Wandering around since we have been back, some things I see make me think “This is Vietnam” and give me a happy glow, mostly for no reason I can think of.
The 3rd day we were back, we wandered up to town, via the dirt track, that is one of the memories, or 2 really, the dirt track to and from our house, you would never guess there are factories springing up all around us and the pho bo is a dish that says Vietnam to me, but these memories and characteristics weren’t in my mind when I started this piece of waffle.
Whilst sitting eating I heard the familiar high revving of some distinctive motos and knew it was the cigarette smugglers heading our way. These lads all seem tall and skinny, but I need to verify that with a bit more research. They come flying past with boxes of cigarette cartons stacked up behind them, they have so many that the smugglers are perched on the very front of the seat. I thought they covered them in hessian to hide what they are carrying, but they have the cartons stacked in front of them too and uncovered, so I was wrong with that assumption and anyway it is pretty obvious who they are and they tend to come in convoy too, any number up to 10 of them. They can’t really be called smugglers either. There is nothing discreet about them, they may as well have a banner flying. I guess cigarette runners would be a better name. The cigarettes are picked up at the Cambodian border then whizzed at a great rate of knots to various destinations, a lot of them around HCMC. The lads whistle along weaving in and out of the traffic, beeping their horns and building their reputation and some popularity amongst the Vietnamese, at least that is how I feel about them. I fancy having a go, but my moto handling skills are not up to it. I think I would be a one run a week man.
Dung told me they tune up their motos and the police can’t catch them, but that is not the case. Another day we were up town for Dung to change some pounds into dong, another Vietnamese characteristic is how long it takes to do anything concerned with the banks, unless you are one of their preferred customers, then I have noticed queue jumping is encouraged by the staff. Anyway, I knew Dung was going to be a while, so I perched on a bench outside. The police had setup a checkpoint, just down from the bank. They were pulling in odd motos and checking paperwork. They held onto a couple of motos whilst I sat and watched. The biggest and tallest of the police had just pulled a lad over and was checking his documents when I heard that high revving sound again, the bobby gave the lad his keys back, much to the lads relief, I suspect he wasn’t completely legal, due to the haste in which he left. The bobby jumped onto his big motorbike and was off like a shot, he soon caught up the last of the fag runners, but let him go. I have no idea what went on. Dung told me sometimes the police just warn them, but sometimes they confiscate their motos and contraband. She says the out of HCMC, police are a lot more friendly than those of the big city. The speed with which the bobby caught the runner blew away the myth about the runners souped up motos, but enhanced the police’s reputation in my eyes. I believe a lot, probably the majority of them are corrupt, but at least they let this runner get on with earning a living. Dung was surprised the runners hadn’t been warned off coming this route through Duc Hoa, that usually happens to these lads who are building up their folklore fame when there is a temporary checkpoint setup
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Another of the sites I love to see in Vietnam is the kids coming out of school. It is like a bee swarm, although the school rush hour here is more hectic than in the UK. I hadn’t seen this until our return, hoards of motos and bikes waiting outside the schools to pick up the kids. I was surprised to see it. The part I like is the secondary girls in their traditional white ao di uniform and their wide brim sun hats, most of them pedalling home on their bikes, they look really elegant, even the kids from lower years look good in their uniforms and wide brim hats, the lads usually have baseball hats on. If they are riding 2 up, the only combination of pedalling and steering I haven’t seen is the person on the carrier rack behind steering and the one up front pedalling. I have seen both pedalling, both pedals, each pedalling one, front steering back pedalling, it always makes me smile and the flock of white ao di heading for home is a great site. Kids of all ages pedal off home and go 3 abreast at times, some even 4, nattering away with not a care in the world about the traffic queuing up behind them and beeping at them. It is a dual carriageway through town, so it is not a big deal, the Vietnamese just like to beep.
Another site that distinctively says Vietnam is the ladies on cho Duc Hoa, Duc Hoa market, beavering away, or sitting waiting for customers in their non la’s, conical hats. This site will always say Vietnam to me. It may be possible to see it elsewhere, but I haven’t been there yet. The non la adds character and beauty to some faces that don’t look like they could bear much more character. Dung certainly looks even more beautiful in a non la. Cho Duc Hoa is a good place to wander, in fact most of the markets I have visited are good places to wander and some do some good cheap food too, all of them do delicious fresh fruit.
We don’t go into HCMC a great deal nowadays. The road is a nightmare and it is hot and dusty, but it is another good memory. I haven’t been to any other city in Vietnam that has the same feel or look. Hanoi is completely different, it is more easy paced and seems poorer, older, more what the Americans would like to see, quaint I suppose they would say, but I am not sure about that.
HCMC is high speed moto drag racing, or it seems like that at times. The streets are mostly packed together houses and shops, with the odd boulevard. Most of the streets look the same to me, but they still ooze Vietnamese character in my eyes. Most shops have their address above the front, street name and number, district and city names, so if you have a good map, you need never be lost in HCMC, so long as you are heading in the right direction. HCMC just feels like HCMC, which I guess makes it unique. Like London, I like to visit it, but would hate to work or live there for any length of time.
Just a few postcards of Vietnam to be going on with. I thought I had some photos, but can’t find them.
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