Vietnam > A real scooter plague

I wake up a little after half past four in the morning. Parade music is playing in the hallway — a rather pleasant way to be woken up. When I look out the window, I see that the train is passing through the suburbs of Ho Chi Minh City. I slept fairly well last night.

Vietnam - The street scene in Ho Chi Minh consists of scooters scooters and more scooters

I did wake up a few times because of the rattling of the train, but I usually fell back asleep quickly. The air conditioning, however, alternated between being too warm (blanket off) and too cold (blanket back on). I freshen up at the small sink near the toilet. Sleepily, I pack my luggage and finish just as the train comes to a stop at the main station in Ho Chi Minh City. Outside the station, a bus is waiting to take us to our hotel. It’s not yet five in the morning, and the streets are still quiet — the calm before the storm, I suppose. A few minutes later, we step into the hotel. At this early hour, the rooms are not yet available, and the breakfast room is still closed. We leave our luggage in the lobby and take a walk to the Saigon River. We even arrive too early to see the sunrise. After about an hour, we return to the hotel. By now, the breakfast room has opened, and from the top floor we watch the sun rise just after six.

Vietnam - Anything can be transported on a scooter

Strangely enough, it already feels like I’ve been awake for half a day. After breakfast, we take a bus tour around Ho Chi Minh City. The streets have grown much busier by now. The sheer number of motorbikes is remarkable — of the city’s eight million inhabitants, four million get around by scooter. They swarm through the streets like ants. At traffic lights, they line up row after row, darting past us on both sides. Driving a bus in morning rush hour is no easy task, but it’s fascinating to photograph, especially since we’re sitting slightly higher up in the bus. Along the way, our Vietnamese guide tells us about the buildings and the city, though his English is hard to understand. Our first stop is the Giac Lam Pagoda, dating back to 1744 — the oldest in the city. The guide explains the Buddhist shrine, and just as we are about to leave, a service begins. I quickly walk back to have a look. About eight monks take part in the ceremony. It’s clear that Buddhism plays only a minor role in Vietnam, in stark contrast to Laos. We continue our city tour with a walk through Chinatown. As in every Chinese quarter, the streets are crowded, and people sell just about everything from small stalls. We take a short break for a drink near Chinatown and then drive to the Hoi Truong Thong Nhat, the Reunification Palace. The massive building stands on the site of the former Norodom Presidential Palace, which was heavily damaged in 1962 when a South Vietnamese air force pilot who had defected to the Viet Cong bombed it. A completely new palace was later built on the site. On April 30, 1975, a North Vietnamese army tank crashed through the main gate, marking the fall of Saigon. The palace is spacious and modern, with 95 rooms. Our Vietnamese guide does his best to explain each one, but I notice I’m getting tired and can hardly follow the story.

Vietnam - The war museum provides insight into the Vietnam War

The same seems true for several fellow travelers — the group starts to drift apart. Once everyone is back on the bus, we return to the hotel. I take a shower and lie down for an hour. In the afternoon, we take a walk through Ho Chi Minh City. Our route passes the Opera House, the Town Hall, the impressive Central Post Office, and the Notre Dame Cathedral. The French influence in the architecture is clearly visible everywhere. We end our walk at the War Museum. Through many photographs, the story of the Vietnam War is told. It’s hard to comprehend the enormous impact this war had on the people of South Vietnam. To let it all sink in, we sit down for a beer at a terrace. Dusk falls, and the evening rush of motorbikes passes before us. Every time the traffic light turns green, a stream of scooters races down the boulevard. Although it looks chaotic, it actually seems to work quite efficiently — especially since there are so few cars. Perhaps something for Dutch cities to consider? In the evening, we have dinner at Restaurant 19, just a few streets from our hotel — a small local place. We end the evening in the hotel’s trendy bar.