Bonne nuit Vietnam

Despite the chaotic traffic conditions in Ho Chi Minh City (HCMC), it’s surprisingly easier to take a walking tour in HCMC than in Bangkok or even in Taipei. Of course, it depends on which district you are in and you would have to set aside all the rules you have learned in your country. For example: traffic lights here are just references; it transforms to a standard of when to stop/go only when there are police present. So how do you cross a street? The trick is occupation, without a 3 dimensional road system, all you have to do is to step forward inch by inch; once you occupied the area the others will give way. The key to success in doing this is determination; you have to show your determination on your direction otherwise you would be stuck in the middle of the traffic or even worse be hit by a car/bike. Of course shit happens, my advice is to open your eyes and ears then move agilely and bravely.

Stereotype has it that westerners are relatively open-minded when it comes to romantic relationships. However, chances to spot Vietnamese couples hugging, touching or even kissing in public in HCMC are much higher than in westerner countries. The same phenomenon can also be found in Hanoi and China. Parks, sidewalks even on the side of boulevards, massive numbers of young Vietnamese couples sit together on the ground regardless of everything else; something that can only been seen here. I believe that westernization plays an important role in such phenomenon but what converts Asians into romance practitioners in such massive scale still puzzles me…maybe a leftover from the French Colonial Period?