Six days in Saigon

Saigon's narrow buildings come in all shades of colors--pink, blue, green, peach, turquoise, yellow. It felt more like Miami beach looking out at the palm trees and brightly colored houses with verandas, patios and terracotta roofs. I spent the first few days walking the streets and visiting some of the museums dedicated to the war, separation and reunification. It was a somber experience taking in photo after photo of destruction the war caused. The chemical weapons used by the American government still persist in the environment and cause birth defects in hardest hit areas. The photo on the right is the palace that is now the Reunification Museum. It remains just about the same as it was the day South Viet Nam's government surrendered to the north and Americans fled the city on helicopters.

A word about Viet Nam traffic. Motorbikes are everywhere and traffic can be a bit chaotic. People don't pay much attention to lanes. As long as there is space for a bike it's a gaurantee that it will soon be filled by one. With that said it may be safer on a bike than as a pedestrian. Crossing the street requires direct eye contact with drivers, slow paces and no sudden moves.

On the night that my friend arrived in town, I hopped on a motor bike to meet him and a Saigon contact at a local bar. As soon as my driver took off, he turned his head towards me (taking his eyes off the road) and said, "Madame, you like mary wana? I sell you mary wana."
Intrigued by such access to drugs on a motorbike I replied, "Oh, really?"
"Yes, madame, I have all kinds, from all over and cocaine." The rest of the drive he kept turning around trying to convince me to buy from him. I clutched the back of the bike and tried to convince him we could discuss it more when we arrived at our destination. I cringed as he turned his head while dodging pedestrians and weaving back and forth between other motorbikes. I arrived safely and enjoyed an evening of beers, food and a final tequila shot with some Saigon expats. I still had to get on another motor bike back to my guesthouse. As soon as we took off the driver turned to me and asked, "Madame, you want to buy mary wana?" I didn't think, after a night of spirits, I could handle another ride with the driver not looking at the road so I quickly replied, "Oh, no. It makes me sick."

One of the other ways to see Saigon is with a cyclo driver. Many of them fought with America during the war. Before the war some were doctors, teachers, lawyers or businessmen. They joined the Americans and after reunification they lost much of their status and freedoms when the Northern government took control. Many turned to driving cyclos to support themselves and their families. Each year the city restricts more streets they are allowed on. Here's me and my driver on our way to pick up my passport at the Chinese Consulate.

Small food stands and carts are all around the city. Vendors have small chairs or stools and little tables for patrons to sit and enjoy a snack or Vietnamese coffee. I particularly fell in love with the iced coffees that are sold by women all over town.
At night vendors ride bicycles with a wooden frame attached to the back. You can smell the vendors before you see them because of the dried squid they sell. I sampled some one night with a Viet Nam native I met. It wasn't something I had again.