Collapsing buildings and more

Many VN blogs have posted these videos already.





This incident has led to a flurry of articles in the VN press. This article has many pictures of subsiding buildings.

Anyone who has lived in HCMC for a while will you tell you there aren't many buildings that don't subside in one way or another, with cracks, paths/steps sinking, mysterious bumps appearing and so on.

Growing Up Bilingual

My daughter will be two and half in June and as with the many mixed couples in Saigon, she is growing up bilingual. In actual fact, she is growing up TRILINGUAL. I find the understanding of this issue to be a total paradox. On the one hand, we are constantly asked 'Can she speak English?' and are met with wide eyes of astonishment when the answer is yes or when she turns to me and starts speaking English. We also send Lousia to a nursery nearby where only French is spoken. She can already count and sing songs in French too, but not at home because she knows mum and dad don't really understand her toddlers version of French. I am already feeling horribly inadequate and have a couple of French courses downloaded ready to brush up! You may be asking why do that? Indeed some parents I have met are too concerned that their child would be 'confused' by a third language. I am utterly convinced that is not the case.

Scientists believe that language is acquired most easily during the first ten years of life. During these years, the circuits in children’s brains become wired for how their own language sounds. An infant’s repeated exposure to words clearly helps her brain build the neural connections that will enable her to learn more words later on. Language can be learned a multitude of ways, like casual conversation, songs, rhymes, reading, music, story telling and much more.[from here]

I have known kids as young as five who can speak four or even five languages. Example: a French friend married a Thai lady and had three kids who went to a British school and learned Mandarin. We don't intend to push our daughter into learning French as if it was a classroom subject. Rather just give her the exposure and see how she picks it up. Some of you may remember too that Chi's little brother has lived in France since he was one and is now eighteen. He doesn't speak Vietnamese, only French and school taught English. We see France as a distinct possibility in our future, so that's our added motivation, not that you need one either way..

The other half of the paradox is that for a huge portion of the worlds population, growing up BI or TRILINGUAL is normal. Think of all the people in the subcontinent, Singapore, Malaysia, The Phillippines, Africa and so on who grow up speaking more than one language. Think of it like that and we are just catching up with the rest of the world...and I know for sure that Louisa's peers, in this 'international' environment, will also be multi-language speakers.

The Family

Chi's family is enormous and it never fails to amaze and entertain (if that's the right word) as stories come out of the woodwork and I get more familiar with the countless aunties and uncles, most of whom reside in Cu Chi district.

I want to relate one particular recent drama that is unfolding.

Chi's mother is the eldest of twelve children, but the eldest two (Chi's mum and her sister) were fathered by a different man to the other ten. So, there exists some land in Cu Chi which Chi has explained to me is exclusively family land and can't be sold, and is ancestral land handed down from Chi's great-grandparents, the parents of Chi's grandmothers first husband. Originally the land was very big so Chi tells me, but her great-grandmother, as is the custom, sold large portions of it to divvy up the cash between relatives. Now all that remains is a small 6 meter wide plot, big enough for a cosy house and a garden.

We decided that this lunar year we would try and acquire that land to build a house for Chi's mum to use and eventually live, possibly with her sister who is from the same father too and retires this year (she currently lives in a small apartment on Dien Bien Phu and has two sons, one of whom put their housing certificate in the bank to take out a 500 million dong loan to open a coffee shop which subsequently failed leaving his mother with a massive debt and no way to sell the house...)

Still with me?

So, there were only two people we needed to chase up to get the all clear for the land and start some paperwork. One of those is Chi's great uncle, in other words, the brother of her grandfather, Chi's mum's uncle. He is still alive and well and amazingly living in District 7, although Chi and her mother haven't seem him for years. He was once a wealthy man with more than five houses across Saigon, but had to sell all of them after losing his money in an investment in Cambodia that went wrong. He purposely distanced himself from the family as he got fed up with the useless ways - one of the most useless being Chi's father, a man who year after year gambled away the family motorbike - prompting Chi to ask her mother as she picked her up from school on a bicycle 'Where's our motorbike'. 'Oh your father lost it (again)'. Chi's great uncle gave him a job in his restaurant as a waiter where he worked for some time and encouraged him to get on the straight and narrow and live up to his responsibilities - ultimately it didn't work, and you can read that story here.

The great uncle, whom we called this weekend, was very happy with the idea of us using the land. He seems a kind man who tried to do the right thing. Chi's mum was nervous (much to Chi's annoyance) because back in the day he gave her 2 tael of gold to fix up her house in Binh Thanh (almost the same as the value of the house at the time) because he was sending his mother to live there for a while. Chi's great-grandmother lived in the house until she died, Chi was in Grade 8. Safe to say, he didn't ask for his gold back.

So one down. The next person is the one who holds the paperwork, the great uncle's daughter-in-law. The great uncle's son is already dead, and wasn't a particularly nice piece of work. He bullied half his family, including Chi's mum (whose name is Ho coincidently) to sell land to him on the cheap (including portions of the land in question today) and succeeded, eventually building some kind of factory there. He died suddenly, and the ancestral land remains in his name. His wife now lives in another part of Cu Chi. Her number is not in the little black book and so Chi called other relatives who know of her, and a rumour reached us that she intended to sell it. Sell the ancestral land! That is not cool! Great uncle was distinctly not impressed.

In response over the weekend I've watched in awestruck deference as Ho has invoked hitherto undiscovered powers, mobilising long lost relatives in the Cu Chi area who, like an army of sleeping zombies reawakened from their slumber by a call to arms, have risen and joined the cause. Turns out that one relative, one that is so distant that when asked the specifics I just got a wave of the arms and "He's got the same surname" as a reply, is HEAD of the people's committee in the SAME district as our seemingly stricken land. As we speak, relatives in Cu Chi are preparing a form to submit to the PC there in order to block any sale of this land. We are then arranging a diplomatic convey consisting of great-uncle and Ms Ho to visit the lady who holds the papers, where great-uncle will attempt to gently persuade the certificates to be handed over to the rightful owners. This is preferred to the idea of Ho's sister, Chi's aunt, who wanted to find the lady and confront her. I see handbags flying...not a good idea.

Somehow we knew it wasn't going to be easy...

TET 2011 Part 2

In typically British fashion I'll start off by making a quip about the weather - bloody stunning it has been over the past couple of weeks. As I remember TET 2010 being the same, steady sunshine and blue skies throughout the day, a perfect temperature reminiscent of a great July summers day back home, and usually a light breeze to go with it. Really couldn't be any better, and it just adds to the glorious atmosphere of the lunar new year.

For many years we had talked about getting a hotel room on the river to get a decent view of the fireworks. I know what you're thinking - what about the atmosphere. Well, I've had Vietnam atmosphere coming out of my ears for a long time, and I like the atmosphere of a 5 star hotel room, a comfy sofa, a chilled glass of wine and crawling into a massive bed after closing the curtains when the show is over too. That's rather than taking an hour and a half to get home after battling through motorbikes and madness in a vain attempt to find a taxi, walking half way to Binh Thanh and having an argument with the other half and returning home exhausted and miserable - the last time we 'savored the special atmosphere' of the fireworks in District 1. So we were booked into the Renaissance Riverside on Ton Duc Thang for the night, and had a riverview room on the 15th floor. Stunning view of the river winding it's way between Districts 2 and 4 and out to District 7 and under the Phu My Bridge.

Thu Thiem


When I look at Thu Thiem, and knowing the plans underway for it, I can't helping thinking of this comparison between Shanghai today and 20 years ago. I don't expect Thu Thiem to look anything like that, but sure the transformation will be dramatic.

Looking out now at the Saigon Pearl, the Thu Thiem bridge in the foreground.


Looking at the toll gates reading and waiting on the yet to be opened Thu Thiem/East-West highway, a cruise ship loiters out of town in the distance.


We exhibited our usual behaviour in a posh hotel - pretending like we usually frequent such places in the lobby whilst checking in, then as soon as the lift doors closed acting like teenagers slapping each other and encouraging our 2 year old, then get in the room, jump up and down on the bed, get excited about the free tea and coffee and soap, rearrange the furniture so the chairs are facing the window, then calm down and get ready to go out. The Riverside is an odd building I feel - packaged in on a small island of land, with no parking available whatsoever and a swimming pool up on the roof with a few sunbeds crammed around it, I find the interior design an incredible waste of space. I have yet to ascertain how you can be a 5 star hotel without any parking.



Of course from the hotel flower street 'Nguyen Hue' is a two minute walk and was a throng of people, as expected. To be honest I wasn't as impressed as previous years with the display.

Dong Khoi, buzzing with the festive atmosphere.




So, after eating dinner we wasted some time sat on the steps of the opera house. Suddenly a parade came marching down Dong Khoi and stopped directly outside to give us a show. Typically Vietnam - no warning, nobody to redirect traffic - if you were on Dong Khoi behind this then tough, you wait till they finish. Consisting of a dragon dancing group and two brass bands, the three musical ensembles stood with 50 meters separating them and playing as loud as they possibly could, at the same time. Nobody seemed to mind.


11.45pm, Ton Duc Thang




A great view of the fireworks, the cheers and applause audible from the street below. Following morning we skipped the generous offer a $19 per person breakfast from the hotel and headed to a Pho restaurant very much open and doing a roaring trade on Vo Van Tan, D3. Then, a short drive to Tao Dan park. Tao Dan was abuzz with activity as people enjoyed New Years Day. Live music, stunning floral displays and various stalls and other things on offer.

Year of the Cat






Hung King temple in Tao Dan park




A big, long flowery dragon.


The dragon stops its perilous dance atop the stilts to gobble up lucky money from children, awed by the great beast.


Colleagues look on as the dragon traverses the stilts, the drummer pounds away in the background.


And that's all, just one more thing left to say.

A few pics from Vung Tau

Here are a few pics from Vung Tau for a long time reader...

Front Beach at dusk





Giant crane thingy on a boat



Sun beating down on the Vung Tau promenade:

TET 2011

An article I wrote about TET.

It took me some time to figure out exactly what TET holiday was about. At first I looked for a deeper meaning, a religious significance. When I first arrived in Vietnam it was all a big mystery and very exciting. I searched for some real genuine new year experiences, I joined the masses in District 1 to celebrate and marvelled at the atmosphere.

Over the years I’ve had various TET experiences, and all of them good. I’ve reached the conclusion that just like Christmas back home in England, the deeper meaning is more important for some than others, and generally it is just a wonderful time of year when everyone has a holiday, spends time with family and eats and drinks way too much.

Having both Christmas and the lunar new year within close proximity is a double bonus, but the unique atmosphere of the TET holiday is always to be savoured in Ho Chi Minh City. The weather is fair and the streets light up with colour. The air buzzes in the days leading up to New Years Eve, beautiful kumquat plants in full blossom are seen all around the city, strapped to motorbikes. The children are excited, the house full of fruit and cakes and they are awaiting their little red envelopes of money from their relatives. Activity reaches a crescendo and a million people head into the city center to get a glimpse of the fireworks on the river. Forty minutes later and there’s a deafening roar as the bikes start their engines and begin to inch their way home or to the pagoda. Personally, its the happy nature of the people during holiday time that makes it such a pleasure to be here.

Last year I spent new years day on a typical TET picnic, visiting my wives family in Cu Chi district. A loud, chirpy minibus ride got us there at around 9.30am, where already a huge feast was laid out. All kinds of dishes were laid out including my favourite, thit heo kho trung. We sat on the tiles outside and shared the food and drank beer, and I was stuffed and half drunk before noon, and that’s how it should be.

Spending time in Saigon in the peaceful days after the new year has turned is the only time of year you can drive along Nguyen Thi Minh Khai or Dien Bien Phu and not be choking on exhaust fumes or stuck in traffic. For me, that novelty is well worth it alone, seeing the normal hectic city streets almost deserted. People often ask me where to go during TET and I always tell them its one of the best times to just stay in Saigon and relax. Travelling around the new year period is not easy. All the resorts are fully booked long in advance, flights out of the country are too. Prices for everything are more expensive...so I often wonder if it’s worth travelling during TET.

For newcomers to Saigon’s celebrations I always recommend a stroll down Nguyen Hue at some point after the new year because I think the city does a great job turning the street into a pretty and colourful display, and I have numerous pictures over the years with the various different animals of the zodiac - the Tiger last year. I wonder what to expect from the Rabbit this year!

This year my family and I will be heading to Vung Tau for a couple of nights to take in some sea breeze and delicious fresh seafood, and then for New Years Eve we decided to stay in a hotel in Saigon and watch the fireworks. We haven’t done it for a few years, and I have to introduce my little girl to the festive celebrations too! After that, it’ll be friends, family, food and drink - the uncomplicated essence of TET holiday in Vietnam.

Check out my TET pictures and posts from over the years here.

Mui Ne in 3 hours by 2015?

Plug in 'Mui Ne' and 'Ho Chi Minh City' to Google Maps 'get directions' and it shows a distance of 223km, with a modest estimate of 3 hours 50 minutes. I'm not sure if the Google Maps algorithm includes calculations for getting out of District 1 and over the Saigon Bridge, or passing through Bien Hoa. I have done the journey in 4 hours straight, door to door, Mui Ne to Phu My Hung. That's pretty good going and only due to a relatively easy passage through Bien Hoa and private transport. Those taking the bus need to start out in the heart of the city and the journey usually takes 5 hours minimum - a less than amusing time-to-distance ratio. That's an average of 44 kilometres an hour. I'd say the average for the first two hours (HCMC-Bien Hoa) is 30 kmph.

Any frequent road traveller will tell that once you are past Bien Hoa it's fairly good going, allbeit on a dangerous single lane road, but no gridlock. It's a 124km dash through ever less densely populated countryside until you approach Phan Thiet city. One of the wonders of the modern world is how there isn't a bypass of BH city, as currently all traffic has no option but to crawl through the city centre.

Come to the rescue, new Long Thanh International Airport and associated infrastructure project Ho Chi Minh City – Long Thanh – Dau Day Expressway. The first phase of the new airport should be underway now and *should be* completed in 2015. The express way, according to this document from the Asia Development Bank:

comprises construction of approximately 51 kilometers of four-lane, tolled expressway. The expressway will commence at the junction of the Second Ring Road in District 9, Ho Chi Minh City (HCMC), and end at a junction with National Highway 1 at Dau Giay, Dong Nai Province. It will provide a direct connection from the center of HCMC to economic growth areas in provinces to the north of HCMC along National Highway 1, which connects HCMC to Hanoi. The expressway will be a toll road, with access initially restricted to three locations: the intersection with the Second Ring Road, the intersection with National Highway 51 at the southern end of Long Thanh town, and at Dau Giay. The Project includes construction of a major new 1,700-meter bridge over the Dong Nai River at Long Thanh, and two rest and service areas

So, having looked on the map, the new highway should cut a path directly south of Bein Hoa and link up with Highway 1A on the other side of the airport. This also means the journey to Mui Ne will be significantly cut, probably to around 3 hours. Great, great news..for some time in the next ten years...!


View HCMC-Dau Giay Expressway in a larger map