It has been a refreshing short trip to Ho Chi Minh City, even though we didn’t really do anything much! 6 years ago, we visited Vietnam 3 times, covering Ho Chi Minh, Hue, Hanoi, and Halong Bay. My wife always loved Vietnamese food, and Vietnam is certainly a paradise of spring rolls, noodles and other fine delicacies, all of which I only began to appreciate when I came here. Somehow, Vietnamese food in Singapore never left that much of an impression on me.
We started this trip by being re-acquainted with the remarkable traffic chaos. Our taxi driver from the airport was incredibly reckless, finding every opportunity to cut corners and running red lights. Along the way, we witnessed a collision between a car and two motorcycles, which thankfully didn’t seem to be too serious.
We spent most of our time enjoying our meals, going to the gym and watching TV. The weather was pretty rainy, to the extent that one evening I witnessed a flash flood along Bui Vien with water levels going up to the shin level, forcing me to abort my visit to the laundry shop. Pity I didn’t bring my phone with me, if not I would have definitely taken plenty of photos of that! I made a quick trip to Ben Thanh market to buy some clothes for our kids. That was an enjoyable walk.
Life here is so different from back home. People here know how to appreciate the little things of life. They have time to sit down at road side cafes to enjoy their coffee and to observe the traffic passing by.
When I go back, I know I will miss the food and the warmth of the people here, but I will learn to appreciate Singapore’s less complex traffic situation and smooth pavements. You win some, and you lose some. 🙂
Little Lion's Lifebook 