With only 30 minutes left before I need to grab a taxi to the airport I have just enough time for one last drink at Centro and a quick charge of the laptop. My visit to Vietnam this trip has been brief and was roughly split between Ho Chi Minh City and Mui Ne. However, Vietnam never fails to surprise me and, despite the limited time, this visit has still given me some great and new experiences. With each visit (this was my fourth), Ho Chi Minh City continues to establish itself as my most favorite place to be in the world. In short, I feel welcome here, I feel free here and most of all this place just makes me very happy.

But that’s not all I have to say about HCMC and Mui Ne! That’s just all I have time for right now.

For anyone who may have read my previous posts, Applying for Visa Exemption and Still Working on the Visa Exemption for Vietnam, I have good news for my latest update! I got the Certificate of Visa Exemption which is valid until 2014!

Kevin's US Naturalization Certificate (1979)

The problem the first time was that the Vietnamese Embassy wanted to see further proof that I was previously a Vietnamese citizen prior to becoming an American citizen. I have no official Vietnamese documents that prove that such as an old Vietnamese identity card or passport. However, once I sent in a copy of my US Naturalization Certificate they were able to see that the “Country of former nationality” was “Vietnam” and this was sufficient proof that I was previously a “Vietnamese citizen”. On a side note, one thing I love about this Certificate of Naturalization is that I weighed only 30 pounds and still they thought to indicate that my “marital status” was “single”.
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Tamar is in Mui Ne for Christmas and I’m still celebrating the holidays here in New York.

In the meantime, here is a link to some very festive photos of holiday lights from around Saigon from another fellow blogger in Vietnam.

Merry Christmas!

Kevin & Tamar

The Nov/Dec 2008 edition of National Geographic Traveler magazine features Perugia, Italy as the world’s sexiest small city. Following Perugia’s lead, however, were the cities of Copenhagen, Prague and Ho Chi Minh City!

Ho Chi Minh City is Sexy

Note: The restaurant in the photo is of Temple Club a very good (upscale) restaurant set in a beautifully decorated building in HCMC. We’ve enjoyed several fine dinners there last year and the year before.

Festive Ho Chi Minh City

Last night, while dancing at a stylish club to celebrate our last evening in HCMC, I heard from Philip why he loves this city so much, “Saigon just has magic, it draws you to it and you just can’t leave.” Like many other expats living here, Philip is enjoying the rapid changes and overwhelming modernism that has swept this city. Visiting here again after 6 years, I find that there are hardly any cyclos but double the amount of motorbikes and a lot of cars everywhere. Tall buildings are being erected in city center, featuring a gym, spa and other luxury amenities to a nouveau riche population. Fancy new malls have sprung up in addition to upscale stores scattered all around selling gourmet chocolate, haute couture and expensive jewelry. Countless new cafes and outdoor restaurants offer excellent meals, some of the best I have had in a while in a charming and laid back atmosphere.

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Phu My Hung Neighborhood

Today we decided to explore another residential neighborhood in the south of the city at District 7 called Phu My Hung. This fairly large, new area features newly built buildings atop stores, cafes and beauty salons. There are wide streets shaded by trees and an 8 lane highway leading to it. It reminded me a lot of “Ramat Aviv”, the affluent north Tel Aviv neighborhood where Tel Aviv University is, only missing a fancy mall (for now). After a fruit shake in one of the nice places at Phu My Hung, we drove back to the city and headed to Ben Thanh market. The large and colorful market has not changed a bit since the last time I was there 6 years ago. There are still lacquer souvenirs on top of clothes on top of shoes right next to food stands. The whole market is very crowded and after an hour of navigating the narrow alleys (and a close encounter with a huge cockroach) we got out to eat lunch elsewhere.

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Hotel Continental in HCMC

Today we woke up especially early to get the most out of our last morning on Phu Quoc Island. After eating breakfast and snapping some photos of the resort we had a last tan and swim on the beach at Mango Bay. The taxi to the airport was a welcome change from the dust of the road by motorbike and we boarded our plane back to HCMC.

We returned to the city very hungry and promptly ate a meal of delicious crab/asparagus (Tamar) and melon/pork (Kevin) soup and other goodies at Vietnam House, a restaurant in the Don Khoi area. In the evening we met up with our friends, Aryeh and Jesse, at Jesse’s house in District 1 where we enjoyed excellent Indian food take-out. It’s great to be back in Ho Chi Minh City!

With Tim & Magalie

The Coffee is so good in Saigon; I find it hard to not have at least two a day. Before starting the day’s adventure, Kevin drove us to a cafe he knows by the Notre Dame cathedral, called “Au Parc”. We had great coffee and were quickly on our way to meet friends in District 2. In order to get to District 2, we drove over the Saigon Bridge along with about a thousand other motorbikes. Our friends, Tim and Magalie, have recently moved from France to Vietnam with their two daughters-Niko-Linh and Suzanne. They live in a big house in a beautiful residential neighborhood. Very close to their home, Magalie recently opened a children’s clothing store, named “Little Anh-Em” where she sells unique clothes she designs for kids.

After a visit to a local French school where Niko-Linh dances and we had a great lunch at “Mekong”, we said goodbye and drove back for another meeting at “Highlands Café”. Kevin was starting to feel sick so we headed back to the hotel for some R&R but not before getting the local remedy for every sickness- pho bo (beef noodle soup)!

Today we celebrated our two year wedding anniversary and for the occasion we booked a couple’s package at the fanciest spa in town called “L’apothiquaire”. We were picked up from our hotel in a 60’s looking lavender car and taken to the French villa in district 3 where the spa is located. We spent 4.5 hours in a gorgeous setting getting body and foot massages, facials, mani/pedi and eating a wonderful meal by the pool. It was INCREDIBLE.
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The Night Lights of Saigon

On our first full day in HCMC we woke up not knowing what time it was since the room we were in at the NY Kim Phuong Hotel (complete with photos of New York in each room) had no windows. We skipped the included pho breakfast (hard to believe one can skip a yummy pho breakfast) in favor of the banh cuon at modern looking joint down the block called “Wrap & Roll”.

Vietnam Airlines has an office next door so we went in to book tickets to Phu Quoc Island. We were told that tickets are nearly sold out and we managed to get the only 2 seats available this week and nothing for a return flight. Fortunately, there’s a ferry/bus combo as an alternative should we get “stuck” on the island.

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