swimming pools in the city at 45,000 dong for adults and 30,000 dong for kids about 0.8 meters high, free for those below. Food and drink is available but again - 30,000 for a cafe su da or a bottle of water. Take your own supplies!
To get there, as you come into Phu My Hung from the FV hospital side there is a turn off just before the Toyota garage signposted 'Golf' which takes you down behind Nguyen Van Linh and to the golf course, swimming pool and tennis courts there. Enjoy!
It's way pricier than other swimming pools in the city at 45,000 dong for adults and 30,000 dong for kids about 0.8 meters high, free for those below. Food and drink is available but again - 30,000 for a cafe su da or a bottle of water. Take your own supplies!
To get there, as you come into Phu My Hung from the FV hospital side there is a turn off just before the Toyota garage signposted 'Golf' which takes you down behind Nguyen Van Linh and to the golf course, swimming pool and tennis courts there. Enjoy!
Jul 19, 2010
Dancing in the Park
We see all sorts in the park on our Sunday morning walks, me and Lou. We've seen dramas and soaps being shot, adverts, models posing for magazine photos and of course plenty of wedding couples - tripping over each other in fact. On this particular occasion it was the filming of a music video. I was amused by the fact that two guys were acting as a counter balance for the camera thingy..not sure if that is industry standard practice!
At the bottom...
At the top...
The song was one of those ballards that is so slow it takes about 45 seconds to rock from one shoulder to the other and every arm movement is in slow motion. Enjoy.
At the bottom...
At the top...
The song was one of those ballards that is so slow it takes about 45 seconds to rock from one shoulder to the other and every arm movement is in slow motion. Enjoy.
Jul 16, 2010
End of an Era
Connections Vietnam is coming to the end of an era - three of our greatest student guides ever who have been with us since the beginning are all graduating (or already graduated) and moving on to bigger things. They are: on the left, Bao Anh. Next to him is Thuy Van and at the back left is Minh Giang.
Center right is Ms Nghia, one of our most popular chefs, it is also her house where a lot of cooking classes have taken place over the last three years.
Our friends Bao Anh, Van and Giang told us how Connections had really helped them develop their skills, their confidence and their English. Problem solving comes into as well, having to think on their feet during some of those Dine and Meet tours...! Bao Anh recently was hired as a management trainee for Johnson and Johnson, after presenting to the board of directors. Van is off to Thailand for a months voluntary work and hasn't decided yet whether to do a Masters next year...Giang is also working in her new job after graduating from University. I was extremely proud to hear how our small company had benefited these wonderful young people, and they all swore that even when they all have full time jobs they still want to do tours...so it's not really the end. Thanks for all your hard work guys!
Center right is Ms Nghia, one of our most popular chefs, it is also her house where a lot of cooking classes have taken place over the last three years.
Our friends Bao Anh, Van and Giang told us how Connections had really helped them develop their skills, their confidence and their English. Problem solving comes into as well, having to think on their feet during some of those Dine and Meet tours...! Bao Anh recently was hired as a management trainee for Johnson and Johnson, after presenting to the board of directors. Van is off to Thailand for a months voluntary work and hasn't decided yet whether to do a Masters next year...Giang is also working in her new job after graduating from University. I was extremely proud to hear how our small company had benefited these wonderful young people, and they all swore that even when they all have full time jobs they still want to do tours...so it's not really the end. Thanks for all your hard work guys!
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