No offense to anyone that lives in HCMC of course but after being in that city for just a few days it was extremely clear to me that I absolutely hate it there. I think it is one of the worst cities I have ever been in during my entire lifetime.
I couldn't wait to get out of there and can't really imagine why anyone would want to live there, especially foreigners. It's over-populated, has inadequate roads, it's noisy, every sidewalk gets turned into a motorbike parking lot, it's dreadfully hot all the year round, and there are hassles and ripoff artists all over the place. It was a truly miserable experience and one that I will not repeat in the future. I can't really think of any good reason why anyone would ever go there and I intend to limit the amount of exposure I have to it in the future.
Has it already become clear how much I despise this city? Well the good news is that once I left it, which was as rapidly as possible, I had a newfound appreciation for the city of Da Nang, which is where I live. Even though there are more than a million people here, it seems very civil and sparsely populated in comparison to Saigon.
While walking around a bit in Saigon, I was constantly harassed by people trying to rip me off. This happens all over Asia and probably the rest of the world as well and it is extremely annoying. I don't like to switch off and just ignore everyone that speaks to me, but unfortunately this is the only way that you can be left alone. Everyone that spoke to me was looking to get money and they are absolutely relentless. Eventually I had to put headphones in even though they weren't playing anything and this was surprisingly effective in getting people to leave you be. I think I'll buy some knockoff "Beats" that go over the ear to make it even more evident that I cannot hear anyone that is saying anything to me, even though I can.
When I stumbled upon a park I was actually quite delighted, because it looked relatively uninhabited and peaceful and there were security of sorts there and signs indicating that no sales of any sort were allowed on the premises. This was the only peace I found the entire time I was there.
So it isn't exactly the greatest park in the world but there were minders all over the place that were tending to the grass and sprinklers that were going on. I do enjoy a park and wish there were more of them all over the world including and especially in overpopulated areas like Saigon.
There was a temple of sorts on the grounds but since I was wearing flip flops and shorts and am not familiar with the protocol as far as being polite in these sorts of establishments is, I decided to not enter. Just opposite it was a reflection pool as well.
Ever heard me complain about construction noise? I bet you have since it is a regular part of my day to day life in Da Nang but it was such a drag that I had finally found the one and only respite from noise in this hellhole city and lo' and behold, there were some people using power tools to cut cement. It just seems to be the protocol here in Vietnam that everywhere must be noisy at all times.
Thankfully on the other end of the park I was able to find a quiet spot and just sat down and enjoyed the silence. It's amazing to me how as I have gotten older I have started to appreciate simpler things in life just like not being constantly surrounded by noise. It really is a rarity in this country. I suppose I was spoiled a bit because the last 2 places I lived was a quiet suburb of Chiang Mai where the massive amount of speedbumps in my subdivision kept even the most keen salesperson out of there and prior to that I lived in Krabi, Thailand which is so sparsely populated that there isn't much opportunity for noise.
I haven't been to quieter areas of Vietnam yet and I am not certain if they exist. I really would like to find them though.
As far as Ho Chi Minh City is concerned, I would highly suggest that if you are easily annoyed by crowded places, traffic, and noise, that you avoid this place at all costs. I can't remember the last time was as frustrated as I was during this trip.