We have now been in Vietnam, in Ho Chi Minh City aka Saigon, for almost exactly one week. Our impressions are currently mixed as we compare Vietnam with Thailand. We have been trying to decide how to count — or discount — the familiarity quotient that we have developed with Thailand and the Thai language over the last 5 years. So far we think that Thailand is easier for foreigners than is Vietnam.
That being said however, we do know for a fact that the Vietnamese people are VERY friendly and try VERY hard to be VERY helpful. The problem for us currently is that there are not as many people here who speak a fair amount of English as there are in Thailand. AND, the Vietnamese language is VERY difficult and we know essentially ZERO Vietnamese. But, we enrolled and started today, the 24th, in a language school (a 10 minute walk from our apartment, yea!!) to study Vietnamese. So, that should help some. The two of us have a class together with a terrific teacher. We’ll let you know about any progress we might make.
On the definitely plus side, Ira and I are settled. We have found a reasonably priced apartment for the duration of our stay in a neat sort of alley in a great location. Included with the rent for our apartment is high speed internet (as good as at home) and 3xweekly cleaning and laundry (better than at home ;>) ). The building is charming and a bit funky with 5 tenants in all, one each per narrow floor. We are also within walking distance of a neighborhood with lots of restaurant and bar action. As we start to learn some Vietnamese, this will be a great place to practice as none of the people who manage and work in this building, except for one woman in the office, speak any English. Right now, we just make gestures and draw pictures (thank goodness Ira is good at sketching — you should have seen his toilet plunger).
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When I said that the building is narrow, I really meant it — like 13 feet. In Vietnam, taxes on a house are based on the number of linear feet the house runs along the street. So, the name of the game is “tall, skinny, and deep”.
Dr. Nho, Ira’s medical contact and our sponsor for this extended stay, is as warm and lovely as always. When we actually arrived, he was in the USA. Weird, huh?!! But he is back now and is very interested in showing us his city and the immediate surroundings. We are also in the process of getting things set up with him.
Travel plans are still shaping up. Our microbiologist friend Nigel who lives in Thailand is celebrating his 50th birthday in October, so Ira and I are planning to go to the Kingdom for 5 days to add our wishes to those of others and to see old friends.
We are also toying with the idea of going to Hue and Hoi An the weekend of Oct 3rd. That area is supposed to be very nice and we haven’t been there yet.
Tags: Vietnam