The Strange Fascination of Mee Kee Mao

Délices d’Architecture of Saigon

After falling in love with her vivacious and beautiful Northern sister, Hanoi, we were expecting a plainer, less exciting Saigón…but she fluttered her eyelashes, lifted her petticoats – just a tad – and revealed that she was an equal beauty.

Capitalist Rats meet Saigon Micky

We beetled towards Hoang Sa in District 1 (to check in with the lovely Lunch Lady of Saigon), when we came across a splendid park. Saigon is strewn with lovely green spaces, beautifully treed, gorgeously shrubbed, elaborately flowered. They often have magnificent ceremonial arches, stirring heroic statues and heavy duty exercise gear for the locals […]

Sigh…gone !

It was raining in Saigon as we lay in bed in our little kipsy above the knocking shop. The Miss Mekong Pub complete with sad-eyed elderly men and dressed-to-the-nines nubile hostesses. Whilst they cheered and beered the World Cup goals we sniffled and sighed, sad to be leaving Vietnam. Here are some tokens and signs […]

The Reunification Express

Our shoes clomped along the cobbled stones of the alley as we made our way down the side of the Cathedral to join the buzzing devotees milling in the Plaza. Hanoi has given us so much joy and fun and food and coffee and music and poetry. This city is a poem in itself, stamped […]

Hippie Mug Shots

Are there chillies ? There are Chillies ! There ARE chillies ! THERE…..ARE……….CHILLIIIIES !!!!!!!!!!!

Ho Down !

Not many people knew it but Ho Chi Minh, universally loved, totally respected and known affectionately as Uncle Ho, besides being an excellent leader, revolutionary, social theorist, Father of his Nation, River to His People and self made man par excellence was also a terrific dancer. Here he is demonstrating his seemingly effortless mastery of […]

Cà Phê Hooray !

Ca Phé, café, coffee. “Should I kill myself or have another cup of coffee” ? – Albert Camus (seen below beside himself with ennui and existential angst). . To which we dislocated hippies reply, ” Don’t be a silly goose Bert, have another coffee” ! The Vietnamese are serious coffee lovers – from hole-in-the-wall two-seat […]

Phō Real

So long Saigon, city of love children, bustling metropolis studded with gems, shot through with flavours and sights. Even though it is supposedly one of the least charming cities in Vietnam, industrialised and allegedly not as beautiful – we loved it. We were packed and ready to head to the train station for the Nha […]

Let Saigon be bygones

We were wandering one of the main streets of our hood after dark. The two sides are completely different. One has a wide, flat footpath, aromatic and dark to the extreme. The other is well lit, tiny, uneven, with scooters barring your progress and coffee shops everywhere. It’s always a toss up which to choose. […]