It’s good to be back in a large city. I’ve been in laid back towns for the last 3 weeks and missed the city vibe. Or perhaps it’s specifically Saigon (Ho Chi Minh City) that I like – from the first minute here it felt right. I didn’t even read about it too much before taking the bus here but immediately after landing my feet just took me to a quite alley in the middle of the chaos where I found a very friendly hotel. Weird, isn’t it? Maybe I lived here in a previous life or something because I can’t really explain the calmness that I’m feeling while everything around is bustling…
I’ve been in Vietnam for about a week and so far it has a very similar vibe to Cambodia. Before leaving the Gulf of Thailand area I wanted to spend a few days on a quite beach. I heard many good things about Phu Quoc so I decided to finish there, although it turned out to be a lot more crowded and developed than I imagined. If you are ever over here and want a vacation from your vacation then I recommend Cambodia’s Rabbit Island (Koh Tonsay). It’s REALLY mellow with just a beach, a few bungalows, 3-4 restaurants and even the electricity goes off at 9pm. It’s perfect for a self imposed retreat. But Phu Quoc was also nice and certainly had its advantages. The southern beaches away from the town were beautiful and serene. I ended up sharing a room with a very nice Israeli girl that’s doing her post-military tour. The both of us also share a passion for ice-cream and deserts so you can imagine where that led…
Today I walked around down town Saigon and one of the highlights was definitely the War Remnants Museum. It sure has some propaganda elements but it really demonstrates some of the implications of the Vietnam war. In particular, the exhibit about the high number of birth defects as a result of all the chemicals used is very powerful. It’s hard to watch but I think this kind of show should be mandatory for all the residents of countries that launch war campaigns abroad such as the USA. I’m sure these images will make people think again about what is being done in the name of “freedom”.
