Saigon: The People

Our Vietnamese guide was funny and unpretentious, always ready with jokes and stories about his life and Vietnam.

And one of the first things we noticed about Saigon was the massive number of bikes on the road. The second thing was the way they drove. Traffic lights (or road dividers) are not meant to be obeyed. Traffic comes simultaneously from every direction, and people honk every 30 seconds. Apparently, the road rule in Saigon is, "You win or lose."

We went to the usual tourist spots/activities: puppet shows, sampan rides, candy making places, orchards, and coffee shops for their famous coffee etc on the first few days. Hawkers and street food were everywhere, with plastic chairs set up along the sidewalks. I loved the view and the idea of joining the crowd, but I had to pass up on that experience.

Saigon is fast-paced and busy. This city is made of hustlers. Most of the people are friendly, but I have a feeling some of them are already tired of the repetitious process of dealing with tourists. (And maybe it was the word 'tourist' that was stamped on my forehead that got me cheated during the trip once 🎉.)