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of Vietnam I am in a canoe gliding down a narrow canal in the heart of the jungle. Many years ago a whole army hid in this jungle and the land was regularly napalmed by offensive forces. Now there are smiling faces as other canoes come down the canal towards us and the vegetation is very lush as we float past. But what is that? Is that a snake I see coiling itself away in the undergrowth? Very possibly yes! If you like to go somewhere completely different, somewhere which will constantly challenge your ideas about reality, but somewhere which still provides all mod cons - then come to Vietnam. Later the same day I walked into a restaurant to find a large barbecued toad sitting on the griddle and a menu which included such exotica as “stewed goats penis” and “fried sheep’s ovaries” - I decided to stick to wild boar! The restaurant staff were extremely attentive and we had a fabulous time. There were 5 of us and the bill came to less than £15 - including a bottle of Vietnam spirit and 2 bottles of very good Vietnamese wine. There was even a floor show in the shape of a giant rat which was attempting to get into the kitchen. What more could one ask? In the UK the spoilsport health and safety people would have closed it down - you have to go away to see how life really is, get away from the cosmetic nanny state that the UK is rapidly becoming. Every restaurant should sport a giant rat - at least that way you know that something likes the food. Images of Vietnam is a Kuoni tour and it is very reasonably priced - less than £1000 including the flights, 5 nights in Bangkok, and seven nights in Vietnam, plus of course the tour. The first two nights in Vietnam we stayed in Saigon at the Novotel Garden Plaza - but don’t let the name put you off, in Vietnam Novotel is a top class range of hotels, not the budget things we are used to One aspect of Saigon that has to be seen to be believed is the scooter population. They are like swarms of bees but these swarms do not stick to themselves, oh no, these swarms cross each other. Quite how they manage this I am not quite sure. You would think they would crash all the time, in fact I only saw one small mishap when I was there. More amazing was a woman who went though one swarm while looking behind her for most of the time. The rule seems to be you can do what you want and others have to make way for you - but they all follow that rule! So they weave in and out - I would be terrified that they would run out of space, but it very rarely happens. The other thrill is trying to cross a road. I had just come from Bangkok and here they solve a similar problem by having bridges overhead at frequent intervals. But in Saigon you simply stroll across following the same rules as the scooters. The traffic will weave itself around you - not for the faint hearted! That is a taste of Vietnam - you should give it a try! First published in VISA issue 61 (June 2005) |