Naturally I loved it. The furniture was totally fabulous, but the bomb shelter in the basement was really interesting too.
Friday, 11 January 2013
Reunification Palace
The Reunification Palace was the home and headquarters of the President of the Republic of Vietnam, the South Vietnamese puppet state propped up by the US during the Vietnam War. Since it was captured by the Communists in 1975 it has been preserved more or less in the way the found it, so it's pretty much a monument to 1960s kitsch.
Naturally I loved it. The furniture was totally fabulous, but the bomb shelter in the basement was really interesting too.
Naturally I loved it. The furniture was totally fabulous, but the bomb shelter in the basement was really interesting too.
Ho Chi Minh City
On our second day we explored HCMC a bit. We started at the market, which was very busy. People kept saying things like "Hello beautiful girl, can I make you coffee? Another fan for you miss? Ali baba pant, I help you find your size!".
I didn't buy anything, it was mostly cheap knickknacks and leather bags that were really gorgeous and well made but more than I could afford.
Afterwards we checked out the Reunification Palace, then had lunch at a nearby restaurant. The spring rolls were the best things ever but the mains were a bit average. The ice creams were pretty nice though and the beers and cocktails were so cheap!
Then we just wandered about the city.
They had some interesting buildings and stuff but the coolest thing was the free public exercise equipment!
In some ways Vietnam seems much less developed than Australia but in this regard I think we are quite backward.
We also went to this German brewhouse type place where they gave us a log that opened up to reveal the menu. It was cool but I waited ages for my drink.
After that we had a terrifying cab ride to the airport and then we flew out!
I didn't buy anything, it was mostly cheap knickknacks and leather bags that were really gorgeous and well made but more than I could afford.
Afterwards we checked out the Reunification Palace, then had lunch at a nearby restaurant. The spring rolls were the best things ever but the mains were a bit average. The ice creams were pretty nice though and the beers and cocktails were so cheap!
Then we just wandered about the city.
They had some interesting buildings and stuff but the coolest thing was the free public exercise equipment!
In some ways Vietnam seems much less developed than Australia but in this regard I think we are quite backward.
We also went to this German brewhouse type place where they gave us a log that opened up to reveal the menu. It was cool but I waited ages for my drink.
After that we had a terrifying cab ride to the airport and then we flew out!
Vietnam!!
We made it!
The flight was very pleasant. On the first plane, from Sydney to Singapore, I watched some sitcoms and that new Kirsten Dunst movie Bachelorette (didn't really like it), and we had a nice breakfast and lunch plus a G&T. We sat in the back row with only two seats, and reclined as far as we wanted.
On the plane from Singapore to Ho Chi Minh City we had dinner (nice again, especially the dessert, which was like cold rice pudding) and Singapore Slings! Fun! I watched the first half of Pitch Perfect too. It was really funny, I can't wait to see the rest.
Though I enjoyed the flights I was very glad to reach the hotel. We stayed at the Cat Huy Hotel, which was quite cheap ($30/night) and basic but very spacious and clean. The aircon was incredibly efficient, the service was great and the minibar was super cheap! Prices ranged from thirty cents for a bottled water to a dollar fifty for M&Ms. Bargain.
Breakfast the next morning was included and it was really nice! I had a jambon and cheese omelette. Jambon turned out to be ham so that was good! I didn't drink the juice because a) it had ice and b) it was Tang but the bread on the side was so delicious, all crusty on the outside and soft on the inside. Mmmm.
We sat outside so we could watch all the people in the street. It's quiet at night, but in the daytime all the residents sell things out the front of their homes. They have everything from raw meat to china. It didn't smell great but it sure was interesting, I even saw a lady gutting an eel. Fortunately I didn't take a picture of that.
The flight was very pleasant. On the first plane, from Sydney to Singapore, I watched some sitcoms and that new Kirsten Dunst movie Bachelorette (didn't really like it), and we had a nice breakfast and lunch plus a G&T. We sat in the back row with only two seats, and reclined as far as we wanted.
On the plane from Singapore to Ho Chi Minh City we had dinner (nice again, especially the dessert, which was like cold rice pudding) and Singapore Slings! Fun! I watched the first half of Pitch Perfect too. It was really funny, I can't wait to see the rest.
Though I enjoyed the flights I was very glad to reach the hotel. We stayed at the Cat Huy Hotel, which was quite cheap ($30/night) and basic but very spacious and clean. The aircon was incredibly efficient, the service was great and the minibar was super cheap! Prices ranged from thirty cents for a bottled water to a dollar fifty for M&Ms. Bargain.
Breakfast the next morning was included and it was really nice! I had a jambon and cheese omelette. Jambon turned out to be ham so that was good! I didn't drink the juice because a) it had ice and b) it was Tang but the bread on the side was so delicious, all crusty on the outside and soft on the inside. Mmmm.
We sat outside so we could watch all the people in the street. It's quiet at night, but in the daytime all the residents sell things out the front of their homes. They have everything from raw meat to china. It didn't smell great but it sure was interesting, I even saw a lady gutting an eel. Fortunately I didn't take a picture of that.
En Route
Jim and I are on the way to Vietnam! Emily picked us up at the crack of Dawn and drove us to the airport (thank you Em! You're the best!), where we took about five minutes to check in and go through customs and then spent ages browsing duty free.
I really liked the alcohol displays, and also an Oreos one, but I didn't buy anything. They had some good Barbies too.
We're at Singapore airport now, I am a bit bored of waiting around here but they have some pretty cool stuff e.g. several M&Ms shops (seriously, all they sell is M&Ms and associated merchandise) and a shop called Kipling that sells bags with little fluffy monkey toys attached to them.
And they have these beautiful gigantic fibreglass jars, which have bits missing so you can walk inside and read historical jar facts. Like our Big Banana and such, only not that big.
Mum are you reading this? Their recycling bins would appeal to your love of oversized fibreglass structures too. Actually this airport has heaps of Big Things.
Yay boarding time!
I really liked the alcohol displays, and also an Oreos one, but I didn't buy anything. They had some good Barbies too.
We're at Singapore airport now, I am a bit bored of waiting around here but they have some pretty cool stuff e.g. several M&Ms shops (seriously, all they sell is M&Ms and associated merchandise) and a shop called Kipling that sells bags with little fluffy monkey toys attached to them.
And they have these beautiful gigantic fibreglass jars, which have bits missing so you can walk inside and read historical jar facts. Like our Big Banana and such, only not that big.
Mum are you reading this? Their recycling bins would appeal to your love of oversized fibreglass structures too. Actually this airport has heaps of Big Things.
Yay boarding time!
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