This Expat Life (Month 43): Living in Ho Chi Minh City
After moving abroad in July 2014, I started compiling monthly roundup posts about life as an expat in Southeast Asia and all the nitty gritty that goes on behind the scenes here at Travel Lush. You can check out my most recent monthly roundup posts: November, December and January.
Around this time of year, I’m usually wrapping up an extended stint in Southeast Asia and gearing up to return to Beijing. Southeast Asia has become my home away from home over the past four years – and I actually lived in Bali, Indonesia and Nha Trang, Vietnam, part time while living in Beijing. While I did enjoy my time in Beijing, leaving Southeast Asia was always bittersweet.
Over the past two years, I got used to moving back and forth between East and Southeast Asia. So I guess it makes sense that part of me feels like I’ll be back in bitterly cold Beijing in a few days’ time – just like last year, and the year before that. I have to keep reminding myself that I’m actually staying put in Vietnam for the foreseeable future.
I will say that I’m much happier living in Ho Chi Minh City (aka Saigon) than I was in Beijing, but I do miss the hell out of my friends in China. I’m sad that I won’t be there for our weekly Thursday night bar session at Laker’s (our only local bar), which will be underway the exact moment this post is published.
Ah, well. Life goes on. And aside from missing my Beijing buddies I’m settling into life in Saigon pretty well. Actually, I really love it here so far!
Here’s what I got up to last month:
I finally moved into my apartment
After having a truly horrendous experience spending an entire month living in the world’s noisiest, most construction-riddled Airbnb, I’m now happy to report that I’m all settled into a quiet 2-bedroom apartment in downtown Saigon.
I love my apartment for a variety of reasons. It’s fairly quiet. I don’t have annoying upstairs neighbors. It has a balcony with a view. And I have a dozen vegetarian restaurants within walking distance (!!!). But the real clincher is that it has a couch that’s big enough for me and Aaron to lounge on. Seriously, we haven’t had a couch larger than a loveseat in any of our apartments for the past three years! So we’re basically in love with our ostentatious, yet comfy, aqua blue couch.
Sadly, we will most likely be moving to another, more suburban part of town in June. So we won’t be staying here for all that long. But I’m going to enjoy the hell out of this couch, this apartment and this part of town while I can.
One of our very best friends came to visit us
We’ve had a few friends pass through Indonesia and China in the past few years and these visits make us all sorts of happy. There’s something extra special about seeing old friends in foreign countries.
As an FYI, Aaron and I met during our freshman year in university at UC Santa Cruz (go Banana Slugs!), so we have the same college friends. And one of our favorite humans, who we’ve also known since freshman year, decided on a whim to stop off in Saigon in early February.
Because he also lives abroad, we have a tendency to meet up in random countries. This is the third time we’ve met up in Asia in the past three years: Bangkok, Beijing and now Saigon! I’m hoping the tradition continues because it’s always good times.
Aaron’s parents booked tickets to come see us in April (!!)
None of our family members have come to visit us since we moved abroad in 2014. Not that we blame them – it’s expensive, it’s a long way to travel and it’s hard to find the time. For me, the hardest thing about living abroad is being away from family. I’ve been trying to make it back to California every year since I moved abroad (a goal I’ve so far achieved), but one or two weeks is never enough time.
So, it means the world to me (and Aaron, of course) that his parents are making the very long trek from the States to Vietnam. This will be their first visit to the country (and Aaron’s mom’s first time in Asia!). We’re honored and excited to show them around our new home. And I’m super excited to see them react to the craziness of Southeast Asia. It’s definitely very different from California, as they will soon find out!
Discovering hu tieu and eating it in all of its delicious forms
If you follow me on Instagram, you’ll know that I’ve been posting lots of photos and stories revolving around hu tieu, because I’m basically obsessed with it. I also live a 5-minute walk from an amazing restaurant that specializes in vegetarian versions of the dish, which comes in both soupy and dry forms.
Although it’s actually a pork-based dish, the are tons of pure-vegetarian restaurants in Saigon that serve hu tieu. Some of the soup versions are a bit like pho (the most famous of Vietnam’s noodle soups), whereas some of the dry ones remind me a lot of an amalgamation of Chinese and Cambodian food — which makes sense because the origins of the dish can be traced back to those countries.
Anyway, hu tieu is ultra-popular in southern Vietnam, and it’s delicious. So whether you’re a vegetarian or not, definitely order it the next time you’re in Saigon.
Celebrating Tet in Saigon
This was yet another highlight of the month for me. A lot of people avoid traveling to Vietnam during Tet (aka Vietnamese Lunar New Year) but I’ve spent the past two Tet holidays here. (Last year, I rang in the New Year in the beachside city of Nha Trang.)
Tet is by far the biggest holiday in Vietnam. The Vietnamese take Lunar New Year very seriously and the entire country gets a full week off for the occasion. Tet is all about tradition, food and family. Golden flowers and fruit-filled kumquat trees play a huge role in Tet traditions and festivities and they were being sold on quite literally every street corner in the city — so I was basically in heaven.
Because I’m obsessed with flowers, I almost died of excitement when I found out that there was a floating flower market located just 20-minutes out of town.
Apparently a bunch of boats loaded with flowers and trees float down the Mekong to the Cholon River in Saigon to supply city dwellers with their Tet necessities. I went the day before the New Year so things were winding down, but there were still boats and flowers galore. I’m so glad I was able to experience it.
Ringing in the Year of the Dog in Saigon was an experience I’ll never forget. The festive atmosphere of the city was intoxicating and watching the fireworks explode over the Saigon River was the perfect way to end the night.
Taking my first Vietnamese lesson
I’m just going to admit it. I’m the worst at learning new languages. My last name is Lopez. I was always placed in bilingual classes (Spanish and English) as a child. I took Spanish 2 three times during my high school and university years and practically failed out of Spanish 3.
I’ve never attempted to learn a language in any of the countries I’ve lived in. That’s partly because my time in each country was only temporary, but it’s also because I feel so self-conscious about even trying. But because Aaron and I plan to stay in Saigon for as long as possible, we decided to bite the bullet and start taking lessons straight away.
We had our first lesson a couple of days ago and it was pretty hilarious. Like, I’m happy that I can actually read Vietnamese (unlike Mandarin) but man these tones!
Blogging & Working
As I mentioned in last month’s roundup, I started (temporarily) working for my old company in Beijing. Basically, they are waiting for my replacement to get her Chinese visa (it’s a crazily complicated process), so I’m helping out until she arrives at the end of March.
It’s been good to be working (and getting paid) while I get my bearings in Saigon and figure out what’s next for me work-wise. I’m still not sure which direction I’ll go in: a full-time job on the ground here or freelance writing and editing. But I’m kinda excited about the idea of going back to freelancing.
I’m also planning on focusing a lot more on this blog. Like I’ve said before, it’s been tough to work full-time in Beijing, commute two-plus hours a day and find the time to dedicate to blogging. But now that I have some more time on my hands I’d like to put more effort into blogging and learning about blogging.
Recent Blog Posts
- Why Celebrating Tet in Saigon Is Kind of Amazing
- 7 Stunning Islands to Add to Your Southeast Asia Bucket List
- My Life in Ho Chi Minh City (aka Saigon)… So Far
- A Traveler’s Guide to Vietnam’s Wild & Rugged Con Dao Islands
Most Popular Blog Posts in February
- 5 Incredible Things To Do On Nusa Penida, Bali
- 6 Kickass Places To Visit In Bali
- Is Koh Rong, Cambodia Worth Visiting?
- 8 Fun Things To Do In And Around Nha Trang, Vietnam
Travel
February wasn’t quite as travel-packed as January. I’ll still be working full-time through March, so it’s not like a have any incredible trips on the horizon. But I do have to go on a visa run at the end of the month.
I’m actually thinking of returning to Phnom Penh, Cambodia. I haven’t been back since I moved from Phnom Penh to Beijing over two years ago. I had a rocky time living there but it’s still a city that I love and it’s super easy to get to from Saigon. I’m kind of excited to see how it’s changed and to revisit some of my favorite places. Plus, I know a bunch of my favorite street artists recently passed through there and put up some great pieces so I’d love to check that out. If you have any suggestions of things to do in Phnom Penh please leave them in the comments section below. It’s been a while!
When it comes to photography, I’m typically not all that inspired by big cities. I’ll take nature over concrete any day. But I’ve found Saigon to be surprisingly photogenic. I kinda love all its grit and chaos!
That about sums it up! How did your February shape up?
Great post Justine!! Thanks for highlighting our upcoming visit! We are so excited! Wish I could see the fliating fliwer market, sounds like that was just for Tet? Loved the pic on the Great Wall with your friend! Several of your pics did not show for me. The food ones on. I will check on my computer, maybe it has to do with viewing on my phone. Enjoy your trip to Cambodia! See you soon!!
Cindy
The floating flower market was amazing. But yeah, I think it’s only for Tet. I’m sure the Mekong Delta is full of them so you’ll get to experience one too 🙂 Yeah, I was having technical difficulties with those pictures. They should be fixed now!
The couch! Hilarious! Our apartment now has the worst couches and it’s seriously so annoying. I’m jealous of your blue beauty!
How exciting for Aaron’s family to visit. It’ll be a nice excuse to do all of your favorite things together which is always a bonus. Good on you for learning Vietnamese! I’m the worst with languages and would be so intimidated. Though you’re kinda inspiring me to pick up some Fijian!
Oh my god, I feel your pain. Literally we’ve had the worst couches. I’ve pretty much spent the past three years opting to sit on the floor! I love my blue beauty 🙂 Haha, if it makes you feel better our mattress is terrible!
Man, I’m the worst at languages too. I think putting in effort in this country goes such a long way, so I’m actually excited. But I dread my Monday night lessons. They are so painful. You should totally learn a bit of Fijian!!
Thanks for sharing this, Justine! I can imagine your excitement at returning to SE Asia – it’s easily my favourite part of the world. I visited Saigon for a week about a year and a half ago and really enjoyed my time there, but didn’t feel like I had enough of an opportunity to really get a feel for the city (I was working while there so I didn’t really get to enjoy it like I would have otherwise). I’ll look forward learning more about HCMC and reading more about your upcoming adventures in Vietnam – cheers!
Yes! I’m definitely so happy to be back in Southeast Asia. While I loved my time in Beijing, being back in SE Asia just feels right. I can totally understand not really being able to take in HCMC in a weeks’ time, especially when you’re working. It’s just such a big, overwhelming city. I’m still just starting to learn the ins and outs of it and I’ve been here for over two months! But so far, I’m totally digging it 🙂