Of course I shouldn't laugh because it's clearly dangerous, but nobody seems to realise or care!
Snapped in Saigon: corner of Thi Sach Street at 4.20pm
Showing posts with label Saigon Snaps. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Saigon Snaps. Show all posts
Wednesday, December 1, 2010
{Saigon Snaps} Telecom Vietnam!
After almost 2 years in Vietnam, watching the locals fix power cables still gives me a giggle!
Of course I shouldn't laugh because it's clearly dangerous, but nobody seems to realise or care!
Snapped in Saigon: corner of Thi Sach Street at 4.20pm
Of course I shouldn't laugh because it's clearly dangerous, but nobody seems to realise or care!
Snapped in Saigon: corner of Thi Sach Street at 4.20pm
Thursday, November 25, 2010
{Saigon Snaps} Xmas Vietnam-style
It's not yet December, but many of Saigon's major hotels and shopping centres have started to hang Xmas decorations.
I'm surprised at the number of businesses, in a primarily Buddhist country, riding off the back of what is an essentially Christian tradition. In Hanoi there were a lot of Christmas lights, but nothing to this extent.
Foreigners who've lived in Saigon for some time tell me that the displays will become more prevalent and extravagant as December arrives, culminating in a huge street party in Dong Khoi on Xmas Eve.
Although quite a simple design, my favourite display so far is the concial hat-wearing snowmen out the front of the Legend Hotel on Ton Duc Thang Street.
I'm surprised at the number of businesses, in a primarily Buddhist country, riding off the back of what is an essentially Christian tradition. In Hanoi there were a lot of Christmas lights, but nothing to this extent.
Foreigners who've lived in Saigon for some time tell me that the displays will become more prevalent and extravagant as December arrives, culminating in a huge street party in Dong Khoi on Xmas Eve.
Although quite a simple design, my favourite display so far is the concial hat-wearing snowmen out the front of the Legend Hotel on Ton Duc Thang Street.
Saturday, November 13, 2010
{Saigon Snaps} Saturday in Saigon
Oliver's 2nd birthday party!
When we moved to Hanoi in early 2009 and met the Liddell family, Oliver was just a wee little man. How time flies!
Lunch at Loaves & Fishes cafe in Thao Dien
When we moved to Hanoi in early 2009 and met the Liddell family, Oliver was just a wee little man. How time flies!
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| Opening presents with Daddy Darrin |
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| A special ladybug cake made by clever Mummy Lotta |
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| Playing pass the parcel with Elliott, Mackenzie and Georgia |
Lunch at Loaves & Fishes cafe in Thao Dien
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| Georgia |
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| Mackenzie and her very funny balloon! |
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| Delicious chicken quesadillas |
Wednesday, November 10, 2010
{Saigon Snaps} Another Vietnam "What the?!" moment
A couple of classic "what the?!" Vietnam moments on the ride to work this morning.
Below is a photo of my taxi driver who thought it was a good idea to multi-task while driving in peak hour traffic along Nguyen Huu Canh Street.
Granted, we were crawling at around 10kms/hour, but the traffic was stop-start so reading the newspaper while moving was probably not the smartest idea!
Just moments before I took this photo we were overtaken by a Vietnamese ambulance - a small, white mini van marked with a red cross on the side. Sadly, nobody seems to pay any attention to these guys, even when they have their sirens on!
As the ambulance passed I saw a guy sitting in the back, wearing a surgical mask, hanging out of the open window smoking a cigarette! (if you look closely at the photo the offending ambulance is in front of the taxi - obviously he had to remove his mask each time he took a puff!).
Not sure whether the smoker was a patient or an ambulance officer, but the fact that he was actually allowed to smoke inside a hospital on wheels...What the?!
Below is a photo of my taxi driver who thought it was a good idea to multi-task while driving in peak hour traffic along Nguyen Huu Canh Street.
Granted, we were crawling at around 10kms/hour, but the traffic was stop-start so reading the newspaper while moving was probably not the smartest idea!
Just moments before I took this photo we were overtaken by a Vietnamese ambulance - a small, white mini van marked with a red cross on the side. Sadly, nobody seems to pay any attention to these guys, even when they have their sirens on!
As the ambulance passed I saw a guy sitting in the back, wearing a surgical mask, hanging out of the open window smoking a cigarette! (if you look closely at the photo the offending ambulance is in front of the taxi - obviously he had to remove his mask each time he took a puff!).
Not sure whether the smoker was a patient or an ambulance officer, but the fact that he was actually allowed to smoke inside a hospital on wheels...What the?!
Sunday, October 24, 2010
{Saigon Snaps} Bong Milk!
Snapped at An Phu Supermarket in Thao Dien:
Vietnamese Bong Milk...should this product come with a health warning? Just add your own hose and enjoy!
Saturday, October 23, 2010
{Saigon Snaps} Saturday in Saigon
An early lunch at our local favourite...Mekong Merchant in Thao Dien.
An after lunch stroll through Van Thanh Park...
A late afternoon swim at home...
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| Georgia tried to phone in her order! |
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| Rob and Mackenzie...Mekong Merchant |
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| Van Thanh Park |
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| Mackenzie (l) and Georgia...Van Thanh Park |
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| Georgia |
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| Georgia |
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| Mackenzie |
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| Sunset on the Saigon River |
Thursday, August 12, 2010
{Saigon Snaps} Drive-thru haircuts
Snapped in Saigon 1.20pm today on the corner of Ton Duc Thang and Ngo Van Nam Streets. The Vietnamese love convenience...roadside haircuts Saigon style!
Friday, August 6, 2010
{Saigon Snaps} Saigon wedding
Snapped in Saigon, 10.10am on Pham Ngoc Thach Street.
Weddings Saigon style!
Tuesday, August 3, 2010
{Saigon Snaps} Silly signs
New signs in the toilet cubicles at one of the most upmarket shopping centres in Saigon. I wouldn't have thought the clients frequenting these bathrooms would need such a blunt reminder!
Wall art next to a chicken restaurant in Nha Trang, central Vietnam. Wonder if David Beckham got paid royalties for this one?
What's in a name? A simple spelling mistake or just lost in translation?
Sunday, August 1, 2010
{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
Relatively upmarket local cafes...
... and many not so upmarket local cafes. I've seriously never seen anyone eating at this place!
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!
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