"Where you going?" I was asked the moment I got out of the taxi from the airport. I was still preoccupied with getting my bag out of the boot (trunk), so hadn't yet seen to whom the inquisitive voice belonged. "To find a place to stay," I replied, hoping the owner of the voice was touting a hotel room for a reasonable price. "And after that?" continued the questioning. It was then that I looked at my interrogator and saw that it was a not unattractive twenty-something. "Er, eat something and then sleep," I confessed, it being close to midnight and nearing the end of a long day. The woman pulled a face and clearly had other ideas for me. "No, you want to have a massage and make love to me. One hour. Beautiful." I politely declined and made my escape. After finding a hotel, I ventured out in search of Subway, which had recently opened. With most franchises (KFC being an exception) not allowed by the Vietnamese government, it had become something of a novelty to eat western fast food. I only made it a halfway down the road when I was accosted by the same woman. "Where you going?" she asked again. "Subway" I answered, thinking that she might be able to direct me there. "Ah, ten dollar," came the rather unexpected response. "Er, no. Subway," and proceeded to mime eating a full-long sandwich. Realising how this looked to a woman-of-the-night, I stopped and hurriedly exited stage left. I was back in Sagon. Back in Pham Ngu Lao. Puzzled as to what perverse sexual deed a 'Subway" entailed.
Pham Ngu Lao is to Saigon what Ko San is to Bangkok; a small area devoted to backpackers and the like with hostels, cafes and travel agents galore. With this also comes the easy access to cheap booze, drugs and hookers. The encounter above is only one of many examples. Another incident involved a pimp asking me if I wanted to go up to his flat where his wife was waiting! The thing going in Pham Ngu Lao's favour is that is hasn't yet become as insular as its Thai counterpart. Whereas Ko San can leave a traveller feeling cut off from the rest of Bangkok, here some of Ho Chi Minh City's more famous landmarks are within easy walking distance.
Despite living only an hour or so away in Vung Tau, I never really made the most of Saigon. I had ventured there a few times, usually on my way to someplace else, but never to really explore and get to know the city. This time I had a few days and so I jotted down a list of places I wished to check out and mapped out a walking route. Top of the list was the War Remnants Museum, a harrowing reminder of the realities of war. Being a communist state with a strong emphasis on propaganda, the museum is completely biased in its portrayal of the American War, but with plenty of exhibits from American sources it's hard to argue with its message. Less horrific landmarks in Vietnam's second city include the Notre Dame church, Ben Than market, the zoo with botanical gardens, the palace and numerous pagodas and temples in Chinatown.
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| Surprisingly, this one didn't make the grade... |
For me, though, the chance to have a flutter and a day at the races was too good an opportunity to pass up. In Vietnam, like in China, gambling has been made illegal throughout the country. However, in the 1980s, the government realised that it was never going to improve the country's economy while blocking an activity that could generate such a big windfall, so in Vung Tau they allowed greyhound-racing and in Saigon they allowed horse-racing. The last time I had been to the track was in Hong Kong, where I didn't have much luck in making my fortune. Here I hoped to at least break even.
The most noticeable facet of the sport here, is the use of young boys as jockeys. Whereas the practice as been banned in other countries, the necessity for pre-pubescent boys has meant attempts to make the change in Vietnam have stalled. With tiny H'mong horses used and the oppressive heat, to use adult jockeys would be make racing impossible. While you could argue that this is child exploitation, I find it's not as simple as that. These boys, no older than 10 or 11 years old, are earning much needed money for their families and seem to be well taken care of. In a country which is said to be in the three-poorest, non-African countries in the world, child labour is unavoidable. Riding horses seems a tad better than working in factories, churning out counterfeit designer brands. Although I didn't make enough to retire on, I did manage to pick 5 winners in the 8 races I watched.
Saigon is a hectic mess, symbolised by the motorbikes whizzing around like mosquitoes, but as far as metropolitan messes go, it can be a lot of fun.
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