Xin Chao Vietnam!
On Sunday October 21st the Sapphire Princess anchored near the town of Vung Tau. Passengers received tickets to board the ship's tenders (we waited a bit over an hour for our numbers to be called; tendering is not the most efficient way to get off the ship). Al and Jan had arranged a private tour for us. We walked a relatively short distance to the end of the secured area and met our guide for the day, Thi. She and a partner operate Smile Tours Service. The port of Vung Tau is very important to Vietnam's economy, exporting rice, crude oil, seafood and garments. Vietnam is second in rice export behind Thailand and 2nd in coffee export behind Brazil. Because of this, the inhabitants of Vung Tau earn about 40% more than people living elsewhere, even Ho Chi Minh City.
Her English was excellent, and we quickly learned how delightful she was. She had earned her degree in education, so she was a great teacher for us. There was no doubt she was going to take excellent care of us, on our journey to Ho Chi Minh City located about 56 miles inland. The old name of Saigon is still used, particularly during celebrations.
The Hyundai van was spacious, air conditioned and comfortable. We learned a lot of interesting things about the country from Thi as we journeyed inland:
- People tend to wear fabric over their faces, or masks because they don't want to be tan. They like to be as white as possible because this is a look of wealth and beauty (versus a person who would be laboring outdoors).
- There is no hostility on the part of the Vietnamese people towards the USA, in the aftermath of the war. This is because the country has a very long history, through the centuries, of wars. They move on, and just want to live a peaceful life. Also, they like to receive our dollars!
- People are generally poor, but very enterprising. The most valuable land is that which is right on the road or the highway because this is where you want to have your store front. The land that is further back, off the road, is less desireable. Cemetaries are on the hillsides.
- The reason the Vietnamese use the Latin alphabet, like we do, is that when the French came as missionaries, they couldn't read Chinese. The French came in the 19th century, and left in 1954.
- Ancestors are highly honored. In a Buddhist home there is a Buddha room, which includes an altar for honoring deceased members of the family.
- The Vietnamese don't care much for milk or cheese. The love sweets! Although they grow sugar cane, they import sugar.... because they consume a lot of it.
- The "pointy" hats are very common. You see people wearing them everywhere. I bought one, of course! They are sold on the streets for $1 US. Actually, all kinds of things are sold for $1, unless you are a good negotiator, and then you can get stuff for less. I'm not very good at it, and besides, I want to support the local economy! The next day Jan E. and Janet bought them too. The hat is called "Non La" which means "hat of leaves". The leaves are ironed before the hat is constructed. In the 19th century the King didn't want the hat to look like the Chinese hat, so it has a different slant to it. There are 16 bands of reed, circling the hat. There are 16 because that is when a girls is at the height of her beauty.
- Because the country is poor and there are nearly 80 million people, there is little in the way of social welfare. There is no compensation for the unemployed, and only 4% buy insurance for health or home. They feel it is "bad luck insurance" because you only get a return if something bad happens.
- People strive to save for a house, a motorbike and a TV. We saw a lot of TVs, even in homes that didn't appear to have much else.
- There are four "holy" animals: The dragon gives power to men, the unicorn brings peace to women, the turtle brings a long life and the phoenix represents beauty and happiness. The lucky number is Seven.
- If you have a dog as a pet, you keep it in the house. If it strays, someone will capture it and have it for dinner. Thi said she doesn't eat dog.... but..... she seemed to know that they taste sweet, have little fat and are crunchy. Ugh. In the city it is considered a luxury to have a pet because their care takes time.
- A couple is not to have more than two children. If a parent works in government, and has more than two children, he/she will not get a promotion. Members of the communist party must drop out if they exceed the two children rule.
- There are not enough schools so children attend school in shifts. The literacy rate is reported to be 93%.
- There areas where the grass still will not grow because of the chemical warfare used during the Vietnam war. Two million people were affected by Agent Orange. 70,000 offspring of victims have defects and disabilities. The country is in the early stages of trying to figure out how to sue the US for restitution.
- 75% of the country is mountainous, but it was rather flat in this area, which is not far from the Mekong Delta. We would have enjoyed visiting the Delta, but didn't have time for that excursion.
Even when we were still in Vung Tau we noticed the abundance of motorbikes. They call them all "Hondas", whether they are a Honda brand or not. The motorbikes are everywhere, and they haphazardly weave in and out of traffic. Thi told us that the country has about 16,000 traffic deaths each year. Not surprising. The traffic is very dense, especially once we reached HCMC (Ho Chi Minh City). 8 million people live here.
We visited the War Remnants Museum. This museum collects and preserves photos of the war, artifacts and includes tanks, a Huey 'copter (like the one Terry flew), and other war machines. There are photos taken by 134 war reporters, from eleven nations. It was well done, and really causes one to reflect on the hideousness of this senseless war, which caused so much grief for the Vietnamese people. It should be noted that they are proud of Ho Chi Minh and still very devoted to his memory.
Ernie accidentally dropped a $100 bill here, and noticed it missing a few minutes later. A man who was severely deformed by stepping on a land mine when he was eight years old had found it, and returned it to Ernie. I shook hands with this man's stub of an arm, and bought some cards from him, depicting the traditional dress of women. How could you not buy something from him?
We drove by the Rex Hotel (the site of the US military's weekly updates on progress in the war), we visited the ornate French Colonial post office at the heart of the city, and took pictures of Nha tho Duc Ba -- Saigon's Notre Dame.
Our lunch was fantastic, at Pho 24, a Vietnamese noodle restaurant. Thi ordered delicious spring rolls for us all, as well as the noodle soup (with either chicken or beef). She showed us how to add condiments and sauce, and how to maneuver with chopsticks and the soup spoon (Jan R. opted for a fork). We toasted with the local Tiger Beer to the words Mot hai ba zdo (the last word is emphasized and pronounced "yo"!). This is basically "one, two, three, cheers!"
Our last stop was the Ben Thanh Market. What an experience for the senses.... stall after stall of foods, silk goods, embroideries, shoes, clothing, lacquerware, toys, you name it! This is where we really came into contact with the people and found them to be warm, friendly and gentle. If you showed interest in their wares, they would immediately pull out a little bench, and ask you to be comfortable while they showed you a full selection of possibilities. They are very good at "closing the deal", and are putting the items in a bag before you've even agreed to make the purchase. The guys found that the sales girls would cutely stroke their arms, as a sales technique. I think it worked. One gal named Al "Big Tall Daddy". We are thinking that nickname will stick for a while! They also tended to be delighted to have their picture taken. There was no need to carry Vietnamese money (Dong) because they love getting dollars.
We would highly recommend Thi as a guide, without hesitation. She is willing to provide her services in all of the neighboring countries, in addition to Vietnam. She can be reached at Thi_travel@yahoo.com or info@smiletourvn.com. The web address is www.smiletoursvietnam.com
Cam o'n to Thi for creating such a wonderful experience for us! Thank you, Thi!
Her English was excellent, and we quickly learned how delightful she was. She had earned her degree in education, so she was a great teacher for us. There was no doubt she was going to take excellent care of us, on our journey to Ho Chi Minh City located about 56 miles inland. The old name of Saigon is still used, particularly during celebrations.
The Hyundai van was spacious, air conditioned and comfortable. We learned a lot of interesting things about the country from Thi as we journeyed inland:
- People tend to wear fabric over their faces, or masks because they don't want to be tan. They like to be as white as possible because this is a look of wealth and beauty (versus a person who would be laboring outdoors).
- There is no hostility on the part of the Vietnamese people towards the USA, in the aftermath of the war. This is because the country has a very long history, through the centuries, of wars. They move on, and just want to live a peaceful life. Also, they like to receive our dollars!
- People are generally poor, but very enterprising. The most valuable land is that which is right on the road or the highway because this is where you want to have your store front. The land that is further back, off the road, is less desireable. Cemetaries are on the hillsides.
- The reason the Vietnamese use the Latin alphabet, like we do, is that when the French came as missionaries, they couldn't read Chinese. The French came in the 19th century, and left in 1954.
- Ancestors are highly honored. In a Buddhist home there is a Buddha room, which includes an altar for honoring deceased members of the family.
- The Vietnamese don't care much for milk or cheese. The love sweets! Although they grow sugar cane, they import sugar.... because they consume a lot of it.
- The "pointy" hats are very common. You see people wearing them everywhere. I bought one, of course! They are sold on the streets for $1 US. Actually, all kinds of things are sold for $1, unless you are a good negotiator, and then you can get stuff for less. I'm not very good at it, and besides, I want to support the local economy! The next day Jan E. and Janet bought them too. The hat is called "Non La" which means "hat of leaves". The leaves are ironed before the hat is constructed. In the 19th century the King didn't want the hat to look like the Chinese hat, so it has a different slant to it. There are 16 bands of reed, circling the hat. There are 16 because that is when a girls is at the height of her beauty.
- Because the country is poor and there are nearly 80 million people, there is little in the way of social welfare. There is no compensation for the unemployed, and only 4% buy insurance for health or home. They feel it is "bad luck insurance" because you only get a return if something bad happens.
- People strive to save for a house, a motorbike and a TV. We saw a lot of TVs, even in homes that didn't appear to have much else.
- There are four "holy" animals: The dragon gives power to men, the unicorn brings peace to women, the turtle brings a long life and the phoenix represents beauty and happiness. The lucky number is Seven.
- If you have a dog as a pet, you keep it in the house. If it strays, someone will capture it and have it for dinner. Thi said she doesn't eat dog.... but..... she seemed to know that they taste sweet, have little fat and are crunchy. Ugh. In the city it is considered a luxury to have a pet because their care takes time.
- A couple is not to have more than two children. If a parent works in government, and has more than two children, he/she will not get a promotion. Members of the communist party must drop out if they exceed the two children rule.
- There are not enough schools so children attend school in shifts. The literacy rate is reported to be 93%.
- There areas where the grass still will not grow because of the chemical warfare used during the Vietnam war. Two million people were affected by Agent Orange. 70,000 offspring of victims have defects and disabilities. The country is in the early stages of trying to figure out how to sue the US for restitution.
- 75% of the country is mountainous, but it was rather flat in this area, which is not far from the Mekong Delta. We would have enjoyed visiting the Delta, but didn't have time for that excursion.
Even when we were still in Vung Tau we noticed the abundance of motorbikes. They call them all "Hondas", whether they are a Honda brand or not. The motorbikes are everywhere, and they haphazardly weave in and out of traffic. Thi told us that the country has about 16,000 traffic deaths each year. Not surprising. The traffic is very dense, especially once we reached HCMC (Ho Chi Minh City). 8 million people live here.
We visited the War Remnants Museum. This museum collects and preserves photos of the war, artifacts and includes tanks, a Huey 'copter (like the one Terry flew), and other war machines. There are photos taken by 134 war reporters, from eleven nations. It was well done, and really causes one to reflect on the hideousness of this senseless war, which caused so much grief for the Vietnamese people. It should be noted that they are proud of Ho Chi Minh and still very devoted to his memory.
Ernie accidentally dropped a $100 bill here, and noticed it missing a few minutes later. A man who was severely deformed by stepping on a land mine when he was eight years old had found it, and returned it to Ernie. I shook hands with this man's stub of an arm, and bought some cards from him, depicting the traditional dress of women. How could you not buy something from him?
We drove by the Rex Hotel (the site of the US military's weekly updates on progress in the war), we visited the ornate French Colonial post office at the heart of the city, and took pictures of Nha tho Duc Ba -- Saigon's Notre Dame.
Our lunch was fantastic, at Pho 24, a Vietnamese noodle restaurant. Thi ordered delicious spring rolls for us all, as well as the noodle soup (with either chicken or beef). She showed us how to add condiments and sauce, and how to maneuver with chopsticks and the soup spoon (Jan R. opted for a fork). We toasted with the local Tiger Beer to the words Mot hai ba zdo (the last word is emphasized and pronounced "yo"!). This is basically "one, two, three, cheers!"
Our last stop was the Ben Thanh Market. What an experience for the senses.... stall after stall of foods, silk goods, embroideries, shoes, clothing, lacquerware, toys, you name it! This is where we really came into contact with the people and found them to be warm, friendly and gentle. If you showed interest in their wares, they would immediately pull out a little bench, and ask you to be comfortable while they showed you a full selection of possibilities. They are very good at "closing the deal", and are putting the items in a bag before you've even agreed to make the purchase. The guys found that the sales girls would cutely stroke their arms, as a sales technique. I think it worked. One gal named Al "Big Tall Daddy". We are thinking that nickname will stick for a while! They also tended to be delighted to have their picture taken. There was no need to carry Vietnamese money (Dong) because they love getting dollars.
We would highly recommend Thi as a guide, without hesitation. She is willing to provide her services in all of the neighboring countries, in addition to Vietnam. She can be reached at Thi_travel@yahoo.com or info@smiletourvn.com. The web address is www.smiletoursvietnam.com
Cam o'n to Thi for creating such a wonderful experience for us! Thank you, Thi!
posted by Sniglet's Mom @ 1:19 AM
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