Tuesday, August 26, 2008

Travel - Memories From Vietnam(Cu Chi Tunnel, Vietnam Traffic, Blue Ginger Restaurant, Pho 2000)

Here are some of the photos and videos taken from my trip to Vietnam last year, curtesy of PFMB. Chaotic traffic at a Le Loy Rd junction near the hotel. How to cross the road? Just walk, the motorist will avoid you! Beware of snatch thief! Dinner at Blue Ginger Restaurant Address : 37, Nam Ky Khoi Nghia, Q.1, TP..HCM, Vietnam. Tel 8 218 546 Email : blueginger@hcm.fpt.vn http://www.anan.vietnam.com/ Dinner at Blue Ginger Restaurant........................Prawns on sugar cane sticks My favourite, barbecue pork, yummy!..Lotus stems soup and water convulvulus. Healthy meal. Notre Dame Cathedral......................Beautiful stained glass inside.

Dinner on board Saigon boat. Singer on board the Saigon Boat...........................Shellfish in tomato sauce.

Roast piglet meat...................................................Steamed fish. The visit to Cu Chi tunnel was indeed eye opening. The NFL Guerrillas dug these tunnels to hide during the Vietnam war. By the time the American troops retreat, the total tunnel network length was more than 200km and some even passed through below the American base. The tunnels are dug using basic hand tools during the night. When the American tried to flush them out using water, the water just flowed to the Saigon River. The tunnel leading to the river is their escape route. The NFL guerrillas managed to lead a successful campaigned against the more technologically advance enemy. I crawled throught one of the network of tunnels, it was so dark and creepy. Life must have been very hard inside here. One of the hideout. Demonstration by the guide. I tried it, real dark inside! Replica showing 3 levels of Cu Chi tunnels!.........Trying to steal a guerrilla machine gun! Ventilation holes on a termite mound!..................One of the deadly booby trap!
Lady making food from grinded rice that can be stored in the tunnel for months. 2nd picture showing shoes made from recycled tyres!
Had Vietnamese beef noodles with 2 lovely ladies(aiyo, cannot show pics lah!) at Pho 2000 before catching my flight back to KL.
Took this framed picture of US Former President Bill Clinton hanging on the wall of the
Restaurant.
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16 comments:

  1. JosephineAugust 26, 2008 at 12:31 PM

    I went to Hanoi in March. I miss the place and their kuay teow soup.
    But, the traffic - horrible!

    ReplyDelete
  2. iamlzAugust 26, 2008 at 12:48 PM

    Wow..amazing!! U went there for travel or have some tasks?

    The traffic is really..wow! They have really good skills!

    ReplyDelete
  3. PeteAugust 26, 2008 at 1:36 PM

    josephine : The pho is good. Next trip maybe Hanoi!

    limzhi : Holiday, part of the perks in the financial planning industry.
    The motorist are real good at maneuvering.

    ReplyDelete
  4. RosesAugust 26, 2008 at 11:33 PM

    i wanna go Vietnam too..
    how many days were u there?!?!
    nice to have a guide there to show u around town and explaining local stuff to u.
    did u manage to steal the machine gun??! cause i feel like stealing from u...lol

    ReplyDelete
  5. PeteAugust 27, 2008 at 12:46 AM

    Hi Rose,
    I was there 4 days 3 nights. Actually very easy to get around. Shopping place in one building, Ben Thanh market(everything inside even wet market, I love wet market!) but I found the night market stuff outside Ben Thanh cheaper. Best thing to shop is sports wear.

    All the historical site is around town. U just need 1 day to visit all. Cu chi tunnel is 75km away from Ho Chi Minh, so have to go early morning.

    I think we spend almost one full day shopping in Ben Thanh market. Always the last one in our group to leave until 12midnight still shopping at the night market, shop until crazy loh!(Ben Thanh indoor market close at 6pm)!

    Bought 4 lady's dinner purse(sequinned) for only US$10. The vendor will follow your bus on motorbike. Buy towards the end of your tour stop, get better bargain.
    Aiyo, all ladies stuff for my wifey and female relatives. Only 2 sport vest for myself. Came back with one extra bag!

    No need to change Rm to Vietnamese dong. Use US dollar u get better bargain when shopping. US$ is accepted everywhere. U will lose a lot if u use Dong(pay higher price, some more depreciate faster)

    Many Vietnamese Chinese guide can speak Cantonese and Mandarin.

    Good to visit Cu Chi tunnel. Get to try out AK47 and M16 at the shooting range USD1 per bullet. A few seconds all 'habis'. Damm loud....ear buzzing.

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  6. AnonymousAugust 27, 2008 at 12:52 AM

    Huwaaaa, like shopping paradise! Anyway, I like the church, it's so beautiful. Seeing beutiful church like that makes me wonder, how many more beautiful old churches in Malaysia will stand tall? You know our government la, abit things want to demolish... kanasai!

    ReplyDelete
  7. PeteAugust 27, 2008 at 1:07 AM

    Hi Cleff,
    The church is very nice and spacious. I sat inside for quite some time and took pictures of every stained glass windows!

    The sports vest and clothes are worth buying. Lots of fruits in the market! Yummy.

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  8. ChrisAugust 27, 2008 at 4:51 AM

    Wau! Vietnam!! U backpack or join tour to Vietnam?

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  9. PeteAugust 27, 2008 at 9:48 AM

    Hi Chris, join tour. But actually it is quite easy to move aound the town ourself.

    ReplyDelete
  10. Jean Chia aka Ms.Yummy~liciousAugust 27, 2008 at 10:06 AM

    hi pete! i enjoyed looking at yr photos and story. nice trip u had! oh, the barbeque pork looks yummy! :)

    ReplyDelete
  11. mistipurpleAugust 27, 2008 at 10:18 AM

    wow, the little hole in the ground must be very claustrophobic. *screams*

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  12. AnonymousAugust 27, 2008 at 10:36 AM

    I like the stain glass...very very beautiful. I wonder where we can see in Malaysian church. Most church in Malaysia is quite...plain...those i been to just shophouses as church. Anyway, did you get to meet Calvin? he's still in KL, isn't he?

    Rose...I wanna go too...but no $$ sad case... :-(

    ReplyDelete
  13. PeteAugust 27, 2008 at 10:48 AM

    jean : thks for visiting. The barbecue pork taste a bit like char siew. Very good! Highly recomended!

    mistipurple : thks for visiting. The hide out is real scary and dark!

    Cleff : Calvin did not make it to KL. His wifey is in hosp for appendicitis.
    Rose and u can join us lah, we go to reasonably priced places! like Ah Keong Teluk Intan Yong Tau Foo. I can pick you guys up from Kelana Jaya LRT station!

    ReplyDelete
  14. SwatiAugust 27, 2008 at 12:05 PM

    Pete, thanks for stopping by my blog..Its a pleasure to be here and see the lovely posts which are incredibly informative...

    ReplyDelete
  15. Calvin Soo KJAugust 27, 2008 at 2:27 PM

    yo pete...thanks for smsing me for the well wishes. rach is fine now. too bad i cant join you for dinner......*drools*. cheers...

    ReplyDelete
  16. euniceSeptember 1, 2008 at 11:53 AM

    Wow! Those photos brought back memories of HCMC! I went there this year May. Quite an experience for me =D

    Keen to share with you all my HCMC posts filed until here. Just click "continue reading" for each post to see more photos! :D

    Ho Chi Minh photos n stories

    ReplyDelete