charvey in Vietnam

It's Beginning to Look a Lot Like Christmas

As long time readers of this blog know, the Vietnamese are crazy about Christmas.  Every year it gets bigger.

Last night I visited what I can describe only as a "Christmas Depot" next to a church not far from my house in District 3.  I needed to pick up some supplies to decorate my office area.  There were Christmas supplies galore -- snowmen, snowflakes, santa outfits, lights, Christmas trees (fake), everything.  You nameit they had it.  I snapped some pics on my swanky new phone.

There were several shops set up, each with different proprietors.  An efficient market at work.  I bought some snowmen from these cheerful women.  Definitely into the Christmas spirit!

The "Santa Suit Shoppe," Saigon outlet.

A nativity scene done in signature Technicolor Vietnam style.

Christmas tree section showed impressive variety.

For more Christmas goodness, check out my Christmas post from last year here. 

Games in the Park

On weekends there are always groups of boyscouts, teenagers and 20-somethings getting together to play games and have fun in Tao Dan park near my house.  I happened upon these lively young people a few weeks ago.  Each of them had a balloon tied to one ankle.  The objective was to stomp other people's balloons while protecting your own.  Hilarity and pandemonium ensued at the whistle.  I stopped to watch for a moment and snap a pic.

Banana Man

Le Thanh Ton Street near Ben Thanh Market.

Old and New

I snapped this photo at the corner of Nguyen Du and Truong Dinh in district 1. It's a great example of the juxtaposition of "old Saigon" and "new Saigon."  Slowly but surely, decaying buildings and infrastructure are giving way to shiny new buildings and bridges.  It's changing the character of the city.  Of course, some will lament that something is lost, and they're right.  But something is gained too.  Change is unstoppable, and brings the good with the bad.  

It's a real shame, though, when historic old buildings are demolished to make way for plain-vanilla office towers (see Beijing).  The Society for Historic Preservation is a bit, ahem, underfunded in Saigon.

There are tons of similar-sized office buildings going up all over districts 1 and 3.  Judging from all the "for rent" signs, I imagine each new building contributes to the surplus of space on the market.  No doubt all this space will be absorbed over the next 2-3 years though.  I can feel things starting to pick up again, slowly but surely. 

I think the building on the left is a residential building. Looks like it's at least 50 years old.  What's your professional opinion, chu Mel?

POST UPDATE: Thanks to readers Tyler and Mel, the old building has been identified as the Meyerkord BOQ from back in the day.  I found this roughly 40 year old pic on the internet.  Looks like time has been unkind to the Meyerkord.

Chihuahua for Sale

I was walking on Hai Ba Trung Street today and saw this crazy sign.  It says "Dog for Sale, Chihuahua.  Call 098.2821381."

I wonder if it looks like this one in the pic at right?  Or maybe this one?

Tennis at the Rex

Tonight I joined some colleagues to play tennis at the Rex Hotel.  As some of My Public may know, the Rex is quite famous for being the main lodging place for American officers and for military press briefings during the Vietnam (aka "American") War.  

It was pretty cool playing on top of the hotel, surrounded by a sea of Saigon neon and a sense of history.  I haven't played in over a year.  Forgot how much I enjoy it.

Vung Tau Crooner

I saw this guy while eating dinner with the VietnamWorks Tech Team in Vung Tau in April.  He and his buddy were traveling from restaurant to restaurant singing romantic songs and selling trinkets.  His enthusiasm and passion were contagious.  I got the feeling that he didn't care a whit if they sold anything, he was just thrilled to have an audience. 

Another reason I like this pic is because it shows well the Vietnamese love affair with massive, over-the-top audio amplification.

Bangkok 9 May 2009

I was walking in Soi 8 Sukhumvit in Bangkok and did a double-take of the cab on this truck.  "Wait, is that Al Pacino?  Holy cow, it *is* Al Pacino!"  It was so weird I just had to take a pic.  Any of My Public know which film this is from?  My guess is "Carlito's Way."  Pacino didn't have a beard in "Scarface."

Care for a drink?

Here's an eager young drink vendor relieving thirst outside Cho Lon market.  Note the hat and zipped up jacket in tropical heat to keep the sun off her skin.  I bought a Coke.

Lotus Flower

A lotus flower on the grounds of the Grand Palace in Bangkok.

Snake on a Bike

I snapped this pic near Bến Thành market.  It was the first and last time I saw a mobile snake show.  Love the little girl's expression of revolted fascination.

Sài Gòn 25 April 2009

More Sleepers

As I mentioned in a previous post, Vietnamese can -- and do -- sleep anywhere, anytime.  Here's a few more snaps of more sleepers I've stumbled across during my daily activities. 

This guy was impressively sprawled across three motorbikes -- my first observation of a sleeper of this type.  Time: about 1pm.

Another guy balanced on his bike, in the more conventional "spread-eagle" position.  Time: about 4pm.

Christmas Đến Sài Gòn

Christmas has come to Saigon once again.  This will be charvey's fourth Christmas in Saigon.  The first was five years ago during my first ever visit to Vietnam.  Christmas struck me then as totally, completely, utterly nutty.  Well, 2003 was nothing.  Over the ensuing five years it's gotten even nuttier.  This year is head and shoulders above last year -- the decorations are more elaborate, the crowds are more frenzied, there are more tiny children in Santa suits.  The Vietnamese love pageantry and parties.  They have embraced Christmas and made it their own in a special Vietnamese way.  I love it.

Last night I went out for a walk on the main drags of Saigon.  I took some pictures and an eight-minute video tour (narrated by charvey, of course).  Enjoy!

Here are the pics:

And here's the video:

Check out my other posts from Christmas past -- A Very Vietnam Christmas from 2006 and Part 1 and Part 2 from 2007.

Bird Woman

One of the things I love about living in Vietnam is the weird moments and visuals that meander across my daily routines.  The other day I was walking to work when I saw a woman approaching me.  She was walking and balancing a cage of birds on her head. 

Cô Cúc

Tôi học tiếng việt 2 năm rồi.  Cô giáo tôi tền là Cô Cúc.  Cô ấy rất dẽ thương và vui tính.  Cô ấy luôn luôn nhớ nhiều từ tôi quên và cô ấy nhác tôi.  Thường chúng tôi nói chuyền về cuộc sống tôi ở Việt Nam, and tôi học từ mới như vay.

Dào nay, Cô Cúc và tôi mặc áo mầu tím.  Vui quá, tôi phải chục hình!

Một ngày khách Cô Cúc mặc áo với từ nay: "I [shamrock] Irish boys." Vui quá nữa!  Tôi phải chục lại - đây là phòng cách khách của cô ấy.

Sleepers

The Vietnamese continually amaze me with their capacity to sleep anywhere, anytime.  Whereas people in the USA generally sleep behind closed doors or in a secure environment, Vietnamese sleep pretty much anywhere at the drop of a hat -- kids on mobile motorbikes in heavy traffic, xe om drivers on top of their bikes, people at construction sites grabbing 20 winks, pushcart operators, etc.  It's remarkable.  I've snapped a couple pics and will try to get more.

This worker is catching a snooze around lunch time.  Busting up pavement sure is hard work.

Here's a guy dreaming of sugarplums while perched on his bike.  I snapped this one at about 11pm walking home one night.  It's a bit grainy due to the low light.

Movin' On Up

When I arrived in Vietnam in May 2006, I was pleasantly surprised at the variety of goods in local supermarkets.  I could buy Washington State apples, batteries, my favorite cereals imported from the USA, Tide laundry detergent, shampoo, pots and pans, whatever, in a relatively modern environment without haggling.  The supermarket was small and cramped, and the aisles set haphazardly, but most things were there.  It was similar to the  supermarket where my mom would drag me as a kid in the '70s, although  a slightly smaller and more crowded version.

I was there again last weekend after a 3 or 4 month hiatus (I eat out a lot, plus I'm lazy).  Wow, the place is changing fast.  The store is bigger.  The aisles are taller and more orderly.  The meat section much bigger.  I even saw an elegant wine display rack that could have come from Whole Foods a swanky, high-end grocery chain in the USA.  And construction is still happening in one part of the store.  Disposable incomes are increasing rapidly in Vietnam and a lot of that extra spending is going straight to consumer goods.  Vietnam is a marketer's paradise -- totally virgin territory.  Rising incomes and the fact that choice and cool things to buy are a relatively recent phenomenon recent is fertile ground.  The sense of optimism and, yes, joy, is palpable as the country sheds 30 years of material privation.  It's exciting to see. 

Here is a pic taken from an escalator leading the second floor of the "Co-op Mart".

And here's a shot closer to ground level.  Note the promotional displays and Oral-B toothbrushes.  The woman in the conical hat in the foreground is a nice juxtaposition.  Turns your preconceptions of Vietnam on their ear, doesn't it?

Sunday Morning in Saigon

The air in Saigon this morning was fresh, clean and cool (mid 70s).  Gotta take advantage of days like this so I grabbed my camera and hopped on my bike to snap some pics.

There are mobile bicycle vendors galore on Dien Bien Phu Street in District 3.  I bought some grapes from this friendly woman and she let me snap her pic.  There were also bike vendors selling onions, flowers, motorbike rear-view mirrors, handbags, books, etc. 

I've never seen a "fish-in-a-bag" vendor before so I had to get a pic of this one.  Although I didn't buy a fish, the proprietor let me take a pic anyway.  She doesn't look happy though.  Maybe she's thinking "What am I gonna do with all these freaking fish?"  I doubt they can last long in those little bags.

Another of the ubiquitous construction sites and signs around Saigon.  This one is a pretty huge site at the former location of Saigon Square, which until recently boasted the best selection of pirated DVDs in Saigon as well as various other sundries and shops.  This development is being led by a Korean group.  The Koreans are everywhere in Saigon.

Another construction site, somewhere in District 3.  Serviced apartments are going up like mad.  One long time expat friend is convinced there will be a glut of empty inventory on the market in a year or two.  My sense is that it all depends on the demand side of the equation.  Time will tell.

Ok, so I didn't take this pic today but had to include it.  Until recently, I've caught only fleeting glimpses of this dinner boat plying the Saigon waterways.  When we had a company party on another boat a few weeks ago I was able to get up close to admire the sheer artistry of this massive, floating neon piranha.  Our boat was nowhere near as cool.  Vegas, move over.

Happy New Year!

Happy New Year, or "Chuc Mung Nam Moi!"  The Vietnamese love a good party and have adopted the Western new year as their own.  Crowds were out in force last night and the streets decked out in holiday finery. 

I tried to capture a bit of the magic in this pic, taken on Le Loi Street at about 12:30am on January 1, 2007.   Those little white lights above the streets are snowflakes.

VietnamWorks is ushering in 2007 with a spanking new office to house our crack team of Tech,  MIS, Sales, Marketing, Customer Care and Product specialists.  Pic taken Friday, December 29.

A few of the advance guard waited impatiently for the movers to deliver the tools of the trade so they could get back to work crushing our competiton.

Saigon Softball

There is an amateur softball "league" in Saigon that started up today after a rainy season hiatus.  I traveled out to the end of the Earth in An Phu (District 2, about 10 miles from my house) to play.  Phil , the athletic director from Saigon County Club, hosted. 

We attracted some attention from some onlookers curious about what the foreigners were doing hitting balls with sticks and running around like madmen.  I wanted to get a pic of the action with an onlooker with a conical hat on, but wasn't fast enough with the camera.  There goes the Pulitzer.

Most participants were Canadian or American, with a few Aussies thrown in for good measure.  Rhonda, the organizer and globe-trotting Canadian expat, had an intimidating T-shirt that said "Middle East Softball Championship."  The level of play was surprisingly high for people who haven't played softball for many months -- the final score was 22 to 16 after about 5 innings with several dramatic hits, plays and catches. In traditional softball style, we capped off the workout with pitchers of cold beer.    It was excellent.

To my Saigon readers: Come on out and play!  We'll be there every Sunday at 3pm barring the country club's need to use the field.  Shoot me an email if you're interested and I'll make sure you get on the mailing list.

By the way, I found out about this from a website with an outstanding summary of business and social events in the expat community.  It's called "Upcoming Events, Eh?" by a guy named Graham Potter.  Check it out.

Weekend in Bali

Last weekend I went to Bali, island of the Gods, to meet up with some friends from San Francisco.   Bali probably is the  closest thing to a tropical paradise I've ever experienced, with Costa Rica a close second.  It wasn't too hot (about 80 Fahrenheit), had beautiful beaches, mountains, great food and friendly people.  We also stayed at a totally pimping villa.  It was great.

The weekend consisted of eating, lounging by the pool, massages, reading and touring the island.  This is a shot of the gang after eating a decadent multi-course grilled seafood meal prepared by the staff of our villa.  Having a staff was cool, but was also a bit weird.  They were there all the time, even all night.  I suppose I could get used to it though.  Hungry and want a snack?  Have the staff whip it up and serve it to you next to the pool.

One day we took a tour of the island.  It was a fine, but quite generic and especially touristy.  One stop was at a quarry where the Balinese cut stones for use in building the many temples of the island.  As our guide explained, nearly every family has a temple.  These women were transporting cut stones from the bottom of the quarry to the roadside.  Each stone weighs about 5 kilos, so they are carrying 15 kilos on their head in each trip.  The vertical was about 60 meters.  It seems that women do most of the hard labor in Asia.  Sweet.

A pastoral scene of terraced rice paddies on the tour.  All the green kinda reminded me of Vermont, except different.

Fresh Faces in Can Tho

Last weekend I went to the city of Can Tho, a major provincial capital in the Mekong Delta.  Some local companies had organized a jobs seminar for students at the University of Can Tho.  VietnamWorks was invited to attend, say a few words and sit on a panel.  Needless to say, we ruthlessly exploited the event to deliver our message, but in a friendly and added-value way for the  students.  Seeing all those fresh-faced youngsters grappling with existential job angst reminded me of my own college days.  Nice kids. 

Charvey giving a brief speech which contained several shameless plugs for VietnamWorks.  On the right, her face partly obscured by flowers, is Chi from Customer Care.  She was my interpreter, and fortunately was able to cover my inarticulate ramblings with an elegant Vietnamese translation.

Students of Can Tho laughing as one of their own went to the stage to practice firm handshakes and good eye contact.  Read the newspaper story in Vietnamese here.

After the event I had lunch with bigwigs from the University and other sponsoring companies.  I felt like I was at a fraternity party.  One guy was a dead ringer for a Vietnamese Chevy Chase, I swear.  A couple guys kept toasting me and saying "50%!" or "100%!" which means chugging half or all of your drink, respectively.  I was advised not to go toe to toe with men from the Mekong since they are legendary drinkers.  Sound advice that I ignored anyway.

Mmmm, yummy giant snails just like mom used to make.  I was served several of these by the host.  Actually, they were kinda tasty.  But once I thought of the slimy snail foot in my mouth (that was the chewy, rubbery part) my I had to suppress the gag reflex.  It's all in the mind.

VietnamWorks Company Trip

Last weekend I went on the first annual VietnamWorks company trip to a town on the coast about 4 hours from Saigon.  It was a chance for all VietnamWorks team members to put their party hat on, and wowie what party hats there were! 

Some of the gang before loading up the bus on Friday.  Spirits are high.  With all the giggling and excitement going on, I felt like I was on a middle school class trip.  Everyone was very psyched about the weekend.

First night at the resort.  After dinner, people self-organized into a human tug-o-war.  I found it funny that women made up the chain, but men were officiating.  Game on, fellas!

Another view of the tug-o-war.  After a few seconds the human chain would snap like a rubber band and both sides would go flying back into the sand in a tangled, giggling heap.

The next day we played lots of team-building games.  The object of this game was to toss a water balloon over to the other side with a plastic sheet.  Two teams of two on the other side had to catch the water balloon without breaking it.  The first to miss or break the balloon would lose.  Lots of great drama and heroic saves.

Saturday night was skit night.  Several teams put on comedy, dance, acting and singing skits.  We had Tahiti dancers, story-telling dance, fabulous costumes, pathos, farming scenes, pom-pom girls and a made-up Karaoke song about our business in both Vietnamese and English.  All the skits were very clever.  Who knew such creative juices lurked below the surface?  Now if only I can figure out a way to harness them to advance our business!

Eins, zwei, drei - Oktoberfest in Saigon

Ah, Oktoberfest.  How I love it.  A lucky few of My Public experienced a San Francisco Oktoberfest chez charvey a few years ago.  A good time was had by all.

I don't have time for a long post tonight, but suffice it to say the the Vietnamese *love* Oktoberfest.  Good times, good times.

A German host instructs two young Vietnamese on the good ole saw logging contest.  Ah, the German love of hard work und discipline!

I yelled out "Ein, zwei, drei" and the band leader finished with "zuppa!" (or something that sounded like that).  I got a huge kick out of it.  The German drinking culture rocks.  This band also sang 1950s American do-wop songs as well as the Deutsch boozing favorites.

Two cherubic patrons get into Teutonic party mode.  I was walking by and saw these guys posing for a photographer's picture so I snapped one too.  I think the right word for their expression is "beatific."

Me and my good friend B, enjoying excellent weissbier and the overall Vietnamese / German melange, if you will.

Home Security

When I returned to Vietnam I discovered that someone had tried to break into my place.  Although I used sturdy padlocks, they pried apart the door rings secured by each padlock on both the inner and outer doors.  I figure it was two guys and a crowbar.

Like most Vietnamese houses, I have an outer metal security door that folds like an accordion and a regular inner door on hinges.  Both doors were locked with padlocks and an integrated door lock.  Fortunately, the would-be thieves were stopped by the inner integrated door lock.  Perhaps they were spooked and ran off before they were able to penetrate it, or maybe they just couldn't figure out how to break it using their crude crow bar method.  In any event, my neighbors noticed that the outer door was ajar and locked it up again with a bicycle chain.  I was very lucky since I've heard that thieves will clear out *everything* from your house.  That would suck.

My landlord, anh Lich, was extremely concerned and responsive.  I showed him the damage and asked that he have some workers weld stronger rings in place.  Today he came by with a couple metal workers and they welded on new rings.  They also put a set pretty high up and out of reach of most Vietnamese.  Although these new rings are stronger, I doubt they would stop determined thieves who had a chunk of time. 

I've been advised by locals and expats always to have a house sitter whenever I leave town, even if it's just for a night.  That's a swell idea.  I'm also leaving the outer light on at night and may get a motion detector alarm.  Another idea is to post a warning on the door that the place has an alarm.  Even if I don't install one, it at least gives the thieves pause before doing their dirty business.

When I thanked anh Lich he smiled and responded "Of course -- it's my duty!"  He's great.

Invisible Women of Saigon

When I first arrived in Saigon I was struck by bizarre sight of strange apparitions riding half the motorbikes streaming through the city streets.  These figures were covered from head to toe -- gloves, socks under sandals, scarves over the face, sunglasses and floppy hats.  "Holy cow, invisible women have swarmed into Saigon!"

[Invisible Man, at right.  The resemblance is uncanny.]

Vietnamese women prize pale skin.  They go to great lengths to protect themselves from the sun's rays.  One friend of mine told me that a saleswoman in his office refused to come back from an office visit one afternoon. "Why?" he asked her.  "The sun is too shiny!" she replied.
 
At night the gloves come off, so to speak.  Out come the minis and revealing dresses, but only for girls who live a fast lifestyle.  Most Vietnamese women are quite modest and conservative. 

Oddly, pale skin is prized for women, but not for men.  I'm not sure, but It doesn't seem to matter much what shade a man's skin.  Any Vietnamese members of My Public care to, ahem, shed some light on the subject?

New Sofa

So I'm starting to trick out my crib.  I just added a new sofa and lamp.  Funny enough, the sofa is pretty much the same one I wanted to buy when I was in San Francsico.  I don't know what the fabric is.  It's kinda soft and velvety, but not velvet.  Slowly but surely I'll replace my, ahem, rustic rattan furniture with cooler stuff.  I'm thinking a red lava lamp would be a nice addition.  A hip cat's gotta live.

BTW, the red thingie on the coffee table contains raisins from California.  The local supermarket carries them, along with USA peanut butter (both chunky style *and* smooth!) and Washington state delicious apples.  All the comforts of home, but in Vietnam.  As the locals say, "Same same, but different."

I'm sitting now at a cafe in Pham Ngu Lau, an area otherwise known as the "Backpacker's Ghetto" in Saigon.  Lots of foreigner backpackers and younger travelers stay here.  The whole area feels like a party zone, all the time (Hank, you would love it).  Local Vietnamese run businesses that cater to the foreigners.  Some foreigners are the weird dread-locked and smelly kind, but most are normal youngsters traipsing through Southeast Asia.  Locals are carrying these enormous stacks of books for sale.  They're great salesmen.  My no-buy resolve was weakened and finally breached by one persistent seller when I saw "Catch-22" in her book stack (sorry Tilo, there was only 1 copy).  It's my favorite book of all time.  I haven't read it since college.  Oddly, the first time I read it I was also an expat, in France.  "Catch-22" is a ripping satire of society and human nature.  One character's name, General Scheisskopf, says it all.

Oh by the way, I had kangaroo meatballs for dinner last night at a pub run by an Aussie bloke.  Kanga is quite tasty!

Phu Quoc Island

Last Thursday and Friday I played a little hooky and took off to visit Phu Quoc, an island off Vietnam's Southern coast in the Gulf of Thailand.  Phu Quoc is an undeveloped island, home to about 75,000 people and the largest pepper exporter in Vietnam (who knew?).  There's also a thriving pearl cultivation industry there. 

Most of the roads on the island are dirt and the island natives primarily work in agriculture and fishing.  I stayed at the Tropicana Resort on the island's west side.  It made for beautful sunsets of the ocean, viewed from Tropicana's restaurant patio while sipping a pina colada.  Marvelous.

Walking along the beach during the first day I encountered this boy and his friends.  They were hunting some kind of small crab that burrowed into the sand at the water's edge.  One boy would hold a fine mesh net, while the other two boys would shovel sand into the net as quickly as possible.  Then they would strain the sand and water out of the net to isolate the crabs.  The bucket this boy is holding is about half-full of writhing little buggers.  We walked together for a while, and it was fun to watch the boys spot some telltale crab signs in the sand and run off excitedly to ply their trade.  Kids are kids everywhere.

No review of Phu Quoc would be complete without a mention of its spectacular seafood.  One day I rented a motorbike and toured the island.  I stopped in a fishing village on the east side and picked a restaurant at random on the water.  When I ordered shrimp I was confused when the waitress motioned for me to go towards the kitchen.  It soon became clear that I was to pick out my lunch!  I chose a fine selection of rather active shrimp.  The matron of the establishment plucked them out of the tank, weighed them, and in 10 short minutes they were sitting at my table ready to eat.  I've never seen shrimp so big.  They were delicious.

Check out this video where I meet the meat: 

Click here for more photos of Phu Quoc.  Click on "View as guest" then "Slideshow."  Maximize your browser window for the best viewing. 

Public Service Messages

I see government posters everywhere in Saigon.  Many of them trumpet out government messages about the Party as benevolent protector of the people and vanguard of progress.  But others deliver warm and fuzzy messages about the importance of family and children.  It took me a little while to get used to these -- they're just so, well, odd.

This one is a few blocks from my house.  It's fairly typical, featuring "Bac Ho" (Uncle Ho) and messages about the Party.  Bac Ho is the Vietnamese equivalent of George Washington, Thomas Jefferson, Ben Frankin and all the other American Founding Fathers rolled into one.  He is absolutely revered here.

Interesting to note that the right billboard features a message for APEC (the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation) group.  Vietnam is hosting the annual APEC heads of state meeting in Hanoi this fall.  George Bush will be in attendence.  Given the amount of official billboard messaging devoted to APEC, the Vietnamese are very proud of their role as host.

Not sure what this one is about exactly, but the imagery makes it clear that Bac Ho and the Party are watching over and guiding industrial progress and stability in Vietnam.

Lots of themes here: peace, children, education, the government.  I tried translating this.  Literally, the words mean "discipline patience strength team build well."  Those may not be exactly the right meanings though, since Vietnamese words often have slightly different meanings depending on the context.  You get the idea.

More family and children themes.  The last bullet point on the left says "family happiness."

I think this one is a traffic safety message.  I snapped it in the middle of a big roundabout on Cach Mang Thang Tam.  Fewer than 1% of Vietnamese riders wear helmets, although the governement seems to be trying to boost that figure.

Propaganda fascinates me in all its forms.  You can see some historical Vietnamese propaganda here.  It's interesting to compare and contrast it with American propaganda from World War II, which you can find here.  Good propaganda shares universal attributes -- it is simple and straightforward, employs vivid imagery and makes a powerful emotional appeal.

Public Art

There's a big park a few blocks from my house.  It's an oasis of greenery and quiet in the middle of downtown Saigon.  On any given day it's packed with people walking, playing badminton or taking a leisurely stroll with their kids.  It also contains some interesting scultptures.  Pictures below, for your viewing pleasure.

 

 

 

 

 

The Coca-Cola Kid

I saw this kid selling Coca-Cola to motorists at a stoplight in central Saigon today and had to snap a pic.  Embodied in this fresh-faced teenager is all the incredible change that is sweeping across Viet Nam.  I was thirsty too, so I bought a bottle.

A capitalist, consumer culture has taken root with a vengeance here.  It's almost as if the Vietnamese are in overdrive to make up for 25 years of economic stagnation.  Everywhere I see evidence of a burgeoning middle class and the trappings of wealth -- DVD shops (pirated, but obvious evidence of DVD players) , florists, photo studios, refrigerators, LCD HDTVs, glossy fashion magazines, etc. 

Yesterday I went to a Walmart-type store crammed with toasters, cookies, cell phones, audio equipment, shampoo, cosmetics, pots and pans, produce, a bakery (the Vietnamese bake excellent bread), clothing, stationery, rice cookers -- you name it, this place had it.  Except for the checkout girls wearing ao dais, It felt pretty much like any similar store in Des Moines or Milwaukee.  It warmed my heart. 

Some find it fashionable to bemoan the spread of wealth and market-based economies across the world.  "Everything is being Starbuck-ized!" they complain as they sip their lattes or Pinot Noir.  Certainly the free market has its ugly spots.  But I challenge any of those people to spend 40 years working from dawn until dusk plowing fields with a water buffalo and living in a dirt-floor house.  I'm pretty sure they would politely decline.  Instead, they would go to the local Whole Foods and drop a wad on overpriced organic produce and free-range chicken packaged in tidy, sanitized containers.  Just like the Vietnamese.

Here's the checkout area of the store I visited yesterday.  A security guy scolded me for taking this photo.  Maybe he thought I was working for the competition.

Some glossies for sale.  I see these stands everywhere.

Frequent sightings of the hammer and sickle offer a sharp reminder of the country's pedigree.  But with every passing day it seems more and more an anachronism.

People of Viet Nam, I salute you!

The Killing Fields

Tragedy.  One word.  That is Cambodia.

Over the weekend I visited the infamous "Killing Fields" about 15 kilometers outside of Phnom Penh.

The setting was peaceful and anticlimactic -- a copse of trees, a grassy meadow....and many, many shallow depressions scattered about where victims were buried under a shallow covering of soil.  This is where tens of thousands of Cambodian men, women and children, -- “enemies of the people” – were murdered during the Khmer Rouge’s bloody reign from 1975 to 1979. There is a monument to the fallen in the middle. It’s filled with skulls. Some bear visible witness to the violence that ended their lives – puncture and stabbing wounds are evident on many of the skulls. It’s chilling.

The scale and horror of the cruelty was on the same level as that perpetrated by Hitler’s Nazis. The KR took Mao’s ideas about the Cultural Revolution and brought it to a whole new level. They wanted to create an “agrarian paradise” and completely erase all cultures and ideas that came before them. 1975, the year the KR conquered the country, was reset as “Year Zero.” Nothing that had come before Year Zero existed – the Khmer were going to start a new society. They abolished currency, markets, machinery and independent thought. Anyone with an education or any association with the previous government or foreigners was killed. Nearly two million from a population of about 8 million were killed by the Khmer or died of starvation. It boggles the mind.

Two excellent movies that capture the evil and madness of the KR regime are “The Killing Fields” and a documentary titled “S21: The Khmer Rouge Killing Machine.” I bought both at the actual killing field. I just finished watching “S21.” It contains footage of former prisoners confronting their former captors at the infamous “Tuol Sleng” prison (picture of an inmate at right). The guards recount how they helped prisoners concoct false “confessions,” then tortured and murdered them. They clearly have checked their minds and hearts at the door and tell their stories in a monotone, matter-of-fact manner.

When I was in high school in the late 80s there were two Cambodian kids in my class. They were refugees who had been resettled in Vermont. It’s incredible to think about what they must have gone through, and how that contrasted with their cheerfulness. One of the guys used to entertain the rest of us by climbing a rope like a monkey to the top of the gym ceiling and doing one-arm pushups.

It’s clear that Cambodia is still recovering from the KR genocide. That being said, the people were friendly and generous with their smiles. Genocidal maniacs may come and go, but our humanity abides. 

I had one delightful experience as I walked through the city on Sunday morning.  A rubbish man pulling a cart and a little girl, presumably his daughter, passed me walking the other way.  The little girl ran up to me and I braced myself for her pitch.  But the pitch never came.  In the blink of an eye she darted her small hand out for my empty plastic water bottle and flicked it into the rubbish cart.  Then she flashed a warm smile and skipped away happily.  "Or-kun!" (Khmer for "thank you") I called after her.  Delightful.

Phnom Penh is a disheveled, chaotic city with certain hedonistic element mostly composed of foreign expats. You can check out my photos here.  Click on "enter as guest" then click on "slideshow" for the best viewing.   Not for the squeamish.

Happiness to Everybody

English is everywhere here in Viet Nam.  I just noticed the English on this wastebasket in my 1950s-vintage pink bathroom. 

I think this is a character from the US comic strip "Pearls Before Swine" (Btam?).  Happiness to Everybody, indeed.

Snow White

I've seen these posters all over town.  It looks like a live-action, Vietnamese version of "Snow White."  I wonder if they've translated the Seven Dwarves' "Heigh-Ho" into Vietnamese?

 

Rules of the Road

Ok, so I got a motorbike.  I've been riding for about 10 days now and am starting to understand the unwritten rules of the road here.  Official rules like "stop at red lights" are meaningless in Viet Nam.  People simply ignore them.  Much more important are the unwritten rules that one learns only through experience.  One is that in an intersection without a light, the first guy there has the right of way.  This rule has a corollary - even if you're the first one there it is sometimes that case that you should yield to the larger vehicle.  (Q: Where does an 800 pound gorilla sleep?  A: Anywhere he wants.)

Or take red and green lights.  People sort of obey them, but their obeisance is forced by drivers going the other direction through the intersection.  When a light turns red, the traffic flow that *was* going through the intersection continues to go through it until the people who now have the green light flood into the intersection and choke them off.  It's important that the people who now have the green light make a show of strength in numbers.  If only a few guys go out they will get clobbered -- gotta go in force.  The traffic whose light just turned red will keep going until they're forced to stop.

I've witnessed a similar phenomenon with left turns.  In the face of heavy oncoming traffic flow it's virtually impossible to make a left turn on your own (I've seen it done, but mostly by 16 year old boys with a death wish).  You generally have to wait for more people to arrive who want to make the same left turn.  Then when the left-turners reach critical mass you make a break for it and force oncoming traffic to yield before your combined might.  Coalitions between complete strangers are built and dissolved within seconds to achieve a common end.  It's fascinating to watch, let alone participate in.

Since I don't have a place to store my bike I need to bring it into the house at night.  It's kinda weird, but I've learned that bikes are prized possessions here are subject to rampant theft if left unprotected.  I've even seen guys reclined and sleeping on their bikes.  Gotta get a pic of that.

Check out this blog for another expat's view on the crazy traffic here.

 

Chez Charvey

I moved into my new house last week.  It's great.  I have plenty of room, a fridge, a washing machine and cable.  Did I mention the cable?  It's also in a quiet alley off a not quiet at all street.  There's an electronics store across the street from the alley entrance that has flashing lights and broadcasts really loud electronics effects sounds, all the time.  It's like something out of "Blade Runner" (one of my favorite movies by the way). 

I have a guest bedroom with its very own AC unit for the many, many of you who are planning trips to Viet Nam. 

Here are some pics of chez charvey. 

Pink - it's the new black.

Tieng Viet/English Club

So I started my own club.  It's very exclusive.  So exclusive, in fact, there are only three members including myself.  Don't even ask me about trying to get in.  The hazing and initiation are more than you could bear.

Doan Thuc (left, pronounced like "dwayne top") and Thong (right, pronounced like "tom" said quickly) are my Tieng Viet sparring partners over coffee every Sunday at 10am.  Both are 20-something Vietnamese who are eager to practice English.  They speak quite well already and certainly have better pronunciation on some words than I do.  They're also great teachers who will absolutely *not* let me off the hook until I can pronounce a word.  Their favorite torture method is the word for "Wednesday," "Thu tu."  I just hate that one.  The "th" sound in Vietnamese is tricky.  Plus the "u" sound is amazingly tricky, kinda like an "ooof!" pronounced unnaturally deep in your throat (see my Learning Vietnamese post).  Combined with having to produce both the "th" and "t" sounds ("t" is pronounced almost like "d" in certain situations) it's deadly.  My teacher joked that I should never schedule anything on Wednesday.  Haha.

Hello, Sailor

I was walking downtown yesterday when I ran into a gaggle of young American sailors on shore leave.  It turns about that there there are two American ships with about 150 sailors paying a courtesy call to Saigon this week.  One is the USS Salvor, a ship that specializes in salvage and diving operations.  The other is the USS Patriot, a mine countermeasures ship.

I talked to them for a few minutes and gave them directions to an ATM.  "Check out your account balance in Vietnamese dong -- you're all millionaires!"  (Always a good gag for newcomers.)

I had a few errands to run so I couldn't stay long.  But seeing American sailors walking around downtown Saigon was a sight that stirred my patriot heart, especially given that this is July 4 weekend.  So I resolved to go out last night, find some sailors, and buy them a drink.

I caught up with Dive Master Mike, Raul, Liaison Bob, Dave from Massachussets and Bosun Mark at Saigon Saigon.  They were decked out in dress whites and looking every bit as dapper as Richard Gere in "An Officer and a Gentleman."  Pictured at right are Bosun Mark and me in my camo civvies.  These are the guys that  recently confirmed the final resting place of the USS Largarto, a US submarine that went missing in the closing months of WWII.  You can read the story and see the pictures here.  There's a picture of Mike Moser, the Dive Master on the USS Salvor who visited the wreck.  For a while Dive Master Mike reminded me of someone but I just couldnt put my finger on.  Then it occured to me -- Vin Diesel!  Raul was making paper roses from napkins and using them to break the ice with cute girls.  He taught me too -- it was surprisingly easy, um I mean hard.   

Anyway, it was an honor and a lot of fun to buy the men of the USS Salvor a round and hang out with America's finest. 

Genuine Texas BBQ in Saigon

Hey Pardners,

I wanted y'all to know that thar's damn fine genuine Texas BBQ smack in the middle of Saigon.

A few nights ago I was having a drink with Steve, an American friend here, and mentioned that I had seen this crazy looking Texas BBQ place on the way to he airport. "Oh, I know that place!  Let's go there for dinner." Fantastic idea.

Initially I was skeptical.  Texas BBQ in Vietnam? The Vietnamese just don't know what to do with big hunks of meat.  I'm not sure their stomachs would know what to do with it either.  But alas, there it was.  We ordered nachos and guac (damn good), wings and, of course, Texas BBQ.  It delivered.  Steve told me that the owner is a Vietnamese-American guy from Houston.  The "chef" (do you call Texas BBQ men chefs?) is a born and bred Texan as well.  Good eatin'.

The decor was a little on the cheesy side but not over the top.  It looked like I'd imagine a Texas BBQ theme restaurant to look like, with signs like "Sherriff" and "H&W Bank" on the walls.  There was also a neon cowboy with a swinging arm, just like in Vegas.  I know that Vegas isn't Texas, but it fit with the general Texan theme nevertheless. 

Completing the effect was a geniune Texas two-step class (I have no idea if that's the right name - I think I picked up that term on TV somewhere).  It was great.  I'm not sure that Texas Two-Step is danced to Eddie Rabbit's "I Love a Rainy Night" though.  Any Texans care to comment?

 

Friends of Friends are Friends of Charvey

It's funny...you move to Viet Nam and suddenly you find out that people you know have all sorts of connections with people in Viet Nam, people traveling to Viet Nam, or people who want to do business in Viet Nam.  I say to My Public, bring 'em on!

Some friends of my former Yahoo! colleague, Jason M, emailed me a few weeks ago about their imminent visit to Saigon.  Audra and Jonathan are on a 100 day Southeast Asia odyssey all the way from New Orleans, Louisiana.  I figured if JM knew them they were good peeps.  I was right -- many moments of enjoyable hilarity ensued.

We connected earlier this week for dinner at Augustin, a tasty restaurant francais, and took in a performance at the Saigon Opera House.  During the first performance set the Ho Chi Minh City Orchestra performed some Mozart and cello pieces, accompanied by a guest conductor and cellist from France.  They were quite good.  I especially enjoyed the emotional expressions playing out over the French cellist's face during the highs and lows of the piece.  Il a joue avec la passion du monde.

The second set had the cellist playing solo while a half-naked guy performed "interpretive dance" with some ropes under continually changing spotlights and lighting.  Although at first this didn't, ahem, speak to me, once I started to imagine my own interpretations for the dance it became much more interesting.  For example, at one point the dancer moved between two ropes stretched across the stage and suspended in parallel about a meter in the air.  A bright spotlight shining from the left side of the stage was the only light.  He struggled to move toward the light as if swimming upstream against a swift current.  I imagined that this was his struggle to understand and embrace the desires deep within his heart and remain true to them in the face of adversity and temptation.  The light symbolized truth, and it became brighter and harsher the closer he came to it.  In fact, he sometimes turned away from the brightness and lost ground, as if he found it challenging to acknowledge his deepest desires.  The parallel ropes symbolized two dimensions of movement -- either towards or away from our hearts.  Not bad eh?

Audra, Jonathan and I went out again on Wednesday night.  We swapped jokes and travel stories while eating at Cafe Latin on Duong Du.  Cafe Latin serves apple pie a la mode that is quite good -- flaky crust, warm, good chunks of apples and texture and delicious vanilla ice cream.  It did need more cinnamon though.  I mentioned this to the waiter and the next thing I knew Neil, the chef, was at the table asking my opinion of how to improve his apple pie.  "Ah yes.  Americans like extra cinnamon.  Let me know the next time you're here and I'll make it special for you."  Hey alright, that's service.  Thanks Neil!

Audra and Jonathan have a blog of their trip adventures.  Check out their very entertaining stories in "100 Days in Asia."  They take turns submitting blogging entries.  It's funny to hear their different perspectives, opinions and sometimes disagreements get aired in this public forum.  Imagine dueling banjos, but in blog form and you'll see what I mean.

Thanks for sending Jonathan and Audra my way, Jason.  And to the rest of My Public -- you can send your cool peeps my way too.  I'm always ready for visitors.

Golden Reclining Buddha, Bangkok

Ok, I'm pretty late with this post.  Mom and I went to Bangkok a few weeks ago and hit the highlights.  One of them was the Temple of the Reclining Buddha, aka Wat Pho, aka Wat Phra Chetuphon Vimolmangklararm Rajwaramahaviharn (try saying that backwards and you'll evaporate in a puff of dark smoke).  It was impressive.  My favorite feature is not the size, or the golden hue, or the massive feet.  It was the peaceful and chill expression on the buddha.  Those Buddists may -- just may -- be onto something.

Anyway, I took a pretty good video so here it is.  By the way, that snorting sound you hear a few times during the first 30 seconds of video ain't me. 

Cambodia & The Temples of Siem Reap

I got back yesterday from a trip to Siem Reap, Cambodia to visit the famous temples of ancient Khmer civilization.  The UN has designated these temples as a World Heritage Site.  It's easy to see why.  They are nothing short of incredible.  Their scale, sophistication and artistry are off the charts. 

I'd like to write more but it's late right now and I'm lazy.  I'm going to cheat a little and post a link to Wikipedia's entry for the Angkor temples here.  You can view my as-yet untitled photos here.  Click on "View album as guest" on the left hand side, then click on "Slideshow" for the best viewing.  You can also check out the video below of one of the temples that has been overrun by the jungle.  It's over 900 years old.  Amazing.  (Make sure your sound is up so you can hear the eerie jungle sounds.)

The Tunnels of Cu Chi

Today Mom, Aunt Jackie and I went on a day trip to the Cu Chi tunnels about 60 km outside of Saigon.  The Viet Minh (later called Viet Cong) began digging the tunnels for resistance against the French and Japanese before and during WWII.  They used them to move undetected, store goods and even had entire living quarters including hospitals, machine shops, dormitories (if you can properly call them dormitories) and mess halls underground.  (Above left: Our friendly guide Trung demonstrates ducking and hiding into a tunnel.)

The VC used the tunnels to avoid stand up fights with superior American firepower.  Instead, whenever Americans or the ARVN (Army of the Republic of South Vietnam) would roll into an area the VC would escape into their tunnels and pop out once and a while for harassing fire.    When the Americans left they would exit and reassert control over the local villages.  The last time I was here I read a fascinating book about the tunnels called "The Tunnels of Cu Chi" that details the underground war from both Vietnamese and American perspectives.  It seems that although a few individual American units figured out how to detect the tunnels and flush out the enemy, American military leadership didn't realize the importance of the tunnels and these lessons never got disseminated widely enough to make a difference.  There's a good management lesson there.  (At right: Trung demonstrates a booby trap.)

Conditions in the tunnels were absolutely filthy, claustrophobic and miserable.   Judging my short 20 meter jaunt through one of the tunnels they were hot as blazes too.  Forget about politics -- the fact that people spent years living and fighting from these tunnels is a testament to sheer human will.  These people were way motivated.  (At left: Aunt Jackie, yours truly and Mom with a few local cadres.)

I spotted these two local women on the roadside peddling coconuts.  I bought a few.  We communicated with hand signals because their English was terrible.  I mean, they sounded like they were from New Jersey or something.

You can learn more about Cu Chi in this concise Wikipedia entry.

Saigon's Kid Entrepreneurs

Present everywhere throughout Saigon's streets are kids looking to make a buck, mostly from foreigners.  They have different specialities.  Some shine shoes (like these great kids pictured on the left) but most peddle some product or other -- gum, books, coins, drinks.

The kids in the picture at left convinced me to shine my dusty dogs near the Notre Dame Cathedral in central Saigon.  They were as curious as they are industrious.   "Where you from?  Are you married?  How old are you?" are questions foreigners get asked a lot.  One kid really reminded me of a Vietnamese Eddie Furlong, with his floppy hair, casual attitude and cigarette dangling out of his mouth.  Hilarious kids.  They all speak very good street English.

Although I'm pretty sure they never read "Power Negotiating" by Roger Dawson, they are natural negotiators.  Asking "How much? will elicit a reponse that is 2x what you can get if you take the effort to bargain a bit.  If you keep the bargaining process light and fun it can be a very entertaining experience.  I like to do the "flinch" when they tell me the price, then make my counter proposal.  Of course, I clown around and my expressions are totally exaggerated for effect (Dawn, you would call this the "cheese factor"), and I treat it like the game it is.  Fun stuff.  These kids asked for 20k dong at first, but settled for 10k dong (about 65 cents).  But then they cleverly upsold me another 10k to fix the sole of my shoe.  Their hardnosed capitalist instincts brought tears to my eyes...sniff.

While some kids are just trying to make a buck for themselves, there are younger kids (8-11 or so) who I get the feeling are impressed into service by their parents.  They usually sell gum.  For a while I was buying gum from every kid I met, which was unsustainable unless I wanted to enter the gum reselling business.  If you decline their products some resort to tugging at your heart strings with well worn stories like "Why you no buy?!  I need money for milk for me, um I mean my younger brother."  One kid kept asking why I wouldn't buy and I eventually told him that I didn't like kids.  I felt a little evil but it did the trick >:-).