We had jam packed day planned so started pretty early with an iced coffee from the ladies who owned a little shop just down the alleyway from us. This place is run from 3 old blenders positioned just outside their living room but they do a roaring trade all day. We love where we are staying as we are stones throwing distance from streets filled with bars and restaurants yet we are living in the alleyways where the locals live. As their houses are so small, most of the cooking and general living is done outside on the pathway. It’s fascinating to see.
Our first stop was the War Remnants Museum. The Vietnamese call the war the American War and its pretty easy to see why. It’s a case of same shit different day unfortunately. The museum was massively biased towards the Vietnamese but even with that in mind the Americans did some horrific things all because Communism was seen as such a threat. The photos were horrific and seeing the effects of chemical weapons like Agent Orange were quite harrowing. What I didn’t really know was that the Vietnamese had been fighting the French for independence since WWII. Once this was gained in came the Americans so technically they had been at war since before WWII until 1975. That’s over 30 years.
Feeling like we needed a little break from war stories we walked through the city to the Jade Emperor Pagoda which is a Taoist temple. On the way we were passing eateries filled with office workers taking their lunch break so we decided to join them. We didn’t know what to pick so we ordered one of each and were given a bowl of sauce/broth with BBQ meat, a bowl of vermicelli noodles, a plate of Asian herbs and salad and then a plate of deep fried strips of something like potato or noodle with prawns. Such simple food but the flavours were amazing!
The Pagoda was sandwiched in between the city buildings so when you walked in, the beautifully carved wood was in stark contrast to the surrounding concrete boxes. Inside angry looking gods or bodivistas guarded the Jade Emperor who is the supreme Taoist God Ngoc Hoang. Branching off the main temple were a warren of smaller temples throughout. The smell and smoke from the incense and the feeling of tranquility in the middle of the bustling city gave the temple a very spiritual atmosphere.
We had one last stop on our city walking tour which was the Reunification Palace. The Palace was home to the President of South Vietnam and also housed the American delegation during the war. At the end of the war when the south surrendered, a tank was driven through the gates and the communist flag was flown from the top. Since that day the palace has been left untouched. Although there wasn’t a lot of information on the war here it was fun to wander around the rooms with 70’s style furniture and design. It just felt like one big party house to tell you the truth.
We walked back home and after a little rest and another smoothie from our ladies down the road, we headed back out to Bui Vien street where we sat down to a delicious meal while watching the goings on in the street. Hoi Chi Minh City had been a pleasant surprise for us. We have thoroughly enjoyed our time here and think it is because the city has kept its identity while being developed, especially where we were staying anyway. The streets are lined with small shop fronts unlike the massive shopping centres and soulless new apartment blocks going up in Phnom Penh. Crossing the street in Vietnam is an experience just in itself and in a way very fun. You just slowly walk out and keep an even pace and the motorbikes just go around you. You can’t stop or hesitate or else you will be in trouble. The surprising thing is that it’s the cars that give you the most problems as they don’t have the manoeuvrability of the bikes but won’t stop either so you have to time your walk across the street in between the cars. Luckily it’s about 90% bikes so you usually don’t have to wait very long. S
Lunch. Doesn’t look like much but it was tasty.
Vietnamese style apartment blocks. One room wide. The different styles and structures make the cityscape so fascinating to look at.
The main temple at Jade Emporer Pagoda. Incense, candles and offerings.
One of the side temples. This room was very popular and the man in the picture was constantly performing a ceremony or ritual.
Upstairs was a little less crowded and this shot shows how the temple stands in amongst the rest of the city.
The Remunification Palace.
One of the rooms inside. So shagadelic baby!
Street views.
This was our smoothie place. These ladies made the best smoothies I have ever tasted. The key ingredient being condensed milk.