Back to Vietnam (Part 2)

Ho Chi Minh City, formerly known as Saigon, is a colourful and vibrant city with about 7.5 million people..

I stayed at the Sheraton Saigon hotel, which is located in the city centre in  what is known as District 1. The street is called Dong Khoi.. Here's a picture of the front entrance area.

Fig 1: Sheraton Saigon

A walking tour of District 1 will bring one to the Saigon Opera House, City Hall, the Post Office, the Reunification Palace and Ben Thanh Market. There are also lots of shops, cafes and restaurants around.

Fig 2: Pho Bo for breakfast ... mmmmmm

When in Vietnam, one should miss out on the Pho Bo or Beef Pho. It's a little bit like our "Gu Bak Mee" in Sarawak,   but the soup is simply heavenly, especially when you add the different vegetables, leaves and dips that go with the dish. If you do not take beef, there's also the chicken version (Pho Ga).

Fig 3: Vietnamese musicians at the lobby of Sheraton Saigon

Outside on the streets of District 1, it is common to find branded name shops co-existing with street vendors such as the one in the photo below.

Fig 4: Street Vendor in Saigon

I've often heard people liken the city pair of Hanoi and HCMC, to Beijing and Shanghai. I think this comparison is quite apt in many ways. For instance, I've been told that Hanoians don't particularly like the people from HCMC, and vice versa. In a similar manner, there has always been this tension between Beijing dwellers and Shanghainese.

Well, that's it for today, folks..

Hope to see some comments from you ...

Back to Vietnam (Part 1)

This week, I've been back in Hanoi and HoChiMinh City (HCMC) in Vietnam. .

I spent two days in Hanoi, still one of my favourite cities. Hanoi is not very modern, meaning there aren't many gleaming skyscrapers, but that's the charm of the place. Chaotic traffic, with still a majority of motorbikes compared to cars .... A distinct French colonial feel to the buildings and boulevards .... And great cuisine. Actually the French influence on the Vietnamese lives on very prominently in their breads and croissants. Simply heavenly.

I was in Hanoi to speak at a CIO conference and meet some customers. I won't bore you with the details of the conference itself, but I think you guys might be interested in what we were treated to at the post-conference Gala Dinner.

Hmmmm, I suspect this may bring up the visitor hits on this blog ...(remember to turn up the volume)





In case that video clip was too quick for you, here are a few still shots ...

Pic 1

Pic 2

Pic 3

Pic 4

Geez, the things I do to bring some CULTURAL EXPOSURE to you guys !!! Now, don't go rushing all at once to buy air tickets to Hanoi now, ok? Ha ha ha ...

Well, that's it for Part 1. I'm still in HCMC till this evening, so can hopefully I bring you some updates later in Part 2 of this posting.