Things that go Brrooom in the night

Ahh, a mis-spent youth. Isn't it great to be free when your a kid - a teenage rebel has no fears, no barriers in their world. Unfortunately, I do. Fears such as being kept awake half the night and then being exhausted the next day at work......amazing how quickly one becomes a grumpy old man. In this case however, it may be justified. My apartment block sits by a canal. The canal has some green areas adjacent to it, which the youth of HCMC love to take advantage of.

The green tarpaulin laid out on the ground is what they slept on. This is about 5.30am, dawn. The boys have just finished about twenty minutes of racing their bikes up and down, up and down, up and down the same hundred meter stretch. They go up, turn around, come back again. Their bikes are bloody loud. Usually this occurs in the middle of the night. Not often, I'm sure the nightracers have plenty of spots mapped out around the city.

Just across the other side of the canal, we have some kids living in concrete pipes. And I mean living. Must be two weeks now and counting.

So with a motorbike drag race on one side and a bunch of sleep-away-semi-homeless kids gathered on the other, nothing can stop this guy from his bizarre exercise routine that most Vietnamese have picked up from somewhere. It involves a lot of shaking, twisting, turning and flapping, but not much actual exercise. Enough to get the blood pumping I suppose!

Cars Cars Cars. And Cars.

Stories get recycled here in Vietnam and often reading the news is intensely boring. There are only so many times you can read about Vietnam and Cambodia 'forging ties' or Vietnam and Boliva 'agreeing to boost relations', and so on.

One repetitive story that pops up in every loyal reporters briefcase every 6 months is titled thus or similar : Vietnam auto sales up 79 pct. In the article we hear from automobile analyst Nguyen Van Trung - "The rapid growth of the stock market this year has yielded a big fortune to a new class of investors, and now they are buying cars to indicate their wealthy status." Well thanks for that gem - if I may, and without being facetious, those years of automobile analyst training have paid off. Asia. Developing. Get rich. Buy car. Show wealth. Old news - Merci and Au Revior. . .

The poor old streets of HCMC are now groaning under all these wheels, years of added weight is not their idea of fun. "Automobile sales in the first half shot up to 28,524, a 79 percent year-on-year increase." An article published in April,Vietnam moving from two wheels to four, said "nearly 4,500 cars have been sold in the past three months, a 91 percent increase over the same period last year." Another article published in March this year entitled Vietnam Feb car sales surge amid equity windfalls. Doctor of Cars số hai (Phd) told us "Thousands of people have reportedly made huge fortunes in the recent months, prompting them to buy new house and cars to show their new wealth."

Are you getting the message? I can go back to 2005, and this article from the People's Daily Online,Vietnam's auto sales surge in first 7 months. Same story. And so it goes on...the number of articles about Vietnam's auto industry is staggering. Meanwhile, us non-stock-market-playing two wheeled mortals have to make do with what's left of the tarmac, and eventually, our lungs.

Recently, we found out just how revolting the air we are breathing actually is. Thanh Nien (as you can tell, basically the only news source I consider worthy) recently published reports on the issue of 'dirty fuel' in Vietnam. Here, we are told "It is worth noting that the sulfur content of 0.25 percent in Vietnam is 30 to 50 times higher than in South Korea, Singapore, and Taiwan, and up to 250 times higher than in Japan, Hong Kong, and the EU." Ooooooo lovely! Thanh Nien followed up the story here with some fighting talk...."With its continued support for the sale of high-sulfur fuels, Vietnam’s Trade Ministry seems to have worried more for fuel importers and distributors than consumers or the country." The story even made it to the New York Times and the International Herald Tribune (here), who commented that "Vietnamese companies authorized to import fuel are resisting buying higher-quality fuel because it is more expensive." Once again, we the people, bow down to you and give thanks for the level of social responsibility you show....and for doing all you can for the city, the people, the country, and the environment in general. Puuuuhlease.

During my commute home from work, a metallic tinge of nasty chemicals on the tongue is hardly what the growling stomach below is asking for. Crossing the canal on Dien Tien Hoang, I glance across to see my apartments shrouded in the thing that shrouded the whole city tonight in a big shroud - a loitering haze of exhaust fumes. Tonight was the worst I have witnessed so far. So now we know that lots of people are buying cars, more than ever in fact, and they are still pumping them full of the dirtiest fuel on planet Earth.

This month, yet more streets in D3 were turned one way. Vo Van Tan is now one way in the same direction as Nguyen Dinh Chieu, all the way from Mac Dinh Chi to Cach Mang Thang Tam. Nguyen Thi Minh Khai is now one way running north west (the same direction as Dien Bien Phu) from Truong Dinh to Phung Khac Khoan. Big blue banners worked hard to get the message across.

It may have relieved some rush hour chaos for now, but with those car sales inevitably continuing to rise, it won't last long. Get used to it.

Edit: Also see this story from TN : Toxic fuels don’t raise the same ire as dodgy soy sauce

Sesame

Sesame is a small restaurant and bakery situated in the grounds of the Hospitality School for Disadvantaged Children of Ho Chi Minh City (to give the full name). The school recruits 120 pupils a year, aged between 16 and 20 years old. They are trained in cookery and hospitality, many going on to work in the city's hotels and restaurants. They also get a recognised qualification. They have a number of donors, primarily Triangle Generation Humanitaire.

The young staff were pleasant, although still learning.....the food was fine. The place is out the back of an old looking school building, which you pass through on the way to the eating area, as well as huge kitchens full of pots and pans. Eventually you arrive at a kind of makeshift terrace adjacent to an inside eating area. Despite once being a regular part of the building, great efforts have been made to inspire a dining atmosphere, with a French national directing the renovation from the looks of things. We ate there alone.

The address is 153 Xo Viet Nghe Tinh, Binh Thanh.

In this picture, I look the most like my Dad so far in my life. Don't I? Mum?

Saigon Entertainment: Cafés, bars and nightclubs.

Written as a sample for someone, I will put it here for your enjoyment:

It may be surprising to arrive in this Asian metropolis to find a bevy of chic cafes and restaurants, serving up cuisine from all corners of the earth. The growth of the scene has been spurred by the burgeoning number of tourists visiting the city, and also the band of nearly 100,000 thousand expats who live here. Divided into geographical locations, the majority of eateries are clustered in the city centre along Dong Khoi, Dong Du and Mac Thi Buoi Streets, with another pocket five minutes away along Thai Van Lung and Le Thanh Ton Streets. The backpackers area of the city also boasts a wide selection of restaurants and bars, centered around De Tham and Bui Vien Streets.

The abundance of East Asian restaurants around Thai Van Lung and Le Thanh Ton can be traced to the vast number of Korean and Japanese residents. Whilst the French influence is still evident at places like Le Jardin, new fusions are also encroaching, including Cuban, Spanish, Mexican and Middle Eastern.

Aside from the dearth of East Asian restaurants, almost any other kind of Asian food can be found in District One, including excellent Chinese, Thai and Indian options, with Malaysian, Cambodian and Taiwanese thrown in as well. The Vietnamese scene is naturally expansive. The range includes traditional street food vendors typically serving one or two snacks, small street side restaurants often serving a specialty such as pho or seafood, mid range restaurants with enormous menus and good value, and finally finishing with 5 star luxury fit for a king. Vietnamese food is often reinvented in higher end restaurants to be more suitable to the foreign palette, so bear this mind and be aware that the real taste of Vietnam is not as simple as dining on Dong Khoi St.

The western selection consists of the inevitable, a collection of ‘pub’ style menus serving burgers, ribs, and cooked breakfasts, along with healthier options which champion posh sounding salads and exotic fruit smoothies. There are some real gems that take a little digging to uncover, usually secreted in Saigon’s alleyways, away from the main road.

Coffee shop enthusiasts will not be disappointed either. Despite no Starbucks, Vietnam has its own version, Highlands Coffee. Highlands is a popular choice for its cheap set lunches and home produced selection of coffee, and usually occupies a busy city centre location. Illy Café is another chain which on top of its own stores also ‘provides’ the coffee at many other smaller locations – when you see the small red Illy sign hanging outside you’ll know this is the case.

Other Vietnamese style coffee shops are large, brash roadside extravaganzas, places to see and be seen for the trendy Vietnamese patrons. You won’t run into any of these in the city centre, although they are dotted across other parts of District 1 and especially District 3.

This central area of the city also houses numerous bars usually frequented by Saigon’s foreigners-in-residence. The Aussies have a couple of places to hang out in Café Latin and Blue Gecko. Underground is a London themed bar. All these could be labeled as ‘pub’, but the most recent diversion of Saigon’s nightlife has followed the trendy route of wine bar / club, such as Manna on Dong Khoi St. Don’t be surprised to pay a price that is definitely not aligned with the local currency, more the international dollar rate. Other than this, there are the hotel bars, such as Level 23 at the Sheraton or the infamous Saigon Saigon at the Caravelle, both of which command a spectacular view over the city.

Post midnight, options become limited. The most famous of all Saigon nightspots is Apocalypse Now, a disco in every sense. The wine club crowd will be making their way to Q Bar, a small but popular late night bar, or Lush, the upscale version of Apocalypse. Some may head over to Pham Ngu Lao to continue festivities.

The Pham Ngu Lao St area is a typical travellers den, the ‘Khao Sarn Road’ of Ho Chi Minh City. Inevitably there is a plethora of restaurants, bars, and cafes, as well as ubiquitous accommodation and travel agencies. The eateries of this area differ slightly from the their town centre counterparts; restaurants are cheap and open air providing much better value for money, although of course quality may be compromised. The bastions of the areas nightlife are Go 2 and Allez Boo, large street side bars where backpackers gather to shout over the music and play pool until the early hours. The area has a handful of smaller hole in the wall bars each retaining their own loyal band of patrons. Le Pub and Bobby Brewers provide a more stylish venue, catering to those who prefer the atmosphere in the ‘Pham’ but also enjoy a classier environment than a plastic chair on the street. These kind of establishments may signal the future of the area.

For a taste of true Vietnamese nightlife you could try America in the Windsor Plaza, or Volcano. By the selection of $7000 plus motorbikes in the parking area, it’s deducible that the people inside aren’t short of a few bucks, and they like to show it off too. The dancing is frenetic, the music loud and the atmosphere highly strung.

Zoning

Here is the very roadworks talked about in the Thanh Nien Article I mentioned in Tardy Projects - situated on An Doung Vuong, D5.

After a good while searching I found this which was published on May 22nd. It talks about government zoning, and the regulations that apply:

Under Vietnamese regulations, any house or land on a plot zoned for public projects cannot be sold, transferred, upgraded, pawned, or partitioned.

This is fine, if the project isn't tardy, which undoubtedly it is!

A recent survey found that the country has 1,650 hung projects covering 345,000ha.

Developing Vietnam : HCMC Update

Today's development post talks about Nguyen Thi Minh Khai mainly, and also some sites in District 5. For those who've spent some time in HCMC, you'll surely recognize these sites -- the question is, can you remember what was there before - because I can't!
Here, a newly finished office block on Vo Thi Sau (before the Hai Ba Trung junction).

Now down onto Nguyen Thi Minh Khai and from Hai Ba Trung heading down towards District 5. In a very short space there are a number of tall buildings going up. This is one is between HBT and Pham Ngoc Thach. Forget the floundering cyclist, it's the building on the billboard behind we are interested in....the Centec Tower.

A few meters down the road on the other side, before Pasteur, is the beginnings of the Pacific Tower.

And then just on the other side of Pasteur is the site of the 'Sailing Tower', which will have some kind of sailing boat look to it.

Further down, opposite Huyen Tran Cong Chua, is this interesting looking building.

Ex residents should recognise the next one, on the corner of Cach Mang Thang Tam and Nguyen Thi Minh Khai....it used to be an outdoor restaurant (the gray building, not the construction behind).

Over on Nguyen Van Cu we have 'Saigon Happiness Square' -- shops, hotel, office etc

Now heading into D5, and the massive site that I thought was Saigon Happiness Square, but obviously it's not....whatever it is, it's huge and there are two or more projects going up there. It's on 2/3 between Ly Thuong Kiet and Le Dai Hanh.

It seems that by 2009 we're gonna have a hell of a lot more apartments, offices and shops ready to go!