The Saigon Zoo Yesterday the planets all aligned in just the right way to make it a perfect Saigon Zoo day! Well, more or less. Actually, it was the alignment of the several natural, though maybe-not-planetary, events. First, it was a lazy Sunday afternoon. A typical how-should-I-enjoy-today day. Secondly, it was a cloudy day – [Read on …]
Rau Câu Dừa Street Vendor N4A Trường Sơn Street P.15, District 10 ***** My friend John is a well-seasoned traveler. He spends at least 6 months each year traveling, scouting, and documenting cultural developments occurring throughout a dozen Asian countries. Sunday morning I invited him to come to District 10 to get a glimpse of a [Read on …]
What a treasure trove of community life in Saigon! If you’re in Saigon and wondering how to spend a free day – and if you’d like to take a peek at “real” Saigon (rather than a tourist street or a propaganda museum), considered spending some time at Le Thi Rieng Park. A few years back, [Read on …]
Without doubt Bac Hai is my favorite neighborhood in Saigon. For me personally, Bac Hai has it all! It sits within a minute’s walk from Le Thi Rieng Park. It’s filled with scores of cafes where you can enjoy your morning coffee. It sits beside a sports complex with perhaps Saigon’s best Olympic-size swimming [Read on …]
Spend a day in one of Saigon’s district parks and witness a hub of traditional Vietnamese social life! Get up at 5 am and be awed by the silence of a hundred locals gathered in the parks gently doing their tai chi exercises with colorful flags in hand; families quietly playing badminton or jogging (seemingly [Read on …]
Gỏi Đu Đủ On the Street At the entrance to Le Van Tam Park Corner of Hai Ba Trung Street & Vo Thi Sau Street (across from the Evergreen Hotel) District 3 ***** I hate it when folk ask me ~ What do you do everyday now that you’re retired. Immediately, I’m defensive! First of all, [Read on …]
Luckily for me, Mì Quảng Hoi An sits directly across Đồng Nai street from my favorite swimming pool. And on my walk back home from my almost daily swim. So, I’m a frequent lunch visitor here … and occasionally show up for a late evening snack too. There’s absolutely nothing fancy here. Your basic small street [Read on …]