back from vietnam!

An Introduction
ho chi minh, or commonly referred to by the locals as saigon. together with hanoi (the country's capital), it is one of vietnam's most populated cities. there, the houses are cramped so close together, you can climb across to the other unit even on the third floor and not feel like you may fall. hawker fare (especially the baguette) is mouth-watering(ly) delicious and unbelievably cheap! one baguette stuffed with a generous amount of vegetables, eggs and a variety of meat costs you only 60 cents! and a t-shirt can cost as little as $2.20.

Buying Your Way Around
with a population of 11 million, saigon is a city bustling with activities and excitement. their trades vary - small shops that sell clothes, men who walk about selling shades and lighters, aromatic vietnam coffee and tea, flowers, dried goods, fruits. locals are always encouraging tourists to "see first", and "price later". but of course, it's the other way around. some shop owners are happy to give you a good bargain, others try to knock you really hard. from experience, most initiated prices can be slashed by more than half, especially for the clothes.

Traffic
a thriving city advances, and motorcycles have taken over bicycles. cars are mostly taxis, otherwise only driven by the very rich. BMWs and Toyota Camry are commonly seen. traffic there is a danger, with deaths totalling to 2 daily in the city. in saigon alone, there are more than 7 million motorcycles. 7 million. more than half the population in the city. yes, rub your eyes and read it again. on the first day, you'd be scared even to step off the curb onto the road.

Living Standards
living standards vary in saigon. there are the backpackers, who lodge mostly in backpackers' hotel that costs about USD $4 if sharing a room. then there are the tourists and businessmen who stay in high end hotels like the new world hotel which, if you are not willing to fork out more than USD $100, can forget about the idea altogether.

locals live by, mostly running their own businesses. the men don short-sleeved shirts and pants, while the women are a little more adventurous. these are the middle class, who i assume make enough to get by. the richer locals own backpackers' hotels or get people to work for them. these families can afford to keep pet dogs of import breed, and live in 2-3 stories houses. the younger generation of these families are well-educated and hold jobs like tour-guides and run tour agencies. the poor are the beggars, who head straight for foreigners. there are the mothers with few month olds in their arms, the blind, the old, the disabled, the kids. it is heart-breaking to see. but really, can you afford to give everyone? a suggestion is to buy food for these people, because you don't really know where your money goes to either.