Hoi An

After many, many attempts .... I am finally, remarkably, miraculosly linked to a tower someplace!



A typical Hoi An street - no cars or trucks are allowed.



Perhaps Hoi An's most photographed site and therefore trademark treasue, is - the Japanese Covered Bridge. No one really knows how old it is - like so many sites in the city. There is a still active Japanese Buddist temple in the middle of it <- probably the reason it was originally covered

Hoi An, 42 kilometers SE of Da Nang, was established by Japanese, Chinese, Indian, and Dutch traders as an international trading center in the mid-1500s. It has changed little over the centuriess and UNESCO declared it a World Hertage site in 1999. It is now known not only for its architectural history but also for its building, wood carving, lacquer-ware, and paper lattern artisans. I found it to be an incredible place.



I love my Chinese temples/community houses and any Asian dragons. .Both attracted me to this structure! The Cantonese temple had a striking dragon motif - inside and outside. This is the exterior main entrance.




The many dragons throughout were intrically detailed - many appeared to be made of glazed terracota - including thr roof tiles. This pic is of the large dragon fountain in the open center (located in front of the main alter) of the hiu quan. Note intricate glazed tile dragons on roof. To me, this is amazingly interesting stuff - I spent more than an hour in this tiny structure - most tourist stay < href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjbFNwy5LXFJgPDr5Qv_OnNP8Sl3UR5w-47QGY_XYtg7BFlkcMzKHus6X50Q6CdW5IHUgLIVqctFuhDUq7R3_C64HNaG5ONERjMoDgKi1W47jBiXi0fpXGufoH7wlk_qrnGrPUs1RqzOYeh/s1600-h/48+Hoi+An+-+Phung+Hung+House+Exterior+Built+1780.jpg" target="_blank">

Exterior of Phung Hung (Vietnamese) house built in 1780 - has been owned by the same family for 8 generations. Incredibly preserved wood structure - and still being lived in by descendents of original builders!




Interior of Phung Hung house, 2nd floor shrines - to family ancesters on left and Budda on right.




Entry gate to a 300+ yo Chinese Phus Kien temple - with a major dragon motif. I hope you will be able to discern glazed dragons adoring gate roofing - all supposedly original!




Phuc Kien temple itself and a happy man with even more dragons. Again, I hope you can see the many glazed dragons on the roof!

The Saigon Sillies

Smokers will be interested in the new Marlboro box packaging. Non-smokers will be interested to find the more-blatant-than-in-the USA-warning-label! Umbrella? One’s got to protect ones’ cigs from the sun - after all - they cost $1 a pack here!

It also shows my artsy side - don't you think!?

Off to Hoi An and Nha Trang

Just in case I go missing - I leave Saigon tomorrow, Monday, Sep 15th on Vietnames Airline's 11:30AM flight to DaNang. Then an immediate 1-2 hour bus ride to Hoi An - a UNESCO World Heritage Site.

I will stay there 2-3 days and then go to Nha Trang.

Of course I will be in touch!

Critter Eats

These things looked more like toads than frogs!? They are always displayed alive so that consumers can be assured of their "freshness" when procuring.


Yes, the Vietnamese eat dog - but it is against the "law" to take pictures of the street vendors who sell them alive - I was aggressively approached by many waiving their hands in the air each time I attempted to take a photo! I imagine picture, especially taken by westerners, are discouraged to "protect" the Vietnamese image.. I think I got away with taking this one because these dogs were puppies being sold as pets.

The food dog vendor set-ups are virtually the same though!

By the way - the Vietnamese consider Guinea Pigs a delicacy much as they do in Central and South America! They are sold alive by street vendors - but like dogs, photography is vigorously and aggressively discouraged.

Saigon: The Cholon (Chinese) District and its’ Temples

#30 This is the most common "pic" taken of the heart of the Cholon District.

#31 This is the Cholon Central market. VN buy stuff here really cheaply and resell it in the Saigon central market (just 1.5 miles away) at a profit. Many VN are prejudice against Chinese and won't go near this place. When I went inside, Chinese appeared to be the predominant language.



For those of you who may not know - I am captivated by Buddhist and Daoist religions, their temples, deities, and especially old temple architecture. Many of you have seen, in my house the antique (125+ years old) teak Thai "spirit house" (miniature model of a Buddhist temple) and the Thai temple mementos I picked up while there - these (albeit they are now made of concrete) are still strategically placed on poles outside Thai homes so that the shadow of the house passes over them at least once a day <- bringing good luck and fortune to the home's inhabitants. Anyway, given my interest in Buddism and their temples, I visited several in Cholon ... #32 this is the pagoda part of Giac Lan Pagoda and Temple. It is said (but not believed by all) that this is the oldest Chinese built (in 1744) temple in Saigon. That's a status of the "female Buidda" I'm standing next to. Each floor of the pagoda has a shrine to different Chinese Buddhist deities.

#33 That's me next to the Big Guy himself!

#34 Interior pic of Giac Lam temple.


#35 Exterior of Nhi Phu Hoi Quan Cholon District - Built 1724 as 'club house'. Should note that "Hoi Quan" means "community house" - which in fact most Buddist temples are. So, many temples include this phrase/term in their names. Many believe that this should be known as the oldest Chinese temple in HCMC - but is not because it was originally built as a Hoi Quan. I could only get exterior shots of this temple - albeit I could go inside, some sort of ritual was in progress and I was not allowed to take pics. Too bad, because the interior was incredible!

The Tue Than Hoi Quan Temple in Cholon Dist was built in 1760 in honor/memory of one of the first young Chinese woman to settle in Saigon. Evidently she dedicated herself to Chinese immigrants and died very young. She is revered by the Chinese in Saigon.



#36 This exterior shot shows some of the incredible, exquisite original exterior glazed-relief tiles that adorn the temple.



#37 Pic of interior alter of Tue Than Hoi Quan Temple. All original.

Saigon Sights and a Hi, There to Cousin Jack

I have always admired/had an interest in bonsai. My cousin Jack has been growing/ sculpting/ tending/ loving or whatever one does with bonsai for years.

Personally, I know little about them except I think they are amazing to behold as well as require tremendous efforts to care for.

I have seen many bonsai in Saigon - attached pics #24 and #25 are examples. They are NOT the much smaller, countertop versions one normally sees. The explanation for their larger "park versions" is that they are true bonsai but are grown larger for display in public areas <- larger to deter thieves from stealing them. I see "gardener care takers" tending to them daily.

More FAQs;

Did you get great exchange rate for the US$2 bills that you took with you?
Background - before leaving US I was told this would be the case - so I brough $600 in new $2 bills with me. Answer = I got a little better exchange rate - but only a little. So, I have saved them and give them as gifts to "fiends". I make. Those I've given them to have all been very appreciative because they are so rare here and considered to be very good luck.

Is smoking abundant?
I found that surprisingly it is not. Less than a third of the people I see on streets are smoking. There are restaurants and even coffee cafes that will not allow you to smoke inside (where there is AC) - smoking allowed only in their outdoor seating area (no AC - which represents a strong deterent to Western smokers in hot/sticky Saigon.

Given all the traffic - isn't pollution a major problem in HCMC?
Surprisingly not despite 4M+ motorbikes! I have concluded that this probably because of the daily albeit short-duration downpours. Air quality here is as good if not better than downtown DC.

Are the girls' marriage propositions you described serious or just flirtations?
Many, especially wait staff and female patrons I run into in cafes and on the streets, are, for the most part very flirtatious and open. Are they serious? The relatively few VN I am actually able to converse with say they are serious as a heart attack and state that all I have to do is follow-up, e.g., present a dinner or coffee/cafe invitation. At this point in time - I'm too cowardly and shy to "follw-up". BUT I certainly do not mind and recipricate flirtations!

Are you going to be able to leave for the next country since you're having such a wonderful experience in Vietnam? Would you marry Linh and stay in the country?
Afraid that I will move on - but will first ask Linh if she wants to go with me! <-- hummm - maybe not bc that might be interpreted as a marriage proposal. But - move on I will - first to other parts of Vietnam before going to another country. But I will return to Saigon before leaving for next country and will make it a point to say goodbye to my friends here before leaving. Doing so will be a sad experience. Great getting and we really enjoy your emails, stories, and pics! Must ask why you put such effort into your emails? To paraphrase something I said in an email to someone else - my emails/stories/pics enable me to document my travels at the expense of boring many! But I also have a desire to share with those that I care about - remember I am traveling alone which makes it kinda weird and even lonely at times. It's a cloudy and rainy day today. Good time for me to investigate/plan my egress from Saigon to other Vietnam locales. #26 - I have become addicted to these sweet-waffle-crepe-like goodies that a few street vendors prepare - they are also favorites of many Vietnamese who have no specific name or term for them but EVERYONE knows what they are <-- according to Linh and others. They are similar to very fresh but much thinner, unwrapped/rolled waffle ice cream cones. I get some daily from the same street vendor in this pic - she and I have become buds and aggressively argue EVERYday over price! In pic - that is her small wood-fire + cooking iron to the right and fresh-cooked products in plastic bags to the left. Entire set-up (including lit fire and hot grilling iron) can be simultaneously uplifted onto her shoulder and moved in seconds <-- which she must do several times a day bc shop keepers don't like here in front of their stores. And, yes that's me in background attempting to grab her products undetected! I never succeed. #27 pic title says it all - it was in here that I had my 1st VN fried spring roles (that is in VN - I eat many in US!) and where my favorite food stall and "other girlfriend" are located!






#28 I had to make a pilgrimage the previous crib of Thieu and Ky. For those that never knew or forgot, they were the last 2 Premiers of the Republic of Vietnam (RVN) <-- a country that ceased to exist when Saigon fell to the North Vietnamese Army in 1975. #29 This REALLY is what the Saigon power grid and commo infrastrure looks like! Really - throughout Ho Chi Minh City!

Saigon FAQ

I have received many identical/similar questions in response to the emails I sent yesterday. So, I thought I would share responses with all.

Has Vietnam been what you expected?
Although this sounds like a simple and straightforward question - it caused me to pause and do some inward thinking. The purpose of my journey is to experience/re-experience places I've been to before and those that have always been of interest to me. "Experience" to me means seeing/smelling/tasting/hearing/feeling each place I visit. This includes both the good and bad associated with each locale. Therefore, looking at it in a philosophical as well as realistic way - I cannot avoid "experiencing" each place I visit, therefore every location will unavoidably meet my expectations. Further, given this "expectation", such a journey cannot help but be truly gratifying.
This gives me the "warm and fuzzies" feeling we all crave - right!?

Is the traffic really that bad and How do you cross the streets?
Yes it is as bad as it looks - see attached picture #20 - 24/7! How do you cross the streets - think virtual or live Donkey-Kong!

Do you have favorite spots in Saigon?
I have become a regular in a few. My fav coffee/bistro is located in a somewhat high-rent area - I visit it daily - not only for good coffees and food - but for the smile, intelligence, curiosity, never-ending queries about all things, and friendship of Linh (see ahhached pic #21. She is a college BA sophomore doing a 3-mo internship at the cafe. I help her with English and she helps me with Vietnamese. I have become quite fond of her - and I hope she has of me. We've exchanged email addresses and I look forward to keeping in touch with her.

What is the mix (make-up) of the tourist you've seen?
Most are Aussies, Kiwis, and Brits. The remainder appear to be about equal parts Koreans, Japanese, Russian (and/or other Slavs), Philippino, and who I think are Malaysians/Indonesians. There are VERY few Americans - but a few pop up every now and then.

Isn't it weird being in a Communist country?
The in-your-face-Communism I anticipated isn't present. Most of the gold star and sickle flags/banners have disappeared too <-- evidently they were artifacts of "National Day" celebrations which occurred the day before I arrived. On the surface, HCMC appears to be an open, free capitalistic state - with everyone freely and willingly pursuing open niche opportunities. However, I have asked some people about this topic - their responses have always been hesitant and appear self-censored. So, who knows what goes on behind the scenes? Prostitutes?
They are around - but not obvious and in-your-face as I thought they would be. None "walk the streets". Mostly, taxi/motorbike drivers offer and broker their services. Occasionally, a prostitute on a motorbike will approach you - but this has been a rare occurrence – by the way, the ones I've seen on motorbikes were babes! Major problem is hotels absolutely will NOT allow you to bring them to your room. Evidently they can lose their licenses if they do!
So, you have to go to "their place" - which is normally a very small, no A/C room in a very out-of-the-way, off-the-beaten-path locale. Although it sounds incredibly discouraging - I've been told it's "safe". Rates: "FULL, 1 hour massage" = $10, "Everything" or "Round-the-World" = $20

Pictured on the left (#22) are the folks who staff my favorite HCMC central market food stand. It was here that I had my first spring roll (isee previous pic I sent). I have been a regular there ever since - I go there at least once a day. When I appear, they all always greet me with apparenly warm and sincere smiles - and Luang (sp?), to my lft in pic, always greats me w a hug and "peck" on the neck. She has claimed that I will be "... her first and only husband".<-- I assume this means that she Catholic!?!? AND she and other crew all claim that she is 26 yrs old. True - it may be yet another instance of the Chinese-Olympic-Female-Gymnist thingy. But I look forward to my daily+ interludes with her ... and her never-ending questions about the USA, ongoing facination with my BBry - she loves looking at the pics I've taken and luvs pushing the keys! Luang and her fellow crew members, like others I've interacted with here, continue to amaze me how much we can communicate with one another for long periods of time without knowing anything about one another's languages. We really tend to underestimate how effective smiles, pointing, facial expressions, gestures, etc can be as communication tools - especially if there is sincerity behind them!

Back to Cu Chi

This is going to be one of my longer "Dispatches" (<- a great book about VN war) - so bear with me and don't just look at the pictures (that includes you JEFF!) Feeling that I had already reached the apex of the shock/trauma associated with HCMC's culture, star/sickel flags/banners, food, and climate, I decided to venture back to Cu Chi. (Phonetically, that's "koo chee"). For those of you who don't know or have forgotten - Cu Chi is where I spent most of my 14-month (Sep '66 - Nov '67) assignment in Vietnam. I spent about half this time as a squad leader in the recon platoon of the 1st Bn/27th Inf (Wolfhounds), and the 2nd half as a Patrol Leader in the division's Long Range Reconnaisance Platoon (aka LRRP - affectionately refered to as "lerps") <- both part of the 25th Infantry Division aka "Tropic Lighting" because our division patch. It was and still is a banana leaf with a lightening bolt on it. Cu Chi was the division's base camp from late '65 to the end of the war. And yes - it is/was this division that was the theme of Oliver Stone's movie "Platoon" and more recently the comedy film "Tropic Thunder"... Get the connection! - lightening/thunder - I thought I would point that out because it took me a while to figure it out! Located about 72 kilometers (42 mi) from Saigon (near Cambodian boarder), Cu Chi today is a major tourist attraction/destination - not because of the 25th-division-based movies but due to the miles of tunnels that were constructed (some supposedly from Cambodia) by the Viet Cong and NVA (North Vietnamese Army) in the area, and were made famous by numerous "Tunnels of Cu Chi" themed books and documentaries. I was a tunnel rat for a very short period - it was in such a tunnel that I first got wounded and received a Purple Heart. Many half-day bus tours are run daily from just about every Saigon hotel. I decided I didn't want to return there with a bus load of tourist. Instead, I hired a motorbike and driver for a day (at US$20, much less than tour bus') to take me there and back - enabling me to stop and see what I wanted. Hoang - My Motorbike-Driver-For-Hire stationed himself near my hotel, had repeatedly offered to give me a motorbike tour of HCMC. For 4 days I rejected his offers, prefering to walk and feel/touch/smell/taste the city at a leisurely pace - even enjoying the many times I got lost. Each time I rejected his tour offers, we would engage in conversations where he demonstrated his intelligence and fairly good English skills. He came to mind as an appealing alternative to a "bus tour of Cu Chi" - so I presented the proposal, he accepted, we agreed on an all-day price (US$20!), scheduled a start time, and we were off in the AM yesterday, Sunday, Sep 7th.
I mistakingly thought that it being Sunday and the fact that 15+% of Vietnamese are Catholics combined with no school and most workers having the day off, traffic would be relatively light how WRONG I was - it was as bad as any weekday except people appeared to be more dressed up <- I suppose to go to church and weddings (of which I saw several during trip!. Evidence of My Return - after a bumpy 100 minute ride I DID "return" as another military guy once said.















I crossed many of these - really helped my foot ailments. That wassarcasm in case you didn't know...


Family hootch compounds and sampans were often seen during my tour - I always dreaded running into them bc, as often as not, it meant having to search them <-- not fun if it turns out they had something to hide ... such as booby-trap grenades.


Hoang said this was the Oriental River that eventually served as a border between Vietnam and Cambodia (at which point I crossed it many times for ops or operations in Cambodia). This appeared to be fare too close to Cu Chi to be the river I knew as the Oriental <-- but all such rivers look the same - hence the chill that I experienced running down my neck when Hoang said it was the Oriental! Our tour of the Cu Chi area didn't take very much time because I chose not to do the 2-3 hour Cu Chi Disneyland thing, So, Hoang and I stopped by a Cu Chi "roadside refreshment stop." There our 2 waitresses invited themselves to our table - btw - no tourist stop by this place because it's a few kilometers away from said Disneyland, and off the beaten track.

They were curious about me. They don't see many Americans - asked Hoang many questions about me which I freely and eagerly helped him answer. They were fascinated at the fact that I was a VN war vet that served in Cu Chi. I was fascinated at how old they were (or rather, not) I was getting a kind of deja vu of Chinese Olympic female gymnist!
They were both very intelligent (which was evident by the questions they asked), had great senses of humor and, as we got to know more about one another, they became very touchy-feely (the way Vietnamese are with close friends). And yes, Tan did kinda ask me to marry her - saying I was a funny, good natured, and generous man whom she would want/welcome as her husband... at least this is the way Hoang interpreted her words!

For almost 2 hours, we all talked, laughed, and gave high-5s and hugged one another. It was great fun and will be one of my fondest memories.

Ho Chi Minh City – FAQ Part 2

Traffic!



GONE! - just typical traffic on any given day in HCMC. As a pedestrian - you just go, exuding confidence, daring anyone to hit you!

MY TYPICAL DAY in HCMC - Up @ 6AM, breakfast + AM English paper 6-7:30AM, on streets exploring 7:30AM-5 or 6PM, hotel cool off/shower/rest 6-7PM, dinner and more street roaming 7-10 or 11PM or so.

BUDGET/FOOD - US$1 = VND16,600 (Vietnamese Dong) - so almost all transactions are in 10's or 100's of thousands of VND, e.g., VND1,000,000 = US$60! Hotel - was staying in a $90/nite AC/dbl bed/fridge/bkfst-included/window rm - moved to a $40/nite rm virtually the same but not in an as "fashionable" a neighborhood. I "nibble" about 4-5 times a day on street vendor food - if I am hungry and see something I like I stop and get it (I am addicted to tropical banana "smoothies" @ 32 cents ea) - ea "street food stop" normally cost < $1. I also stop in cafe's mid-PM's for iced coffees/milk.<- expensive @ $2. Some evenings I'll splurge on a meal in a cafe - like this evening I had pork loin w/cream mushroom sauce/FF/mixed veggies + iced coffee/milk for about $6. No - I have not experienced any symptoms of "Uncle Ho's revenge" as a result of consuming street food/iced drinks. BACON - Yes many places have what I consider "the perfect food" albeit more the English rather than American version. VN = Ba Roi FLAGS/BANNERS - Did I ever mention the ever-present (and for me still freakingly emotionally disturbing) gold sickle and gold star on red background flags/banners?! Hmmm ... I believe I did ... But not in a traffic context as the picture below illustrates! That's it for now - hope I answered most of your questions and, in doing so that I didn't bore you too much - sorry there are no critter pics to share as I had hoped there would be. Maybe/hopefully later! David

Ho Chi Minh City – FAQ Part 1

...and did I mention...



Photo: On your mark, READY, set ... Note that most ARE wearing helmets! Makes me wonder why they do!? Note also that most are wearing face masks too!?!?

I have received several responses to my emails containing numerous questions - many posing the same questions. So, I decided rather than sending individual/redundant emails, I would answer the most FAQs in a single email to all. I hope you don't find them too mundane. Anyway ... Did I mention ...

CRITTERS - After traipsing miles around this city, in both poor and affluent districts during both day and night - I have seen only 1 dog - a pet, Corgy-mix owned by a small book shop keeper and ... No the dog wasn't friendly at all. And, unlike most large cities in developing countries I've been in around the world, there aren't even any stray or ferel dogs in sight. AND I have seen no cats at all - ferel or pets!? I wonder if there are or were any and, if so an even more ominous question comes to mind - where did they all go?! The only "pets" I've seen are fish in tanks. Really makes me think twice about what's hanging in the many butcher stalls I've seen - as well as what I've been eating?!?! So ... Mini-COL beware! <- a friend's Chihuahua/Jack Russell Terrier mix.
GO ... ... More TRAFFIC in next post...

WEATHER - Although a few degrees warmer and higher humidity than in DC, really not too bad and my climatization is coming along - I am now perspiring 3 instead of 4 gals per day. There are daily t-storms - but they are short-lived (5-30 mins) and the streets (albeit not my clothes) are completely dry within minutes after the rain ends.

TRAFFIC - As a seasoned pedestrian of 3rd-world, urban terrains, I find it manageable and am not intimidated by it - but have noticed many Westerners on the street totally freaked-out by the always congested traffic ignoring what few stoplights exist <- especially when they are attempting to cross streets. Most are motorbikes mixed with a few big trucks and buses. What's it like – take a look.