Data Gathering Missions in Saigon.

For the grand total of 49,000 Dong ($2.22 according to xe.com) I was able to buy two 1.5lt bottles of water, a tin of Pringles and a Kit Kat. Brilliant!

I wandered the streets of Saigon today trying to get a sense of where I am in the city. My internal compass is out of whack now that I’m back in the Northern Hemisphere. I just have to keep reminding myself that chances are the direction that I think is north will most likely be south.

I came across everything from modern western style air-conditioned shopping centers to street markets selling things that I don’t even want to know where they came from. The filing system in my brain worked overtime storing all this information for future reference.

My plan was to give myself a taste of the city with a 5km walking tour. In my mind 5km is nothing, but this is Saigon. Walking anywhere in Saigon can be quite time consuming and it’s hardly what I would call a relaxing affair. I was constantly stopping, starting, dodging and weaving. It’s not as simple as wait for the green man and walk. Whilst the Saigonese obey the traffic lights, sometimes, it’s no guarantee that the walkway will be safe to cross without paying attention to what’s happening in every direction. Walking for me has always been soothing, a time to let the mind wander. Not in Saigon. High alert status is required at all times.

My data gathering walking tour inevitably lead me to the Ben Thanh Market in the center of Saigon. Here my nose was assaulted with a myriad of old and new smells. From mothballs to moth balls/op shop, it’s sometimes hard to distinguish between the two. From pineapple to other exotic fruits I’m yet to try. There was the slightly offensive smell of fresh meat, unrefrigerated of course, just sitting on display in the added layer of humidity inside the market. At times there was a rancid smell that I still have no idea what it was, but I feel this smell could be related to some sort of live poultry, though I couldn’t see any live chickens anywhere. I wasn’t about to let my nose lead me any closer to the source either.

The War Remnants Museum was interesting. To be honest I prefer the previous, more politically uncensored name, The Museum of Chinese and American War Crimes. It’s full of propaganda from the North Vietnamese perspective about the American War period. It was refreshing to see it from a Vietnamese perspective, especially coming from a Western background where the propaganda is taught from the American perspective. I have no doubt though that both sides were as guilty as each other for the atrocities during that war.

I’d like to say sorry to the environment. Here in Saigon I’m showering twice a day, I even feel like I need to shower more, to wash away the layers of sweat that cover my entire body each time I step outside the air-conditioned hotel room. The humidity will become my friend soon enough. It’s warm arms wrapping around me everywhere I go.