VIETNAM - Saigon, Feb. 13

This morning I decided to go to the War Remnants Museum. It looked a bit far on the map, so I thought it might be a good idea to catch a cab. I walked up to Pham Ngu Lao Street to flag one down. A cyclo driver approached me immediately about where I wanted to go. I thought "What the hell, why not?" so I negotiated an hour's ride for $100,000, on the condition that he drop me off outside the museum. He was clearly pissed that I wasn't paying the $300,000 he wanted so he half-heartedly drove me around a bit, not saying anything. About 30 minutes into the trip he stopped and pointed across the street and said "War Museum." So that was the end of that!

Tank outside of the War Remnants Museum

The War Remnants Museum is quite small, but it doesn't need to be very large to convey the horror of war in Vietnam from the 1950s to the 1980s. On the top floor, the gallery of photographs taken by war journalists were truly amazing. What I didn't realize is how many Asian war journalists operated in Vietnam, and how they managed to embed themselves with the Viet Cong and other resistance groups, as well as with families in villages and towns affected by the fighting. Those photographs are really stunning and though-provoking.

Tiger Cages Display

The biggest "complaint" about the museum is that its displays are biased. For example, one of the galleries is called "American War Atrocities." Another is called "Effects of Agent Orange" and contains a mix of photos, military equipment, and human specimens in jars. You see, Agent Orange didn't just defoliate the landscape - and that's a nice way of saying it - it poisoned the people and has caused generations of children to be born with devastating birth defects. Some of the fetuses and children that did not survive were preserved and are sitting on shelves, with no need for explanation. To say that the museum is biased is foolish. You can't have a My Lai and a Con Dao and not have a gallery called "American War Atrocities."

As I left the War Remnants Museum I looked at my map and noticed that the Independence Palace was nearby. I decided to swing by to check it out. On the way there I was followed by a coconut vendor. I ignored him for a while but then he pulled out a coconut, cut the top off, popped a straw in it, and shoved it into my hands. "I guess I'm buying a coconut," I thought. I asked the price and he said "18" - a reasonable price. I looked in my wallet and I only had a $100,000 note, so I held it up and asked if he could change that. He grabbed it and gave me a bit of a measuring look, then handed over a $20,000 note. "Hmmm, suddenly 18 has become 80?" I thought. I am savvy enough to the price of things now to know that a coconut should not cost $80,000, so I reached over to grab my $100,000 note back. He was having none of that so he grudgingly gave me a $50,000 note. I gestured at the wad of notes he was carrying and said "$10,000 more!" so he gave it to me, along with a death stare. I decided not to argue for the remaining $2,000 and just turned and walked away. By the way - disappointing a tout makes the coconut juice taste so much sweeter!

Coconut juice is sooooo good

Sadly, the Independence Palace was closed for lunch so I was out of luck. The mention of lunch made me realize how hot it was and that I hadn't had anything to eat, so I decided to walk towards Ben Thanh Market and find someplace to eat. As I was walking down Nam Ky Khoi Nghia I saw a lovely building across the street that was painted canary yellow and built in a pagoda style. I crossed the street to take a closer look and discovered that it was a restaurant. It had a fantastic selection of Vietnamese dishes and the prices were reasonable so I went in. I am so glad I did!

Fabulous lunch at Quan An Ngon

The Quan An Ngon restaurant was a fantastic surprise. The service was excellent, from the hostesses who show you to your table, to the waiter who takes your order and the servers who bring your food and drinks. What I found fascinating is that they had cooking stations throughout the main level where you could see your food being prepared. For example, the noodle station prepared all of the dishes containing vermicelli. The crab and rice cake station just prepared these special deep fried delights. I'm sure there was a bigger main kitchen but it was really cool to see some of the traditional cooking methods on display right next to your table.

I ordered something I typically have at home - cold vermicelli noodles over cucumber, lettuce, bean sprouts and mint and topped with barbecue pork. You pour a slightly spicy fish sauce mix over it all and dig in. It was absolutely delicious and the perfect meal for a hot day.

Tourist shopping mecca

After lunch I walked to Ben Thanh Market to see if it was open. It was! I wandered around the "tourist crap" section for a while - buying nothing, of course - before heading over to the far more interesting food section. That's when I had a bit of fun examining all of the strange goodies and ingredients. One of my favorites there is "Weasel Coffee" which is made from the coffee beans that are eaten and excreted by weasels. For reals, folks.

There is a pretty distinct "smell" in any Vietnamese store or market, it seems. I can't explain it any other way than "Asian mothballs." I'm sure there must be some kind of preservative used with most products to prevent damage from heat, damp, and critters. The musk of it permeates everything. I find it quite offensive and after a while I had to get the heck out of Ben Thanh Market to get some "fresh" air.

I looked at my map and noticed that the Art Museum was fairly close to Ben Thanh Market. I thought that admiring Vietnamese art might be a nice way to cleanse my mind of the images from the War Remnants Museum. It took a while to find the Art Museum because my mental compass failed a bit in the heat. I eventually turned up the correct street and there it was - a gorgeous colonial mansion converted to an art gallery. "Perfect!" I thought.

Art Museum interior courtyard

The museum wasn't air-conditioned, as I would expect, but the windows were all open and there were one or two fans in every room. It was cool enough that you could stay for a while. I started in the modern art area and meandered up and down the floors and through the rooms in no particular order. Some of the art intrigued me and I stayed to look at it from all angles. I found myself drawn to the modern Vietnamese bronzes and sculptures. I also quite enjoyed the pottery and carvings from the period when Vietnam was occupied by China, but that's just me and my preference for Chinese culture I think.

From the Art Museum it was a short walk back to the hostel. I tried another Indian restaurant for dinner - Baba's Kitchen. I must be on a roll, because I had another delicious meal. So far, the best food in Vietnam is Indian!