Vietnam

At the end of October/beginning of November I went to Vietnam for 5 days.

Before I went, I didn't know a damn thing about that country. As in literally NOTHING.

What a fantastic place. I only got to go to Saigon (or Ho Chi Minh City as it's now called) because I went for such a short time, but I would definitely like to go back and see the rest of the country.

So let me start with the nightlife - completely unimpressed. Every club and every bar was like a meat market. No one seemed to be there just to enjoy themselves and listen to music. It was also really weird because every time a guy came and talked to me or my friend, it's like they automatically launch an attack on whatever country you're from (if it's different to theirs) and you find yourself on the defence. Wankers.

Next, the food. The most popular food in Vietnam is Pho Bo. This is it. Now don't get me wrong, it is really good. And the taste can vary so much depending on what you put in it, but to be honest I think it's totally overrated!! I had such a big build up to it as well!!

The transport. I've never seen so mnay bikes on the road in my life. There are few cars but MILLIONS of bikes. The first time we had to cross the road took us God knows how long - there are crossings, but no lights!! So you basically have to leg it whenever you can. Or wait for someone else to go first and then use them as a human shield. LOL - we got pretty good at doing that.

The history of the country is amazing. Without a doubt the War Remnants Musuem and the Cu Chi Tunnels proved to be the most difficult viewing.



The first picture is an example of some of the traps that were used to capture soldiers on the Cu Chi battlefields. It was absolutely pouring with rain when we went there (hence the extremely fashionable attire in the second picture) and it kind of put this mood over the whole scene.

The second pic is me firing an AK-47. Yep, no joke. I was so excited about having such a big gun in my hands I wasn't ready for how powerful ir really was, and after firing the first shot, I was forced backwards. And even with the headphones on, my ears were still ringing afterwards.

The third pic is from the War Remnants Musuem. These are the 'Tiger Cages' where the French colonists held and tortured prisoners. Seeing the descriptions and images of the tortures were absolutely horrible. For example, they would strap a prisoner down, put a bandage over the nose, shove a tube down there throat, and pump their stomach full of water. They would then stamp on the stomach and watch and laugh as blood and water came exploding through the prisoner's nose.

Vietnam has amazing silk. If you ever want anything silk, that is the place to get it. I got a couple of dresses made for me and they're absolutely gorgeous and were really cheap. I just LOVED the feel of the silk on my skin.

Good stuff.