{Saigon Snaps} Down my street

Walking around our compound with its sealed roads, perfect paving and pruned landscaping, we could almost pretend that we don't live in Vietnam (except for the sound of rice barges, flooding and constant power outages!) But we only need to walk a few metres outside the compound entrance for a reminder.

Sadly, we live on one of those streets that provides a stark picture of the huge divide between the haves and have nots in this country. As more and more suburbs, like the ones in District 2, get taken over by affluent locals and foreigners the small shacks and local cafes are being dwarfed by huge development.

In our street we have:

Huge, imposing villas behind tall security walls

High rise construction

Relatively upmarket local cafes...

... and many not so upmarket local cafes. I've seriously never seen anyone eating at this place!

Roadside drinking stalls. Locals stop here for refreshment and shelter from the rain under the tarps.

And at the end of our street we have a busy highway - the place where we start and end our journey to work each day.

At peak hour it's crazy and late at night as we cross the highway to enter our street we run the risk of being t-boned by the huge trucks that roar towards the city after the 9pm curfew!