The difference between working in a small company where there's no office in Vietnam, and a bigger one which has office in Vietnam: When your company does not have an office in Vietnam and you arrive early in Vietnam, you can take the extra time to walk around and relax before the conference start. When your company has an office in Vietnam, the moment you touch down from the plane, you are ushered to the Vietnam office to continue working as per normal.
Wanted to take photos of my company's Vietnam office, but everyone's so serious looking that I didn't take out my camera. How I miss my Sony Ericssion phone. I mean, with a camera phone, you can casually take photos for fun without much embarrassment.
Had lunch at a nearby restaurant where the waiters will demonstrate the throwing of pan-fried rice from one end to the other end. Quite a spectacle when you watch it from afar..not quite when you are sitting by the side and getting hit by some straying rice bits which didn't follow the pack! =P
Day 2: July 16, 7am Vietnam Time.
Scenes from the hotel room and lift lobby. The Mekong River (i think) on one side, and the bustling city on the other side. Looks familiar? Yea, I'm staying in the exactly same hotel as the one I stayed in Nov 2006.
Waking up early in the morning to clear some emails. This look like a typical Riverbed advertising ad... with the Riverbed Decal on the laptop showing people that you can accelerate applications and file transfers even when you are out of office, remotely.
It wasn't my first time in Ho Chi Minh, but it sure was my first time taking a ride on this.. er.. is it trishaw or rickshaw or ... something like a trishaw, but it sits only one person and the driver is sitting much higher up at the back.
A clearer view from a different angle.
And see how much taller the drivers are when they begin riding.
There was this guy whose driver drove to our side and he said "fun right?" And I was about to reply him when I saw that he is on the lane in the opposite direction and that fast vehicles are oncoming and all I could say was "yea, look out!" Along the way, I saw a motorbike knocking a bicycle of 2 passengers down..All in all, it was an exciting experience.
Reached the Reunification Palace and was greeted by a musical band. Inside was a display of Vietnamese Culture, from chaffing rice to the items that are usually sold by the roadside.
Even the food prepared are labelled.. Here is the traditional rice paper "popiah" being wrapped on-demand.
Before we tuck in, let me show you something rather intriguing.. and rather eco-friendly / organic... introducing, the new form of chopstick holders.. using vegetable fruits: Chilli, Ginger, Lady's Finger and others!
In Vietnam, you must eat the Pho (pronounced as fur) before you can say "been there, done that". On the right are barbequed meat and vegetables.. 
It wasn't my first time in Ho Chi Minh, but it sure was my first time taking a ride on this.. er.. is it trishaw or rickshaw or ... something like a trishaw, but it sits only one person and the driver is sitting much higher up at the back.
A clearer view from a different angle.
And see how much taller the drivers are when they begin riding.There was this guy whose driver drove to our side and he said "fun right?" And I was about to reply him when I saw that he is on the lane in the opposite direction and that fast vehicles are oncoming and all I could say was "yea, look out!" Along the way, I saw a motorbike knocking a bicycle of 2 passengers down..All in all, it was an exciting experience.
Reached the Reunification Palace and was greeted by a musical band. Inside was a display of Vietnamese Culture, from chaffing rice to the items that are usually sold by the roadside.
Even the food prepared are labelled.. Here is the traditional rice paper "popiah" being wrapped on-demand.
Before we tuck in, let me show you something rather intriguing.. and rather eco-friendly / organic... introducing, the new form of chopstick holders.. using vegetable fruits: Chilli, Ginger, Lady's Finger and others!In Vietnam, you must eat the Pho (pronounced as fur) before you can say "been there, done that". On the right are barbequed meat and vegetables.. Day 3: July 17, 7am Vietnam Time.
Woke up early to make a trip to the morning market nearby.
Dried foods galore.. Dried ginger/mangoes/fruits are common.. so I got something interesting and special.. dried lotus seeds which you can just pop into your mouth and eat like a snack. Lotus Seeds aren't cheap in Singapore, so the price is still considered reasonable, considering the effort, time and resources needed in making the dried lotus seeds. Yum Yum!!
The variety of coffee, vietnamese or not, is enough to make you stand there and ponder for a really long time...
I'll leave the rest of the day 3 photos to the next blog, for a new inspiration just came to me.
The variety of coffee, vietnamese or not, is enough to make you stand there and ponder for a really long time...
I'll leave the rest of the day 3 photos to the next blog, for a new inspiration just came to me.
No comments:
Post a Comment