Another Day in the Antz Farm

Vietnam is a beautiful country with diverse richness in every sense - people, history, natural produce and amazing sights. Recently, I had the opportunity to experience all these first hand in Ho Chi Minh City (HCMC), formerly known as Saigon and Hanoi (the capital of Vietnam).

The friendly, good natured nature and genuine warm Vietnamese people struck me when I stepped out of the airport, hotel and onto the streets. There are plenty of motorbikes taxis (xe om) and street hawkers but they are not rude nor overly pushy. Almost all the time, a “No, thank you” and a simple smile from me is returned with a bigger smile.

Vietnam’s history is chequered with many foreign powers influences. Chinese, French and American powers had left cultural, institutional, economics and psychological impressions on this rich and fertile land. The Chinese brought in the Chinese language, important institutions like University, monetary policy and Confucianism. The period of the French colonisation, interference and exploitation left a bitter aftertaste in the older Vietnamese’ psyche. The French contributed in the development of the Vietnamese romanised alphabet (Quoc Ngu), the introduction of Christianity (Catholicism) and many colonial cultural artifacts like the Opera Houses of Hanoi and Saigon. The America’s involvement in the Vietnam War, developed the Vietnamese sense of triumph over externals threats and a deep appreciation for their autonomy that came at such great human cost.

Vietnam’s rich and fertile land fed by the great Mekong and Red River Deltas and its coastline bordered by the South China Sea meant that the country has some amazing quality of fresh produces and cuisine. Every day while I was there, I had either bowls of Pho (rice noodles with rich clear beef broth), Bun Cha (grilled pork, herbs with rice vermicelli served in vinegar-ed fish sauce) or Com (rice). The food was GREAT! If you love tropical fruits, you would reckon Vietnam is the gateway to Eden. Dragon fruit, logan, lychee, mangosteen, bananas, jambu and even strawberries .

There are so many breath taking sights in Vietnam. Places like Ha Long Bay, the Cu Chi Tunnels, Cao Dai Temple, Ben Thanh Market and War Remnants Museum are my must-see places around Hanoi and Ho Chi Minh City.

Below are a summary of pictures taken during my journey. Each picture is linked to even more pictures from the location. You can find my entire selection Vietnam trip pictures (even places not mentioned in the above) from my flickr Vietnam collection.

Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon)

	Tay Ninh Temple - Cao Dai Holy See Cao Dai is a Vietnam indigenous religion, officially established in Tay Ninh, southern Vietnam. It combines elements of Taoism, Buddhism, Christianity - Catholicism and even Hinduism
	Cu Chi Tunnels The Cu Chi Tunnels are an immense network of connecting underground tunnels located in the Cu Chi district of Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam. These tunnels were the location of several military campaigns during the Vietnam War against the Americans. The Vietnamese guerrillas used these tunnels as hiding spots during combat, as well as serving as communication and supply routes, hospitals, food and weapon caches and living quarters.
	Ben Thanh Market During the day, it is an exciting places to have an authentic Vietnamese lunch with the locals, pick up some fresh bread, produces and even tourist souvenirs. The market is similar to Melbourne’s Queen Victoria Market during the day. In the evening, the market closes and cooked to order seafood operators operated around the parameters of the market plus some night market retail hawkers too.
	Ho Chi Minh City Sights The sights and colour of Vietnam’s economic engine which includes pictures of the Notre Dame Cathedral - Saigon.

Hanoi

	War Remanats Museum See the pictures taken by military journalists and photographers. Read about the various accounts of the Vietnam War from the war correspondents and the Vietnamese side of the story. The chemical warfare section was very graphical as it narrated the unbelievable pain and suffering unleashed on the civilian and Vietcong during the Vietnam War. Pictures from this section had been omitted in my photo collections. There is no JUST WAR in this world.
	Hanoi Water Puppets Vietnamese water puppetry, literally means “puppets that dance on water.” The tradition dates back as far as the tenth century when it originated in the Red River Delta area of northern Vietnam. When the rice fields would flood the villages, villagers would entertain each other using this puppet form. The puppets are built out of wood and the shows are performed in a waist-deep pool. A large rod supports the puppet under the water and is used by the puppeteers to control them. The appearance is of the puppets moving over the water. When the rice fields would flood the villagers, would entertain each other using this puppet form.(wiki) Video of the Thang Long Water Puppet Theater display (12 secs)
	Ha Long Bay Ha Long Bay is a UNESCO World Heritage site located in Quảng Ninh province, Vietnam. The bay features thousands of limestone karsts and isles in various sizes and shapes. (wiki)
	Harvesting Rice in Vietnam Vietnam is the world’s second largest producers of rice.
	Hanoi City Sights A selection of pictures taken in Hanoi which reflects the sights and colour of Vietnam’s capital - Hanoi

In a city just over 6.4 million people, Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon) has about 4 million motorbikes (xe om) (wiki). Who needs a big bunky family sedan when a family of four can easily get around in a motorbike, helmets included. Talking about doing things together as a family

Hanoi is a bloody long way from Melbourne.

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I’m currently staying in a backpacker’s hostel (Hanoi Backpackers’ Hostel) owned by two Aussies (Melbourne boys).

1. Copenhagen, Denmark
2. Munich, Germany
3. Tokyo, Japan
4. Zurich, Switzerland
5. Helsinki, Finland
6. Vienna, Austria
7. Stockholm, Sweden
8. Vancouver, Canada
9. Melbourne, Australia
10. Paris, France
11. Sydney, Australia
12. Honolulu, Hawaii
13. Madrid, Spain
14. Berlin, Germany
15. Barcelona, Spain
16. Montreal, Canada
17. Fukuoka, Japan
18. Amsterdam, Netherlands
19. Minneapolis, United States
20. Kyoto, Japan

Key: Green - City I visited, Blue - City I wish to visit one day

Analysis
I’m surprised to see no mention of any east coast cities like Boston. Also there is a heavy gearing towards European cities but not totally without merit. Good to see Australia retained two spots within the list through Melbourne (#9) and Sydney (#11). With such survey, the devil is in the details (ranking methodology). My top concerns for these two cities to retain it’s liveable status are the housing affordability and the state of public infrastructure.

Related link: A Singaporean reporter response to this listing (mypaper, SPH)
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Monocle is my current fav mag read after I discovered it in Melbourne in Mar 08. The articles are original, well read and offers a diverse coverage within affairs, business, culture, design and excellent editoral (most important component to me). I also appreciate it’s compact size and excellent colour print.

A truly well made magazine. Check out the distribution link to see if it is distributed in your country.

This picture was taken on Boxing Day 2007 in the evening. I like to share it with everyone because I think it is quite special. Please click on the image to view the original version.

Today, Microsoft Research announced the availability of the public beta of WorldWide Telescope.

“The WorldWide Telescope is a powerful tool for science and education that makes it possible for everyone to explore the universe,” said Bill Gates, chairman of Microsoft.

“By combining terabytes of incredible imagery and data with easy-to-use software for viewing and moving through all that information, the WorldWide Telescope opens the door to new ways to see and experience the wonders of space. Our hope is that it will inspire young people to explore astronomy and science, and help researchers in their quest to better understand the universe.”

I encourage all of you to try it at http://www.worldwidetelescope.org

Related link: Capturing screenshots from Worldwide Telescope (Long Zheng, istartedsomething.com)

Today, the Iemma Government commenced talks on the new North West metro link. The north-western suburbs require a reliable train service to connect them to Sydney CBD. But is this another case of hot air and incomplete and expensive plans by Macquarie Street quick fix PR response?

I lived in Sydney from 2006-2007 and parts of 2008 and Sydney’s public transport is woeful. The service is expensive (a 1-2 stops train journey cost A$2.60) and very unreliable (no train service on almost every alternate weekend due to “planned track works” But we still hear train disruptions almost every month.

The State Government is spending large amount of money airing ads public education about the North West line, when the line is only scheduled to run in 2017 (more than 9 years away!). Ads do not resolve transport problems, funded scheduled services do!

This is the same succession of government that failed to deliver an integrated ticketing solution (more than 8 years late and now abandoned) and still running late to deliver the Epping-Chatswood line which new trains cannot run on.

Oh, the Sydney city free wifi project announced in Nov 2006 has just been cancelled too. How many badly initiated public projects does Sydneysiders have to put up? Sometimes I wish there is a “Rudd” guy in the NSW government to demonstrate some leadership.

Related link

• Metro throws Sydney’s big plan on its head ( SMH dated 7 May 08 )
• Free city broadband quietly shelved ( SMH 10 May 08 )

Last month, I went back Australia to facilitate my manager’s return to work. It was good opportunity to spend some time with my key academics, good friends in DPE, took part in the Balmoral Ocean swim, Boy Charlton Biathlon series, Canberra 10k and caught up with my uni mates.

During that time, I had several opportunities to engage in leisure outdoor sports due to the cool early autumn weather (which typically includes flashes of SUMMER too! Yippe!).

Below are links to the different sets of photos taken during this trip.

Next time if you are conducting business travel in Australia, I would recommend Astra Apartments (serviced apartment between Sydney and Melbourne) and Fat Free Fone Company (mobile broadband internet) services.

Astra Apartment (Chatswood)
During my recent stint back in Australia, I stayed in their Chatswood apartment. The location was close to Microsoft office (North Ryde/ Macquarie Park) area and conveniently located among the Chatswood shops. The apartment was generally well maintained and decorated in a sensible and modern fashion. Their charges were reasonable (compared to long term hotel rates) and staff member was generally responsive and helpful.

Fat Free Fone Company

Fat Free Fone Company offers fixed line, mobile phone and mobile broadband rental services in Australia.

I needed Internet access after office hours and during inter-state trips and found their services fairly reliable. It cost 200 AUD p/ month for 4GB of data (caveat: upstream and downstream usage INCLUSIVE) per month. It works out just under $7 p/day, much cheaper compared to hotel internet charges, accompanied with the flexibility of a short term nationwide mobile broadband rental.

I am not in any commercial arrangement with the above mentioned companies. These are my personal comments and should not be transmitted beyond my blog.

During my recent trip, I found PseudoLocal to be a great easy reference guide to get to know Beijing. It’s packed with lots of information and RECOMMENDATIONS (absolutely important) of restaurants, essential services (eg medical), and maps. The information are mostly compiled other Beijing expatriates.

If you are going to spend some time in Beijing, remember to add PseudoLocal into your favourites.