2 days in Vietnam

My company sent me to Vietnam for a business trip last year.
It was my 1st time to visit this country and I was looking forward to it.

My 1st impression- A little bare, not too many high rise buildings at all, but it sure looks very clean to me.

The road was filled with mostly motorcycles and that seems to be the main mode of transport. And goodness, they were wearing PLASTIC helmets??? How is that going to protect that 5- 6 year old child who was riding with her dad? And people were riding with even like 3 big bottles of mineral water- those that were used in offices (see picture above) without any safety precaution. When I asked the local host who picked us from the airport, she said the law does not restrict you on what kind of helmets you wear, so long as you wear one on your head. Some ladies even chose pretty ones for cosmetic reasons more than for safety reasons. They actually have shops that sell these plastic helmets for riders, which I saw, but really, do feel it will not save the lives of these riders. This is a bit of a "culture" shock to me.

The local host also told me, if you want to cross the street, just be confident, look ahead and cross in the midst of all the motorcycles. They will avoid you. You just cannot afford to be hesitant or you will never be able to cross the road, when there is no traffic lights to help you. Ok, hmm...

Not too many international fashion labels were in Ho Chi Minh City. I could only spot a big Louis Vuitton and Gucci shops. The host told me candidly that it is rumored that some of the Vietnamese kept- mistresses would go there by day to check out the products and get their men to buy the products at night. but whether it is true, is anyone's guesses.

The lady to my right wear a traditional Vietnamese costume. I spotted her in Ho Chi Minh City and asked to take a picture with her. She was very obliging. She was
actually giving brochures and promoting their company's array of beauty services from manicure, pedicure, make- up services to massages etc. The Vietnamese young ladies here are generally very friendly, polite and mostly quite soft- spoken.

However, if you go to Ben Than, one of their local market, not all would be gentle. I have encountered them being a little pushy, urging me to make a purchase from them, by surrounding me and not letting me go. I had to make an excuse saying that I have to find my friend who has gone the other lane, to seek her opinion, before she and her colleague "released" me.

If you like handicrafts, beaded bags, lanterns, pillowcases, kitchen wares or food, you can find these at Ben Than. It's always advisable to bargain as some of them knowing that you are tourist, can mark up the prices by quite a fair bit. Money changer is also within reach within the vicinity. I could not find any nice clothes as the quality was way below my expectation. But some of the pillowcases and beaded bags are fairly reasonable and would have cost at least 100% or more in Singapore. I bought a gorgeous beaded bag for only S$20 and a lovely pouch for S$5. What a steal!


This is the traditional Vietnam coffee cup. Their coffee is known to be very "potent" and strong. They use some kind of dripping method to drain the coffee from the crushed coffee beans. My colleague drank 1 cup and did not sleep well for 3 days. She claimed it gave her headaches. But I was fine though and quite enjoyed the aroma.

There is a lot of coffee joint springing up in Vietnam and they are popular and mainly patronized by young people.

I have been looking forward to the food in Vietnam, especially the Vietnamese rolls. It is crunchy with the vegetables in it and with that mint leaf in it, it always leave a fresh, grassy after- taste. Yum.

I have also tried their beef noodles with soup (pronounced as "Fur" in Vietnam) but still prefer our own Singapore's version. Guess there are certain food that my taste buds have been accustomed to. Or maybe, I still prefer mine to have lots of beansprouts with parsley and some tendons dipped in my chilli sauce mixed with garlic.

Well, it was a short business trip (just 2 days), so my colleague and I did not get to go to any museums or any interesting places. A big departmental store opposite the airport has just opened recently and we went there to take a look. It did not make me part much of my money except for a OPI nail polish which cost S$10, half price of what would cost you in Singapore.

On the whole, I still managed to bag a good trip with the help of my hospitable host. And there will always be the interesting memories and pictures of Vietnam to boot. ;)