It seems the division of labor has arisen naturally between me and Cristina. I handle English.

Ho Chi Min City(Saigon from now on) was a bogey man. We were told Saigon is Hanoi to the cube. Worse traffic, worse hygiene, less personal space.

The flight there was a semi-adventure in itself. Vietjetair pilots like to bend it like Beckham, their turns nice and tight. The pilot’s bravery was not matched outside the cockpit. The passengers were in different states of panic, our left neighbor energetically trying to stop Cristina to use her phone after takeoff, even in flight mode.

One hour later we landed safely in Saigon. We found the bus quickly and got started slowly towards downtown. The airport suburb looks much nicer than in Hanoi. No chicken or other live animals. The traffic, while lacking fluidity ‘ was no worse than Hanoi. We arrived one hour later at Ben Thanh Market and its famed mad roundabout
We crossed it like the pros we are and got to our hotel in one piece. I was beginning to like this city

The next days we discovered a city with a nice almost New York vibe. Richer, cleaner and spacier than Hanoi. We eat well and cheap (and got free beers) walked on large avenues surrounded by sky scrapers, listened to pricey jazz, saw the Cao Dai temple(Victor Hugo is a saint for them), the Cu Chi tunnels and more.

Its our last day before going to Mekong Delta. I liked this city and its never asleep yet somehow chilled vibe.

Ne pregatisem mental pentru o tornada. Ni se spusese ca Ho Chi Min City(Saigon de acum) este un fel de Hanoi la cub, trafic mai infricosator, mancare si locuri de mancare mai insalubre, oameni mai inghesuiti.

Am ajuns la aeroport dupa 1 ora de zbor de la Da Nang. Zborul, o alta aventura. Dupa decolare, Cristina isi scoate telefonul. Panicata, vecina din stanga mai sa i-l smulga din mâna facandui semn ca nu are voie. Panica mare. In fata vecinului din dreapta un pusti decide sa isi incline scaunul. Vecinul nu e de acord si peste scaun ii ‘explica’ acestuia dorintele lui.

Aterizare, aeroport, autobuz spre centru. Spre deosebire de Hanoi periferia aeroportului pare moderna, curata. Nici o gaina sau vreun catel. Traficul aglomerat dar nimic deosebit fata de Hanoi. Eu care am suferit de haosul de la hanoi incep sa ma relaxez. Autobuzul,  deja plin ochi, ajunge la Ben Thanh market si al lui cunoscut sens giratoriu. Il traversam ca doi adevarati profesioniști. Experiența de Hanoi se vede. Ajungem in 5 minute la hotel. Suntem intregi, e cald, avem camera fara fereastra.

Urmatoarele zile au confirmat impresia initiala. Saigon e mai calm (relativ), cosmopolit si bogat decat Hanoi. Am mancat bun, curat si ieftin, am ascultat jazz la preturi relativ occidentale, am vizitat templul Cao Dai (o religie noua care il venereaza pe Victor Hugo ca sfant, alaturi de Budha, Confuscius,  Isus si se vede ca unificatoare a tuturor religiilor), tunele Cu Chi (si propaganda asociata), ne-am plimbat de ni s-au dezlipit talpile) si acum ne pregatim sa plecam in delta Mekongului. Raman cu impresia a unui sud al vietnamului mult mai bogat si cosmopolit. Saigon mi-a placut mult, are un mic aer de New York.

In hamac pe marginea apei dupa o dimineata de plimbare prin Mekong cu zambet larg pe buze. Peisaje frumoase, oameni prietenosi,ghid simpatic. Am facut si ice noodles de mana. Acum hamac inainte de masa cu oamenii la care stam. S-a meritat si mai tare trezitul la 6h30 astazi.

Je sais je sais ca fait bizarre de demander des grasse matinees mais bizarrement pas moyen de se reveiller a des heures raisonables. Entre 4 h du matin et 7h30, plus tot que pour aller travailler :-(.
Entre temps on a vu interstellar ce soir, on s’est encore baladé jusqu’a tard et demain reveil a 6h encore. Quelques photos d’hier, tour a cao dai et cu chi tunnels.
Conclusion, ho chi minh city est plus grand, plus propre, plus calme que Hanoi et plus riche. Pas le meme charme mais pas sans charme non plus.