Change Is As Good As .........in Ho Chi Minh City
My all-consuming love affair with Ho Chi Minh City (AKA Saigon), Vietnam’s largest, most modern and let’s face it, craziest metropolis, began in 1998. From day one, I was seduced by the city’s broad sunny smiles, sultry climes, sheer energy and charisma, freewheeling capitalism and brash temperament….not to mention, the after-dark hedonistic fun (well, wouldn’t you, flying-in direct from a snowy London?)
Ah! Nothing will ever recapture the sights, smells, sounds and encounters of those heady first days. In fact, my very first day produced a fitting introduction to this off-the-charts hyper city and indeed Vietnam: propelled feet first into the dazzling mid-afternoon glare and insane motorbike traffic on a cyclo (a three-wheeled seat pulled along by a bicycle driver). Penned-in by motorbikes with no sense of self-preservation, after the initial disbelief (“Are you kidding me?”), I didn’t bat an eyelid and inexplicably mesmerised, simply melted into the melee. From thereafter, I went with the Saigon flow and didn't look back. After all, the Saigonese are pretty adept drivers and their motoring skills resemble a well-choreographed street ballet.
Over the last two decades, like a jealous lover, Saigon has yanked me back when I was quite happily ensconced elsewhere in the region - most recently, the Indonesian island of Bali. So here I am, back again – this love affair lasting longer than any of my regal unions.
Each time I return, I find Saigon has changed dramatically (and not always for the best), but especially this time, with its warp-speed developments. The taxi ride from airport to downtown epitomises the city’s changes. There’s still Saigon’s infamous motorbike-infested traffic and that infernal habit of beeping horns (well, dah!). But now there are far more cars on the road – and seriously swanky ones at that – swelling up the already epic traffic, resulting in this “city on the move” spluttering towards gridlock. Hardly Jakarta-style, but a previous 15-minute or so airport run is now a snail’s pace crawl.
And glance-up at the skyline for another seismic change, with a glut of glass-encased high-rises. Particularly, the pioneering Bitexco Financial Tower dominating the skyline and strategically lined-up centrestage in the distant horizon, so it’s constantly visible driving into downtown.
This 262-metre-high skyscraper, complete with obligatory helipad, is not only an iconic city landmark and acclaimed architectural masterpiece, but a dazzling symbol of the nation’s soaring achievements (literally) and modern-day, dynamic Vietnam.
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| What a juxtaposition: Ho Chi Minh statue and in the background, that urban architectural masterpiece, Bitexco Financial Tower |
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Note the obligatory helipad, actually Vietnam's first-ever..... |
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| Another way of looking at it...... |
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| And another way of looking at it...the posh end .... |
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Brave new world? Well, actually yes; this is the spectacular Landmark 81, since launching July 2018, now Vietnam’s tallest skyscraper, surrounded by Vinhomes Central Park and its exclusive high-rise apartment blocks...  |
and seen here in all its glory (but even more dazzling at night) from different vantage points...
There always was a cacophony of “Bang! Bang! Bang!” and omnipresent construction work, but now it seems even more the case. On my initial visits, Saigon resembled something out of “The Quiet American,” but in the relentless pursuit of progress, sadly, many lovely French colonial-era buildings have been torn down and the evocative old Saigon is slowly being chipped away. And Vietnam’s economic powerhouse has gone increasingly cosmopolitan, the Saigonese moneyed classes appear to have gained more disposable income and slavish devotion to consumerism. Nowhere more evident than in the brave new world of downtown glitzy shopping malls.
Not quite the lavishness of Bangkok or Singapore, but hey, at first glance, pretty gobsmacking for dear old Saigon; a Pandora’s Box of luxury international goodies, where locals flock to hang-out at weekends and maintain one-upmanship, laden down with branded carrier bags and taking selfies.
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Takashimaya Saigon Centre: the city's ultimate temple to luxury consumerism (so that's why one of my favourite street cafes disappeared) |
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| Vincom Centre: second temple to luxury consumerism (where a sleepy art gallery-cum-cafe once stood) and now the city's largest shopping mall..... |
My biggest shock however, is the McDonald’s invasion; for decades, Vietnam successfully held-off at bay this ultimate icon of Westernisation (one of the few countries on the planet to do so). But even more surprising is this fast-food Mecca’s new address: who's bizarre (and ironic) idea was it to build a McDonald's bang next door to one of the city’s grandest colonial buildings, the Central Post Office?
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| Ah! the magnificent late 19th century Central Post Office. |
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| ...........And its new American neighbour. What the????? |
Like everywhere across the planet, everyone here is addicted to their Smartphones and the Internet, looking d-o-w-n, not just in the usual places, such a cafes, etc, but while driving on their motorbikes and doing their early morning exercise regime. The addiction so great, even hole-in-the-wall street food joints now supply a Wi-Fi password to patrons, otherwise they'd be out of business pronto … however good the bun cha/ pho ga/ banh xeo may be.
Anyway, despite all these changes, fret not, as Ho Chi Minh City is still stamped with its own unmistakable identity and as endearingly nutty as ever. And this Empress? Well, over the years, I’ve gained more wrinkles and kilos, lost a fair few Emperors along the way and my bank balance is still as ever, utterly depressing. And evidently, I’ve gotten older. I find the Saigonese youth politer, more unfailingly friendly and ever-helpful than before in my day-to-day dealings (and frustrations). But is that because I look older and the younger generation are taught to treat “their elders” with respect?
Anyway, despite all these changes, fret not, as Ho Chi Minh City is still stamped with its own unmistakable identity and as endearingly nutty as ever. And this Empress? Well, over the years, I’ve gained more wrinkles and kilos, lost a fair few Emperors along the way and my bank balance is still as ever, utterly depressing. And evidently, I’ve gotten older. I find the Saigonese youth politer, more unfailingly friendly and ever-helpful than before in my day-to-day dealings (and frustrations). But is that because I look older and the younger generation are taught to treat “their elders” with respect?
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