Linh had to work Sunday so I was on my own until dinner. Went to the War Remnants museum, which is made of U.S. military hardware (guns, tanks, etc.) and pictorials in several large rooms. Surprisingly it's not really well done considering they have a very large visitor rate (half million a year). As an American, many of the photos are not new, but to Europeans and other visitors, it may be the first large-scale exposure to photo journalism from Vietnam. It is obviously told from a very pro-North stance, Americans (and to a lesser extent, the French) don't look very good after going through there. Even if it is one-sided, it is a sobering experience to see the impact the armed forces had on the country, and quite surprising to see how warm and friendly (most) locals are, especially to Americans. After that, more wandering around, saw a cathedral and post office, not that interesting. Met Linh and her cousin for Ban Xeo (seafood pancakes) which were really good. Slightly larger than at home, and the greens that they are wrapped in (basil, mint, lettuce) seemed a bit fresher, but not night and day different. Then went to pick up some ice cream, I had vanilla in a coconut shell with a bunch of fruits I couldn't identify. Stomach revolted again, so I had to get home quickly. Traffic was really bad because everyone in the city had to go out and see Christmas displays. They really like lit up streets here for Christmas.
Monday - sat in a bar (same as Saturday) and drank all day, watching the street. Talked to a bartender most of the time and she gave me a ride home on her motorbike. I may have picked up more doing that than going anywhere. Met Linh, her cousin and a friend to watch a football game. That was really bad, there were only 5ish people there and they show the games on crappy little tvs. Soccer gets way more love here. Also, a New Yorker got really mad at a guy from our table and was going to fight him because the game (on tape of some sort) was restarted and they can't forward it. When his tiny pregnant Vietnamese wife showed up, he calmed down.
Went back, said bye to Linh and that was it for HCMC.
