October 20, 2012 9:00am by David Farrar

Saigon

Am in Saigon, on my first visit to Vietnam. While definitely hot here, at 32c, it isn’t as humid as some other Asian countries. Have tried twice to get a sim card for my phone (as it is not working at all here). I walked around half an hour in the heat to then find out they could not sell me one without my passport. Grrrr.

Then the next day did the trek again, and managed to purchase a sim card. However I get home and discover they have sold me one which is too large for the iPhone – this is despite me showing them the phone. Double grrrr. Have decided God doesn’t want me to have 3G coverage in Vietnam, so am not going to try for a third time. This means that I won’t get any phone calls or texts until I am back.

The hotel has free wireless, and so do many stores, so I am getting my data fix that way.

Crossing the roads here reminds me of playing Frogger. No cars or bikes actually stop for you. If you wait for a break in the traffic, you may be there for an hour or so. So instead what you do is just walk slowly into the traffic and hope they are good at swerving around you. So far, they have been. Almost gone run over on the footpath of all place though, as motorcycles ride there also. Saigon has around 4.5 million motorcycles.

The currency here is around 10,000 dong equals 60c NZ. So 100,000 dong is $6, which easily covers many meals here. The guide books say you don’t need dong, as they take US$ everywhere. This is not true. Many places do not.

Near the Grand Hotel, where I’m staying with my folks is this imposing statue of Tran Hung Dao. He was pretty much the only general to ward off the Khan led Mongols in the 13th century.

The Saigon Opera House is one of several examples of French colonial architecture. Our tour guide happens to also be a trained singer, and she would sing songs for us as the van waited in traffic. She was seriously good. They need a Vietnam Has Talent show.

This is the Notre-Dame Cathedral. No, not the one in Paris. It was built in 1863. Around six million Vietnamese are Catholic, reflecting the French colonial past.