I went to Vietnam on 14 Oct 2009. It was quite sudden that I decided to use my annual leaves to travel in Vietnam. Well, this idea just popped up in my mind on one fine day. When I was yet to be certain about the decision, I saw a man wearing a red shirt with big yellow star passing me by, I was so impressed by this and so I booked air tickets instantly. Jetstar return tickets cost me SGD$138 (include tax and facilitation fee).
Sunday, October 25, 2009
Saturday, October 24, 2009
This is Ho Chi Minh City
The traffic in Ho Chi Minh City is probably somewhat remarkable and astonishing for us; the never-ending flow of motorbikes, horns rise one after another, there is no overhead bridge, the disproportionate number of traffic lights, the zebra crossing which lacks of practical use. Yet, this is the city’s uniqueness as if such chaos without order does exist as a matter of course. No one ever doubt about it.胡志明市的交通可说是这城市不可忽视的景观,川流不息的摩哆车，此起彼落的车笛声，没有天桥，如同虚设的斑马线，和繁忙交通比例不足的交通灯；这，就是胡志明市的特色，仿佛这毫无秩序的混乱是存在得理所当然的，也经得起时代变迁的考验。
Please don’t expect the motorbike riders will
stop for you who is going to cross the road. What you ought to do is to simply proceed to cross the road without any hesitation. Just go, they will avoid you.
你不必奢望摩哆骑士会因你而停留，要过马路么，就直接敢敢过，他们会避你的，只怕你裹足不前而乱了他们的阵脚。
Life goes on in spite of the heavy rain.不管晴天雨天，为生活奔忙的步伐不停歇，节奏依旧。
哪怕是周遭水花四溅，雨天雷响震耳，小孩依旧与水嘻闹，此景叫人看了，该是担心小孩着凉，还是赞叹他们无邪的快活呀?
Kids are playing under the heavy rain. Wonder if they would get cold? I do admire them in being joyful under such rain, I think they’re strong. So this is a manic city, clogged with traffic, bursting with energy.
这就是如此动力十足而吵杂的城市。
Pham Ngu Lao Street
This is Pham Ngu Lao Street. Most backpackers stay here. The hotel rate ranges from USD$3 to USD$20. You can find lots of nice restaurants here, bars, cafe, tour organizers, street food, souvenirs shop, shops that sell silk products, clothings etc. It's a place of tourists!
Oh yeah, this street is very happening at night! This buffalo bar is so noticeable here.
This restaurant looks kinda cool. 这餐馆挺有情调的。
My favourite boutique at Pham Ngu Lao Street
Oh this boutique that sells good quality silk dress, I love it so much. The shop owner doesn't speak good english but she looks very elegant. She told me that she has a daughter of my age who works as a designer for the clothing factory.
When I first came in the boutique, I was so tempted to buy a dress but the price is about USD$28, so I was thinking to look for the dress somewhere else in Ho Chi Minh city, perhaps in chinatown. However, at the end I realized there're no other shops with dresses of the same good quality this FUKI boutique and even there are, the prices quoted are much higher. So I went back to FUKI, this lady told me that in fact I could only find the dress in her shop, those are "home-made". Haha, I bought it on the day before I took my flight back to S'pore, quite rushing.
Remember Hotel at Pham Ngu Lao street
I stayed in this Dorm for one night. This is my first experience with Dorm. Besides me, there were 1 korean girl, 2 korean guys, and an english man. Good place to make friends. But the person besides me snored thunderously at night .. lol
It's called Remember Hotel, wow, as its name suggests, I will remember this hotel! first time staying in Dorm ... USD$5 per night.
Well, I guess it's good to stay in Dorm especially when you would go out, chill out most of the time, you just need a place to sleep and bath, that's it. And, it saves u a lot. The korean guy told me that he enjoys staying in Dorm as he likes to watch different people come in and out.
Accomodation
Fruits and bread in Saigon
Well, fruits in vietnam taste different, more sticky and watery, niceee!
This fruit, i ate it for the first time, couldn't tell what's that too, quite sour.
唐人街那认识的阿伯介绍我吃这说过，我告诉他这是我第一次看到的呢，他说他们叫这"老鼠仔"。
Come and buy bread, 1000 dong per piece, sooo cheap, it's less than USD 10 cents! I bought the custard ones to eat, so happy!
Street Food: Bo Bia Ngot
Hehe, popiah with mint candy slices, black sesame seeds, coconut slices inside. It's simple, but i love it.
Yummy street food
In a rainy day, I couldn't go out much, went to this stall and grasped something to eat. These are very tasty, indeed, and cheap! The girl is aged 19, she is very nice and keen to learn english, she told me that she learnt to make the food from her mom.
Special carrot cake
This is carrot cake in Saigon! wow, I found it less oily than what I ate in Singapore. It's fried with eggs and garlic too, but at the end it's served with coconut slices, peanuts, tomato sauce and soya sauce. I find it very innovative, and I won't eat any carrot cake anymore in Singapore because I will miss the taste I had in Saigon.
Movable
In Saigon, so many interesting, movable vendors around~~ Tourists like me are surprised to see these, including the machine for measuring height and weight
War Remnants Museum 战后博物馆
War and its aftermath (the tremendous bomb)
“In 1972, a 2000 pound bomb exploded in the yard of Bach Mai hospital, Hanoi”
War and its aftermath -the handicapped little girl
小女孩无邪的笑伤透了你我的心。
The little girl's innocent smile hurts my heart.
Child lossing his father in a graveyard
" When I was a child,
I spoke as a child,
I understood as a child,
I thought as a child,
But when I became a man,
I put away all those childish things"
- phrase adopted from war remnants museum
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