City of memories a jewel in Vietnam

The Life: Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam's business capital, is snapping at the heels of Seoul and Singapore.

Three decades after the war, the people of Vietnam are optimistic about the future and bullish about the free market. Na Son Nguyen / AP Photo
Powered by automated translation

Ten years ago the dusty streets here were likely to be potholed, and retired military officers pedalled rickshaws past stands selling fried quail and elaborate juice drinks.

Today Ho Chi Minh City, or Saigon in pre-1975 nomenclature, is about western cafes, rooftop bars and traffic so dense it is all but impossible to cross the street. A generation born after the war sits astride motorcycles, legs sheathed in tight hipster jeans and feet shod in knock-off stilettos. On weekends they circle the main square, over and over.

In April 1975, the last helicopter left the American embassy, and those who had fared well under capitalism paid in gold bars to escape to France, Australia, America.

For the next decade, most private enterprise was banned and much of the nation's trade went to Russia, its wartime lender.

But fortune turned in 1986, when the government ushered in Doi Moi (the Renovation) and allowed tens of thousands of businesses to bloom under reforms aimed at de-centralising the economy.

Today Vietnam's GDP tops US$121 billion (Dh444.27bn).

Whatever brings you here you'll find evidence of the old and new worlds.

Atop the Sheraton, drinks are $25 each. Chloe and Chanel adorn the newest mall, and Armani Cafe caters to those who like their pasta designer.

Wander a bit, though, and you'll find delis slapping together banh mi, crusty french loaves stuffed with pate, baloney, cilantro and pickled carrots. Perched upon children's chairs arranged on the sidewalk by a creative soup vendor, slurp up pho, a cinnamon-rich beef broth filled with rice noodles and brisket.

In a city so transformed, everyone can be considered an immigrant. So the people do what immigrants do. They treasure the food of tradition, lest they forget how it tastes.

The Quote: "Saigon traffic is Vietnamese life, a continuous charade of posturing, bluffing, fast moves, tenacity and surrenders," from the book Catfish and Mandala by Andrew X Pham