Vietnam 2013

Its been a year since i last visited Vietnam, to be specific, i stayed in Ho Chi Minh City. Due to my work nature, travelling here is an annual event.

Here i am sharing my experience with probably nobody i know on this little, quiet blog of mine.

Its has been a tiring trip this year, I have lost track on the total mileage i had made. So, what are the experience that i gained this year. Quite a lot... let's get started!

First of all, i am really getting tired of flying. Travelling back and forth every week makes me thinking of what am i really doing here. Every mondays and fridays i won't missed this place, the Airport. My check-in at airports in my foursquare has topped the chart. But this time, i am smarter, i left my baggage at the hotel in HCMC so that i dont have to wait for it everytime i arrived airport. It saves alot of time.

One thing remains the same, the speed limits is killing me everyday while i am here. Oh, not really, to further add on my miserable travelling experience to customers place, there are two new drivers. My agent has got two engineers passed their driving test. So, the car is their training ground. Travelling has not been easy with speed limit of 40 to 60 km/h, it is getting worse with new drivers. What i didn't wished to see happened, ACCIDENT!. Well, its a minor one though. But it is a major hole for the engineer who drove the car as the compensation is about 30% of his monthly income. Nothing much to say about the transportation. Its just getting worse. But to compliment these two new drivers, they are getting better at driving. Hope that next year, when i, if i come again, they can drive even better.

About the colleague who travel with me. Its the same shitty attitude problem. Calling the locals monkey. Just wtf is his problem i have no fking idea. Just that he thinks he is smarter and everyone has to follow his way. I have gave up in moderating him about different culture has different way of doing things. So, ended up we had a complaint from one difficult customer. I don't like complaints, it shows that i am not professional enough in doing my job. But being in the same company, when complaints are made, we are at the same fcking boat, i hope he understand this point. Please don't drag me down to your level. Respect others as a human being, not monkeys!

About food. This year i tried more local food than the previous year. Found few new places for dinners. The one that top my list is the Mi Car Truong Dinh, it is located near my hotel, 5 minutes walk. They serve Cambodia pork noodles, soup and dry. My fav is the dry pork noodles. Another restaurant is the Nha Hang Mon Hue restaurant, aslo nearby my hotel, District 1. They serve mini clamps porridge and rice. Nice! Then the famous Ngon Restaurant, a more expensive restaurant serving all sorts of local foods. But it is a little bit pricey, one can see most of the diners are westerner. Then on and off while on the way to customer place, i ordered a take away Banh Mi, its a French Bread stuffed with either duck meat, pork, eggs or chicken with some vege. Convenient to eat on the move.

Tourist spot. Went to War Remnants Museum, Unification Palace and Ho Chi Minh Museum. I would say out of these three places, War Remnants Museum is a must visit spot. I've learnt a lot about the Vietnam War and what America did to this country. Pictures of this wars are being displayed to show what war has done to this country and how the locals were tortured. Even after the war has ended almost 20 years, the side effect of Agent Orange used by America before they exit Vietnam is still affecting the offspring of those affected. If you are visiting Ho Chi Minh City, worth your time and money!

I got a chance to show my friend from Malaysia who were here with his girlfriend for holidays few places in town. I played the role as Local Tourist Agent. A nice nite walk around town to places like Notre-dame, Level 23 @ Sheraton, and some other places that i do not know the name of it. It feels good when you have friends from Malaysia when you feel so boring overseas. Why is it boring? well, i walked to most of the places that i know of and too lazy to discover more. But i have to make sure that next year, if i come again, i have to visit Hard Rock Cafe Ho Chi Minh City, i said it last year but i am still too lazy to walk there.

Since i am here every week, i had a chance to catch up with my ex-colleague, she is a local. So, she took me to local places that i probably wont go on my own. It was a good catch up, she is getting married in October and invited me and wifey to attend her wedding, i had to refused because we are expecting a baby which at that time my wife is not convenient to travel by air. Congratulation!!!

To write about all my experience in Ho Chi Minh City this is will takes me few days and i am too lazy to write about it for now. Lets jump to my experience in Phan Thiet, my final week of this year schedule requires me to travel to a customer place in Xuan Loc, its 3 hours drive from HCMC and 1.5 hours drive from Phan Thiet. To make my life easier, my manager approved and agreed with the suggestion to stay in Phan Thiet.

Not only Phan Thiet is a tourist location by the coast line but it is also a hometown for my agent's service manager, Mr. Dahn. He arranged my accommodation at Duparc Ocean Dune hotel. And he took this opportunity to visit his family for a week. Talking about the hotel, it has sea views and golf course view. I was expecting him to booked me a seaview room but instead, he booked a golf course view for me... kidding me? yeah, really kidding me... anyway, this is a quiet hotel, nice beach, nice GOLF VIEW!

My stay in Phan Thiet this year give me a chance to experience the family life of the locals. I was invited by the Mr. Dahn to his house for dinners. Though there is a language barrier between me and his family members, but i felt so welcomed, the Mr. Dahn has then become my translator. He has been very hospitable, showing me around Phan Thiet. Visited the local market cos he said i should see how the locals everyday life. It was a nice visit.

On my last nite here now. Mr. Dahn invited me to dine in his house again. It was his nephew birthday. Its nice to see how the local celebrate birthday. After the dinner, Mr. Dahn and his family members took me to a local Cafe cum Karaoke. It was a fun nite overall and most of them have great voice!

Had a cup of coffee before the dinner and another cup of coffee at the Karaoke. Coffee in Phan Thiet is very strong and aromatic. Nice! And now i am overdosed. The caffeine kicks in, that's what keeping me awake now at 3.24am in the morning updating my blog!

Anyway, overall, for me, to cut the story short, Vietnam 2013 trip has been tiring but at the same time rewarding and memorable.