Les Go to Ho Chi Minh City

History is a deep mother sucker. Ask any n everybody in Hanoi about Ho Chi Minh City and usually it is negative. Even the Tays (Westerners) feel a certain type of way about HCMC. There are decades of history that as an outsider I will not comment on. My girlfriend is a Southerner so it was only inevitable that I’d travel on down South. Les Go to Ho Chi Minh City.

I had no expectations going to HCMC. I was blown away. Right as I got in that traffic, that law-abiding, common sense traffic I almost died. The sense of familiarity greeted me with got damn pleasant ass weather and smiling faces. Some say HCMC is too “Westernized”. Yea, there’s a lot of similarities but jus overall it’s a got damn great place.

The food

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OK. The food in Hanoi is not bad. I just like a little more flavor. I like spicy ass shit. The kind that is a slow creep and then smacks you in the face. That’s what the food was in HCMC. It had so much flavor in every bite. Not all the food was spicy but there was plenty of tingles happening on my tongue.

This was the warmer to our dining in the dark experience at Noir. I’ve always heard about dining in the dark experiences. I thought it was some trendy, over-priced gimmick. I was so wrong. Firstly, the servers were all visually impaired who honestly provided some of the best service I’ve ever experienced. I should know, I gave 13 years of my life to the restaurant industry. It was and still is the hardest work I’ve ever done.

Being bereft of sight while eating really does enhance all your other senses. I don’t know if it was because the lack of sight but, the food was bangin. And the fun part was that they pick what you’re gonna eat. If you have trust issues this is not the place for you.

Atmosphere

The vibe of HCMC is jus different. It honestly feels like another country. The accents/dialects are distinctly different ( I now know this because I am used to my girlfriend’s Southern accent). The driving culture is different. People actually smile to you on the street. It’s shocking at first. Also, the LGBT scene is poppin in HCMC. I don’t hit the clubs any more (believe me, in my day I was out there) but jus walkin down the street you feel there is family everywhere. We happened upon this joint called The Opposite that was just teeming with Lesbos.

Culture

These were taken in the oldest building in Chinatown. People were stacked upon people and there were pockets of life in every crevice. I absentmindedly walked past a chicken fight in the middle of the corridors.

For history buffs this is surely the city. We stopped at the War Remnants Museum for a sobering afternoon. War, in all it’s forms is devastating. There is never justification for it. This museum holds no bars in exposing the horrific truths.

We only spent a short weekend in Ho Chi Minh City. I’ve been back once more since then and I still have the same feelings. I love that damn city. IF I were to stay here for a third year I’d make that move to HCMC. I feel there’s so much brightness streaming out of that city and I’ve only touched the surface.

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Until next time, I’ll be dreamin’ of them smiling faces, great food, and tame traffic that’s found in Ho Chi Minh City.