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There was an amazing breakfast buffet at the hotel. Even better than in Siem Reap. There was quite an array of choices as they are trying to have appropriate foods for various nationalities. So there were traditional American foods (eggs, bacon, etc) but also Asian and European. We had breakfast with Bob and Anne who seem to have taken a shine to us (we like them too).
Then it was on to the University for a lecture about Vietnam history. The lecturer was entertaining and interesting. Viet history goes back thousands of years. I really had no idea prior to this trip. As far as I knew the history started in the late 1800’s with the French. But there have been people in this area for thousands of years. Duh.
There were a number of ‘heroes’ over the years who vanquished various foes to give the country independence. Marion’s favorite were the two sisters who led their armies on elephants and defeated (I think) the Chinese. Vietnam was a matriarchal society (as was Cambodia). So there are multiple examples of women leaders over the years. This changed with the Chinese influence more recently. The Chinese are clearly the big dogs in the area and have wielded (and continue to wield) a lot of power and influence all throughout southeast Asia. There’s a general feeling in the area that the Chinese are a threat (and rightly so in my opinion). They seem to be prepping both countries to be ‘annexed’ at some point.
The lecturer told us north and south Vietnam are very different as we had heard before. And both are different from the center for that matter. The north is more conservative. The south more liberal and entrepreneurial. He dodged around questions of dissent and activism but definitely gave the impression there is some (including him). Social media has been a big part of it. But Vietnam just passed a cyber-security law to require Google and Facebook to give data to the government. That’s not going to go well for some people. But at the same time, 90,000 people were in the streets to protest changes to retirement rules. So the people haven’t given up.
At the end he showed us a comment/review, supposedly from a previous lecture, saying he was terrible, disorganized, his media was bad, didn’t know how to use it, etc. The general belief was it was a ‘plant’ because the government didn’t want him doing lectures anymore. One bad review would not typically get someone fired, and in this one the syntax was a bit suspect. Of course, we Americans were indignant and we spent a good 20 minutes talking about it, and what could we do and who do we need to talk to. But he’s out and there’s nothing we or anyone else can do about it, which is really a shame. We were his last one. And that’s what living in a communist country is all about. We got his email and Marion plans to correspond with him.
After the lecture we had an opportunity to talk to some students who wanted to practice English. I was hesitant about this, seeing as I don’t like talking to new people very much, but the girl we talked to was very nice and energetic and her English was quite good. She gave us a quick tour of campus and some facts – there are about 200 students in her class (she’s a junior, age 21) and about 20 foreign students of various types – Korean, Chinese, and westerners. She lives on campus in a dorm. She works her ass off (7am – 5pm classes, then homework). But she likes Saigon. She wants to travel after she graduates. We gave her our (well, Marion’s) email and may hear from her.
Afterwards we got a bit of a drive around town to give us a sense of the size and scope of the city. And also, I’m fairly sure, to kill time until lunch time. But it was a good way to see a bit more of the area.
By the time we got back to the hotel, Marion needed to eat something. It was going to be half an hour until lunch (which was walking distance down the block) so we went off in search of a bakery and managed to find one. Then we walked over to the restaurant. We thought the group might already be there so we marched in and headed upstairs, much to the surprise of one of the waiters who could not adequately express his concern due to our complete lack of understanding of Vietnamese. So he just let us go. They weren’t there so we came back down and waited outside. We had pho for lunch which was quite good. We found out during the meal that Bros used to sell spring rolls on the street with his mother to help support his family. He’s come a long way.
After lunch we had ‘free time to explore’ so we did. Marion had been jonesing for some shopping so we hit the streets. And we were successful in that we found any number of things to buy and some cool stores and some interesting back alleys. We even managed to cross the street 8 or 9 times without being killed which is no small feat in Saigon. We wandered pretty much around the area we had walked earlier – Notre Dame, the Post Office, the main pedestrian mall, etc. But we could actually go in the shops. We stopped at a coffee place at one point for ‘blended drinks’. Which is what coffee places call milkshakes these days (at least the Strawberry/Lemon one I had sure seemed like one).
When we got back to the hotel the room was warm again like yesterday. We tried to convince ourselves it was cooling down but it wasn’t. So I had to call down to the front desk to complain. They offered up a new room, which wasn’t my first choice. We were fairly ‘unpacked’ by this point. I suggested they try to fix it first.
Well, the first guy came in, pointed to the mini fridge and said, yes? I said no, the A/C. He said “five minutes”. A few minutes later the power in the room went off then back on. Then he came in and pointed to the vent where the fan was blowing and smiled. Indicating it was on. Marion decided it felt cooler and sent him on his way. I was not convinced. It seemed vaguely cooler but after another 15 min or so we decided no, maybe not. The ever efficient staff called to see how it was doing. I told them not so great and they suggested again that we move. So after some hemming and hawing I agreed. It was the right call. The new room (directly below the previous) is now nice and cool. And the hotel got to demonstrate their marvelous service.
Tonight was the farewell dinner cruise for those people (everyone but us and 3 others) who were not continuing on to Hanoi. It was on a new party boat that had just started operating so it was just us (but built for 100+). I would describe the décor as New Orleans whorehouse. Very gaudy. Dinner was not great unfortunately, but dessert (ice cream and chocolate mousse) was excellent. And as the guide said, it’s more about the river cruise (which is beautiful) than the food. And he was right. We cruised the Saigon river and saw the city lit up. (“Ladies and gentlemen, madams and sirs, we are about to see the most beautiful beauty that was ever beautiful. Did I mention how beautiful this is?”). But this time he was right.
There was a 3-piece band singing 70’s hits with an accent. The music was too loud for the old folks to hear each other talk but fun. Dancing ensued (although I did not)
After we got back to the hotel it was goodbyes in the lobby for those who are leaving early (Deb, Joan, Jean and Mickey). It will be an emotional goodbye in the morning for the rest. We need to figure out what to tip the guides… (I always hate that part).
And at this point, let me say, that if I never hear another motor scooter horn beep in my life, I would not be sad. (But it was not to be, more days of it in Hanoi.)
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