Saigon Stuff

Escape to the coast

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We’ve been living in Vietnam now for 23 weeks, and tomorrow we head off on our first family holiday.  Over the next 6 days we’ll be far away from the city on a beach resort in Mui Ne, about 5 hours drive up on the coast.

We are looking forward to a change in scenery.  My readiness for a break away was confirmed earlier today when, after lunch out with friends, I suddenly panicked that I couldn’t see Flo in the huddle of children walking down the street,  “where’s Florence gone?” I asked to no one in particular, but in a slightly fretful tone, (which I now wish I’d internalised).  “She’s on your shoulders, Tim,” replied our friend.  Sure enough, I was clutching both Flo’s ankles at the time, and she had her hands resting on my head.

All the more embarrassing, these were the same friends who, when we first met them last month, asked Lou the name of her baby, to be met with stoney silence from Lou who’d decided to have a sudden memory loss, took a full two second pause, stared at me, and as I was starting to mouth the “M” of Martha, just managed to find the name herself, from a distant corner of her memory. Continue reading →

Growing pains

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I reclaimed my running gear over the weekend, long since discarded at the back of the wardrobe, and joined an informal band of ex-pats on a jog round District 7, one of Saigon’s newest areas in terms of construction and modern looking amenities.

6kms, and one bacon and egg roll later (I did say ‘informal’ band) and other than some minor tweaks in the legs, and a slightly higher cholesterol level, the morning was uneventful enough, but offered a reminder of some of the starker impacts of the country’s ongoing trajectory of growth.

Although the land on which District 7 resides was originally purchased by a Taiwanese buyer some 20 years ago, it is only in recent times that development has advanced and, like many things here, it has moved forward apace. Continue reading →

Living above water

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No chocolate eggs for us this weekend, instead we took to the river over Easter Sunday on an organised boat trip down to the edge of the Mekong Delta.

Flo was in a state of permanent pleasure for the whole day the moment she was given a bright orange lifejacket to wear and, contrary to what might seem logical, the strong winds and hard backed seats made for a much more comfortable – and cooler – environment for Lou and her ever growing bump (36 weeks and counting…)

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Scooters

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There are heavy restrictions on foreigners driving cars in Vietnam, and my mode of transport since arriving here has been the taxi.  Longer term I may need to find more economical means.  For now, the relatively cheap cost of any of the different branded taxis is easy to swallow and, in the thick of rush hour traffic, it certainly feels the more secure option over and above riding a motorbike or a scooter.

Riding bikes in Saigon is a way of life for the 3 million or so owners who zig-zag across the city each day.  From the comfort of the backseat of a Vinasun taxi (our preferred choice at the moment) it is mesmerising watching the ebb and flow of traffic jostle for every last inch of space, in a bid to get from A to B as quick as possible.

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