Vietnam 2016!

On Vesak Day weekend, Ho Chi Minh City or HCM became the next destination for the extended year long celebration of being young.  With food as the priority, we chose Vietnam.  And like Penang, we were armed ready with a food list and executed the food plan to a T.

But unlike Penang, Vietnam was more than a food fest.  Soo Lim, on returning to his roots, recalled sufficient street Vietnamese and of HCM to become a pseudo-guide, offering some insight into his former decadent expatriate lifestyle.  Secondly, Ernest executed a brilliant masterstroke by subscribing all of us on two motorcycle tours from XO Tours (https://xotours.vn/). The tours took our minds off food and allowed us the benefit to appreciate a little of contemporary Vietnam through the eyes of our guides and learn a little of the modern history, architecture and events that shape today’s Vietnam.

I first came to Vietnam when it was opening up in the late 90s.  I followed this up with multiple visits as a guest of the military.  My last trip was in 2007 to visit a client in District 12.  But I never left Vietnam with such deep intrigue or the desire to learn more.   Hieu, our guide from XO was probably responsible for this.  At various locations, he vividly related the momentous events that took place in Saigon - the self immolation of Thich Quang Duc in 1963 in protest against the treatment of Buddhists, the coup and assassination of Ngo Dinh Diem in 1968, and the famous photograph taken of the Pittman Apartment with the fall of Saigon by Hubert van Es of the last helicopter on the roof .  

But the biggest change in Vietnam is that it has opened up.  This is evidenced not so much by the influx of global brands on the streets, but by unfettered access to the internet, with wifi zones in every coffee shop and eatery.  Unlike China where many sites, including Google, are restricted, you can pretty much access any site in Vietnam.  This must have an effect on outlook and attitudes, especially on the young.  My guide, Anna from Nha Trang, is an accountant by training. She speaks English with a discernible American accent, and can converse in French. She has a Facebook and Instagram account and posts stuff from YouTube.  She's probably watched the new Avengers and X-men movies before I did.  And like all young people, she wishes to travel and see the world. 

This change in one generation is stark.  Somewhere in the DNA of Vietnamese, there has always been an element of distrust, if not dislike of foreigners.  This is linked to its history.  The history of Vietnam is tragic, underlined by foreign domination and a struggle for the dignity of a people.  Vietnam had been under Chinese colonial rule for 1000 years. (The language is certainly an offshoot of Chinese dialects and can be written with Chinese characters. Cantonese is widely spoken in the city.  Two of our guides could converse in it fluently.)  This was followed by almost 100 years of wasted French colonial rule. (Vietnam is unique for its Catholicism and having a Latin script for its language - legacies of the French). In modern history, Vietnam has fought three Indo-China wars, including the Vietnam War, which cumulatively claimed an estimated 3.5m Vietnamese lives. Every Vietnamese of age would have lost a loved one in one of these wars.  

Some suggest that this is one reason why many foreign tourists suffer bad experiences on visiting Vietnam – succumbing to all sort of tourist scams. I was actually surprised by this observation for I had experienced none in all my previous visits. If correct, the popular reception Obama received on his recent visit may also appear to indicate that the younger people of Vietnam have moved forward fairly rapidly. Maybe the poor treatment of tourists has to do with other reasons.  

But I love Vietnam and will return for a sixth time in the near future.  And the reason, amongst other things, is food.  HCM is a wonderful city of cafes and restaurants, and there is an element of romance in all of them, from the trendy to the simple, from the modern to the old, to even the impromptu al fresco hawker side street "restaurants" that spring up on the road with impossibly low chairs and tables.  This is our list which was designed by a local Vietnamese, and we followed and ate and they were all fabulous.   

Quan Bui : A easy introduction into Vietnamese food in a nice restaurant that locals patronise.  This restaurant has a roof top where it must be nice to have evening drinks. 

Ban Xeo Dinh Cong Trang 46A: Which translates into Vietnamese pancakes.  We had this and the spring rolls. Whatever it is the Vietnamese have figured out food taste better when wrapped in a leaf of vegetable, and dipped in various sauces.  They are correct.  

Dong Pho (http://www.dongphorestaurant.com/): A gastronomic experience.  By far the best in presentation, ambience and food.  Serves food from Hue. A delectable desert range to choose from.  Must go.  

XO Dinner Tour :  The idea of the XO’s dinner tour is to introduce you to experience local food in a local environment in bite size quantities. Of the lot, I love Dong Ba's Bun Bo Hue, pictured above.  This was followed by a Vietnamese BBQ over an mini pit where you will be forced to eat BBQ frogs.  But I drew the line at the seafood place which served balut - egg with a chick foetus inside.  

Cuc Gach Quan (http://www.cucgachquan.com.vn/en)  A lovely "country restaurant" with wonderful food. The setting is in an old colonial house. Worth going. 

We sang Happy Birthday, drank and in my case, had a morning ran around HCM with Ernest. Happy Birthday Batu and Edwin!