Saigon - Paris de l'Orient

[kingwilly]

dont you dare MrsKW reads TD you know, besides which we all know you are full of shit!

[barbaro]

Great pics and write-ups, MMTD.

It was great to see you.

[Wayne Kerr]

Beer looks good mate ... I always find it hard to get good pics of the sheilas there

[hillbilly]

Great report! Can't wait to what happens next.

[Jet Gorgon]

I stayed at the Intercontinental. Cockroach the size of a bladdy bus in my loo.
Is the Q Bar still in the Opera House? Well, it was in 1994...I had the t-shirt.

[buad hai]

^That was the original Q Bar, right? Brown ladies in sliver blond wigs! Quite the crazy place back then.

How about Mogambo? Is that still there? Bartender (Bo) was an old friend of mine. Stayed there a few nights back in '94 or '95.

As for Vang Tau: My most vivid memory is of the bathing suit rental places all along the road as you arrived from Saigon.

[Jet Gorgon]

^ Dunno, BH. It was in the Opera house on the side, if I remember correctly. Alot of sh*t was weird in there.

[Marmite the Dog]

Is the Q Bar still in the Opera House?

All questions should be directed to Milky, 'cos I don't know shit.

Anyway, Monday was my last day and I dragged Milky along to check out some of the older parts of town. We went to have a gander at the market.



Unsurprisingly, they sold the same old stuff that you'd find in local markets all over Asia.



I tried 'shooting from the hip', but all I got were a bunch of blurred photos (cheers Bustak ). This one came out nearly ok. Biggest cinnamon sticks I've ever seen!



The Chinese influence is high in Vietnam; from the harsh language to the tortured foodstuffs sold there. Here's some lovely shark fins cut straight from the bodies of living sharks. There's also some other stuff such as sponges and God knows what else (Wayne Kerr will probably know).

[Marmite the Dog]

All that walking around in the heat was pretty tiring, especially when you're sweating out the previous day's piss. We wandered around to try and find the river as it was nearby. They're doing lots of construction work near the river and it was blocked of with steel pilings for most of it's frontage. I did find a gap though.



After all that walking we looked for a nice little coffee shop to rest in and re-energise.



We eventually got back to our favourite restaurant (God Mother) for a bite to eat before I left for the new airport.



THE END

[kingwilly]

'cos I don't know shit.

never a truer word has been spoken

but seriously, great report!

[barbaro]

Is the Q Bar still in the Opera House? Well, it was in 1994...I had the t-shirt.

The Q Bar is still around. It's probably moved, though. I hear about it occasionally, but I've never been there.

Chinthee asked about the rooftop bar in the Rex. Yes, it's still open and operating. The view is decent.

[buad hai]

Mogambo?

[Loombucket]

Great report Marmite and some very nice pix, thanks very much

[barbaro]

Mogambo?

Yes, Mogambo's is still open and operating on Thi Sach Street.

Mogambo Mike is still around and dabbling in furniture, and he and his wife are building (have recently built) a hotel near Mui Ne/Phan Tiet, area. He's still at the bar, if you want to chat with him.

[buad hai]

Is his wife still Lonnie?

They ran the Mogambo on Saipan during the early 90's. I think they'd previously run the one in the Philippines. They moved to Saigon in about 1994 to open the one there. They also had something to do with the one in Phnom Penh, but that one didn't last too long.

[barbaro]

Is his wife still Lonnie?

Yes. She's apparently monied up quite well, as you know.

They ran the Mogambo on Saipan during the early 90's. I think they'd previously run the one in the Philippines. They moved to Saigon in about 1994 to open the one there. They also had something to do with the one in Phnom Penh, but that one didn't last too long.

I haven't been to Mogambo's in years. Maybe 5 years.

I should stop in.

[buad hai]

I should stop in.

Ask about Bo, his old bartender. I'm sure he'll remember me, as well....

[barbaro]

I should stop in.

Ask about Bo, his old bartender. I'm sure he'll remember me, as well....

Will do. I'll let you know how Bo is doing by the end of this week.

[Jet Gorgon]

Thanks for the update, M.
Ah, the Rex. The local haunt for all the press during the war, right? Drank there outside a couple of times.

[buad hai]

I thought the Rex was finished just as the war ended. Wasn't the press hangout the Continental, which is just across the street?

[barbaro]

Thanks for the update, M.
Ah, the Rex. The local haunt for all the press during the war, right? Drank there outside a couple of times.

Buad Hai:

I thought the Rex was finished just as the war ended. Wasn't the press hangout the Continental, which is just across the street?

The Rex is still open and operating. It's got that old feel to it, and is done nicely inside. I actually worked inside the hotel, as some floors are leased by companies.

Yes, the Rex is where the "5 o'clock follies" were conducted by the military officers as they pointed to maps with sticks, on national televisions, and explained that the US was doing just fine, and everything was OK.

The Continental is nice inside as well, and I attended a wedding there several years ago.

Yes, the press hung out at the Continental across the street and other places, too.

[Happyman]

OK - Memory lapse - not Concorde but Caravelle!

And it is the Ha Tien - not the Ha Dien canal !

Just checked my files - prat!

[Happyman]

Used to stop in Saigon ( never get used to HCM!) for a couple of nights each way from Taiwan to the plantation at Rach Gia.
The Rex was good .
Hotels varied - Intercontinental - Majestic and the old Concorde ( the one with a big church outside!) They were all bloody pricey but when you are on expenses you tend not to give sh*t !!!

Majestic was best for food and the Concorde for atmosphere ( all very French Colonial) but I understand it has been modernised- and ruined !!
The Intercontinental could have been an Interconti anywhere in the world - boring

Slightly off topic but may be of interest to all you 'mericans - the plantation ( eucalyptus for paper ) was an old "Brown Navy" dock on the Hat Dien Canal and one day, whilst trying to find real Whiskey in the village 'Mom & Pop' store' Pop produced an unopened quart bottle of genuine Jack Daniels he found in the back of the store .

IT STILL HAD THE PX PRICE STICKER ON IT - 3.50 $ US !!!!!!!!!!

As this was in 1995 it had matured well in the bottle since being liberated when the base was abandoned !!

[Happyman]

Somehow ny correction of ny post has appeared before the post itself ! weird

[buad hai]

old Concorde ( the one with a big church outside!)

Once in the late 80's a friend and I heard there was a "dance" up in the Concorde. They had a big ballroom up on the top floor. We were amazed to find all the "kids" formally dressed, the girls in big chiffon outfits from the 50's with everyone doing the foxtrot.

We found alternative entertainment for the evening.