I just got back from an intoxicating (and I mean it literally) work-cum-play trip to Saigon. I wish the Vietnamese had kept the old name of the city. I have always thought ‘Saigon’ to be a much prettier name than ‘Ho Chi Minh’.
The trip was short and we had quite a good time eating, shopping, (lets just leave out the work bits) and drinking. We drank too much and slept too little. And we were either hungry or inebriated or a combination of both. The horrors of alcohol and baaad company!
This is my second trip to Saigon. My first trip was in 2007 when I went there to, erm, watch a concert. During that trip, my friends and I were similarly intoxicated and inebriated most of the time, albeit caused by a different sort of stimulant! The sort that dances and unfortunately, does not come in a bottle.
As it was a really short visit at that time, I didn’t have much of an impression of the city apart from the Ben Thanh market (where we shopped till we dropped), the dizzying number of motorcycles whizzing past and the insufferable heat. The weather was slightly better this time – still sweaty and hot but there were daily showers to bring the temperature down somewhat.
Staying right in the city centre, I saw the charming side of Saigon this time.
