Vietnam Culture

Looking back and recalling the stories I have heard from our day tours and from the Vietnamese locals we met during our stay in Ho Chi Min makes this a touching piece for me to write.

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After being colonized in a history of cruelty, agony, suffering and devastation that it has brought to its countrymen, together in a strong stance for this year the country has marked its 40years of independence.

To this date, its economy has boomed a lot in terms of tourism and the country is now considered as one of the top destination to visit especially people from the west. The affordable prices in the market and economical food, authentic coffee experience, tea madness and cuisine, with reasonable day tour options plus a friendly atmosphere are a few of the special treats a tourist should look forward coming to Saigon. 

Happy shot of a family preparing in the morning

Dropping by Vietnam was not initially part of our plan, but we are very grateful and more than contented to have visited the main city in a worthwhile experience. 

We've managed to be in Saigon for 3 days and completed a Day Tour. This allowed us to visit places and get to know more of its history. Also, we had the chance of meeting locals from the country and get to observe idiosyncracies, the City way of life in Vietnam.

I am excited to travel back here to see more beautiful sceneries, savor sumptuous food to satisfy my cravings and learn further about its culture, and yes I really do miss the coffee! c",) 

It’s been a meaningful stay for us though short and quick but a sweet escape as we started our Indochina backpacking trip.

Let me share our SAIGON Trails.

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MOTORBIKES. Arriving in Saigon amazed me so much to have witnessed that motorcycles or motorbikes or scooters are considered to be a very popular mode of transportation in the city. 

Before I only see it in magazines, but visiting the central area gave me the real picture seeing all kinds of scooters,  a cheap or high-end brand and you would see any local comfortably driving around.

Jackie” our tour guide jokingly shared to us that a Vietnamese man's' scooter is his best way of attracting girls, the more expensive it is the more chances of you meeting a lovely Vietnamese. And it means if you have a Vespa then you will have a beautiful girl to ride with you on your motorcycle, our day tour friends were all laughing out loud hearing his stories. 

A lady waiting for his man in motorcycle

STREET CROSSING. Once you arrived in the city, you have to master street crossing as in literally doing it in the middle of the road. 

Lucky for us, as we use to do it back in Cebu and it’s no surprise. The only thing is that I don’t see many traffic lights and that majority of these vehicles would drive around at max speed, so you can’t just raise your hand to signal them to slow down, you have to patiently wait and run or walk fast in crossing. 

Always be careful or you can just wait for all vehicles to pass by. One thing I noticed, is that even though they drive in maximum acceleration I have not seen any vehicle taking over another one. And we all know that’s where most accidents happen. Still, defensive drivers are the safest.

COFFEE AND TEA Passion

Anywhere you go, you would be seeing along the sidewalks small table and chairs displayed, serving local Vietnamese food, coffee, and tea, with prices ranging from 7,000-20,000 dong for the authentic Coffee and Tea servings.

This is where any locals from all classes gather and meet up. I believed they regard this as there chill out moments, instead of spending it in the bars and restaurants.I consider it a haven for a perfect relaxation. 

Surely when you get to taste it, you will be asking for another glass as you savor it sitting alongside the road. 

Its' aroma will always be something you will crave. 

Make sure not to miss this experience. I have consumed 2 servings of coffee everyday during my stay with my last dose - a take away during our bus ride to Siem Reap.

CUISINE. Healthy servings are all available while staying in Vietnam. And it's all affordable from their local cuisines, to pastries, fruits and more. 

Having tried the famous Vietnam Pho or noodle soup and the different rice servings will always be a heaven's delight. 

I love the tangy taste and how intricate the vegetables are prepared, the variety of rice options, and the sauces that have to be mixed making it very gastronomic. It’s a feast for us, happy souls.

BREAD and More

One thing I noticed, is that I haven’t seen any bakeshop in Saigon. Then I realized these were sold along the streets, served mostly by hardworking women, some of them are bringing their bicycles carrying a brown basket while they keep on pressing a gadget that produces the sound to signal that they are just around the corner.  They call this  “Bánh mì” a Vietnamese term for a kind of bread made of wheat or also know as the French Baguette. (See Wikipedia).

A lady willingly stopped and posed for me to take the happy shot

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HEALTHY LIFE. Living a healthy life is our way of treasuring our lives, to value it while we are able to breathe and move freely.

 From my short stay, I have come to realized Vietnamese locals value this the most, seeing them exercising in the park, chilling out along the streets to drink teas and coffee, balanced with a healthy eating habit brings out the real happiness.