My dad used to tell me what it was like to live here back in the old days. Some of the stories sounded so idyllic, and he speaks about his daily rituals with such nostalgia it's hard to imagine that we were also in the midst of a war.
Life here still has remnants of past times. Even I can remember what it was like living here, and I was only 5 years old when we left. This is a snapshot of daily life.Street stalls being set up at the crack of dawn.
When I was a little girl living here my grandmother used to take my sister and I up to the corner street stall for breakfast every morning. I have vivid memories of those priceless experiences.
Freshly baked baguettes.
These are everywhere, and they are crunchy and delicious.
Vietnamese coffee.
Thick, sweet, strong!
Fresh fruit sold on the street.
Have you ever had a durian? It is the most interesting fruit, and described by many as having a putrid odour and a texture similar to snot. Even Anthony Bourdain can't stomach this fruit, and that guy can eat anything - well, almost anything. I personally love eating this fruit - such a delicacy.
Delicious food.
I've taken lots of photos of food! Maybe I should do a post just about traditional dishes. We'll see. In the meantime this was our breakfast the other day.
Bánh cuốn (literally "rolled cake")
Trứng gà ốp la (sunny side up eggs, usually eaten with soya sauce, fresh chillies and baguette)
Busy Phở shop.
All this place sells are steaming hot bowls of noodle soup, any style of meat and/or offal.
Escaping the sun.
It seems all activity comes to a grinding halt between 2-4pm. It's hot, too hot to do anything, so most people find some shade and sleeps. You see it all over the city - life has paused for a bit.
And what do holiday makers do?
Health and safety.
What's that in this place?
Busy streets outside town.
On the outskirts of town we experienced a traffic jam.
Quiet streets inside town.
I'm not even kidding when I say that this isn't considered busy.
Watching the world go by.
What laid back looks like.
