a downpour in saigon

16th February 2012

Saigon,Vietnam

                          One of my favourite things about the city of Saigon was that after a long day of wandering aimlessly down alleyways and boulevards in a conscious effort to get lost, I would always return to De Tham to wind the day down sat on a small plastic stool outside the local Bia hoi street bar. To explain, Bia Hoi  is a type of draft beer which is available throughout Vietnam and is brewed daily before being delivered in kegs to the street stalls which populate the city's streets. It's not particularly strong at around 3% volume but it's light, refreshing and unbelievably cheap with a glass going for around 6,000 Dong (18p), although in Hanoi I did see it  selling for as little as 2,000 Dong (6p)! What I liked more than the cheap beer though was that these stalls, for a solo traveller like myself at least, are a fantastic way of getting to meet new people. Small plastic chairs and tables are set up on the pavement and everyone huddles down to drink the night away in the company of whoever sits next to them. The Bia hoi stall where I spent most of my evenings in Saigon was situated about five minutes walk from my guesthouse on Bui Vien street, just down the road from where it meets De Tham at a crossroads; a junction that is instantly recognisable by the giant demon buffalo head which snarls down at you from its mounted position on the wall above the horrendously overpriced 'Crazy Buffalo' bar. This Bia hoi stall was set beneath 'Video 102' and run by a local family who probably live above the small shopfront and every night rows of small plastic stools and tables are set up out front to create a communal drinking den. One evening, along with Rachel who I had randomly bumped into again while on a walk earlier that day, I headed to the bar to have a few beers to while away the evening hours and hopefully make a few new friends. It had been yet another hot and humid day in the city but while the afternoon hours had been merging with their evening brothers, dark clouds had congregated above Saigon; each vying for dominance against a rapidly weakening sun. While catching up with Rachel who I had not seen since Hoi An, we were joined by an Australian girl by the name of Victoria who I recognised as she was staying at the same guest house as myself. Calling her over, she pulled up a chair and we had a few beers together on the pavement and as the night wore on we were joined by more and more people that I had bumped into on my route down the coast of Vietnam. In yet another remarkable chance encounter Joffrey and Elize, a really cool couple from the Carribean that I had met on the hellish 23 hour ride from Vientiane to Hanoi, joined us shortly afterwards turning Saigon, for me at least, into a melting pot of travelling reunions. Turning our stalls into a circle we incorporated these two new members into our drinking club which had grown exponentially since we had arrived hours earlier. And then the downpour started. It was as if a switch had suddenly been flicked because in a moment monsoon rain had struck Saigon, drenching anything that was not under cover. The road became a gushing river whose banks had just broken while the soaked tarmac was transformed into a vast rectangular mirror that reflected the street lights back up into the crying heavens above. The torrent fiercely lashed down as a pure, straight rainfall that continually shattered this tarmac mirror into a million pieces creating a dazzling light show for it's audience on the pavement. Everyone who had been walking along the road deserted this silver urban river for the dry confines of shop fronts and of course the numerous dry Bia hoi stands which were protected from the down pour by large awnings that stretched across the pavements guarding their thankful inhabitants below. With the rain streaming down in an unrelenting deluge there was no choice but to stay put and wait it out but with 18p beers on tap, it has to be said that there have been worse places to be stuck! The rest of the evening was spent chatting with some other marooned travellers/drinkers and a few local lads - see below - until the rain finally relented in it's assault on the streets allowing us to stumble home through the drenched alleyways of De Tham.

x

My local Bia Hoi stand. The small plastic stools and tables made for excellent communal drinking.

As the rain hit, the awning was quickly rolled out and umbrellas were placed to keep the punters dry and happy.

Everyone huddled together for shelter from the rain.

The soaked tarmac reflected the street lights back up into the night sky.

With no umbrella the only options were to to get drenched walking home or stay for another beer. I chose the latter.

The torrent of water stuck without warning.

Me, Bang and the other local lads. While chatting to Rachel and the Carribean couple I was tapped on the shoulder and invited to have a beer with some Vietnamese students behind me who were eager to practice their English on some tourists and I was only too happy to help.

Bang's attempt at spelling my name. Got confused with the 'x' putting an 'h' initially.

Rachel, Joffrey, Elize, Chris and Me.