-arriving at 5am on the night train, and walking to the lake in the heart of the city to come across hundreds of locals doing Tai Chi, and what could only be described as energetic Vietnamese Zumba to pop music. Watched the sun come up. I'll never be a morning person, but so glad I was up to see this.
-the single most bizarre Xmas of my life. Hordes of folk out with Santa hats, a big pop concert near the lake, Vietnamese people wishing us Merry Xmas, drinking in a backpackers bar. Well suited cops kicking us out at midnight, but coming across a locals cafe who slyly gave us beer till 2am. And for Xmas day - no presents, but rather a visit to the embalmed corpse of Ho Chi Minh himself. Went to see Life of Pi in the evening. Full of children despite being late.
-the Old Quarter markets. Street after street of tents, shops, and stalls selling everything you could imagine, with vendors calling out, bartering and bantering. Motos flying around. Food stalls everywhere. A pure sensory overload. Imagine the most mental market scene you've seen and it wouldn't come close. I walked out numb - the brain can't take it all in.
-on our last night, a traditional Vietnamese water puppet show, depicting the fables of how the Vietnamese people came to be. Surreal. A word I've used a lot!
All this, with great beer, wonderful street food and lovely locals. Perfect.
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