TP - There are people who have been away from Saigon for decades, asking if the old features of Saigon still exist? What is interesting about 21st century Saigon? Meanwhile, there are people who have been away from Saigon for only a few years, asking what is new in the city? Even people who live in this city every day and every hour have been wondering what is it about Saigon that attracts locals and visitors from afar?
Me too, born in Saigon, wandering around for more than half of my life, my home address is still Ban Co, District 3. Yet sometimes I wonder what is unique about this metropolis that attracts me and many generations near and far to not leave?
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Saigon River in the center of Ho Chi Minh City. Photo: Phuc Le |
Love Saigon like loving a beauty
Loving Saigon is like loving a beauty, it can start with “love at first sight” from the wonderful location or the natural beauty and architecture of “her”. In particular, the strong Saigon River with its elegant curves, connecting Dong Nai region with the ocean, has brought a natural advantage. Without the Saigon River, there would be no Ben Nghe, Ben Bach Dang is the vast facade where Vietnamese people “stopped at the wharf” (the immortal song Saigon is so beautiful by Y Van) since the 17th century. There would be no green, wild Thu Thiem peninsula, waking up to become a modern urban area. There would be no Can Gio seaport to connect with the ocean and the outside world. There would be no system of rivers, canals and ditches spreading to the rice granary of the Mekong Delta and connecting with Cambodia, Thailand and Lower Laos.
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Bread |
On the other hand, through many wars, Saigon no longer has Gia Dinh Imperial Citadel (1790) and many ancient Vietnamese architectures such as Thang Long - Hanoi. In return, Saigon has many beautiful landscapes and urban architectures, showing the "intercultural exchange" between East and West since the mid-19th century. Visiting Saigon, remembering Saigon, people cannot forget the image of Ben Thanh market with its massive, unique clock tower. Not to be forgotten, Notre Dame Cathedral - "the pink heart in the middle of the city" and "the city hall castle" (headquarters of the City People's Committee). Next is the Post Office, Gia Long Palace (City Museum), Nguyen Hue - Le Loi "roundabout", Independence Palace, Opera House. And then, Thu Ngu flagpole, Nha Rong Wharf, Ong Lang, Tao Dan garden and the Zoo. These are works that have long been "ranked in the hearts of the people" as charming heritages that cannot be lost!
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Old Saigon cyclo |
Convergence of eating habits and manners from all over the world
Many people still “follow Saigon” from the way of eating and living that is rarely seen in other cities. Let’s not talk about eating, let’s talk about drinking, the original Saigon does not have the habit of sipping hot tea in the morning. In both rainy and sunny seasons, adults, from intellectuals to porters, start the day with coffee, commonly iced coffee. Coffee was brought to “Vietnam” by the “West”, starting in Saigon. But Saigon coffee has a blend of rich inventions from many sources. First of all is “phin coffee”, the true Parisian style that is now lost in France.
Tay Dam only drinks hot black coffee, café au lait (coffee with fresh milk). Saigon people do not stop there, making iced coffee, condensed milk coffee, coffee mixed with butter. But Saigon is also famous for “filter coffee”, “super coffee”, “Chinese medicine coffee” originating from Cho Lon. Saigon people do not hesitate to order a cup of “xay chung” (small black coffee) or a cup of “bac xiu” (little coffee, lots of milk). In recent decades, Saigon has added “machine coffee”, “salt coffee”, “egg coffee”, and most recently “durian coffee” imported from many other places.
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Filter coffee |
After coffee, we must mention bread, theater, books, movies and today the Internet. Food, drink and cultural means from wherever they come are Saigonized and "recycled". Saigon is not a countryside or a garden house but a city of large industry and services. This is the land that gathers talents and resources from hundreds of directions, creating many innovative products and consumer tastes, spreading throughout the country. Saigon "plays and learns" from the Vietnamese of the three regions to the French, Chinese, Indians, Khmer and indigenous Cham people. In cuisine, language, religion and culture in general, there are many elements that are mixed and merged sweetly, becoming the essence of Saigon that is always fresh, diverse and not conservative.
Integration and tolerance
The style of Saigon is also the liberal spirit of a large city, trading and exchanging with all over the world from a very early age. Since the time of immigration to the new land, the people of Saigon knew how to live in harmony with the natives and newcomers. They knew how to support and protect each other in the adversities of nature and history. They knew how to fight against foreign invaders, how to protest against injustice, and at the same time, they knew how to love and be tolerant of their fellow countrymen and fellow human beings. That character was shown very early through the story of Mr. Thu Hoang - a man who volunteered to build a raft to display food and supplies for free for passersby at the river junction. That was a "zero-dong supermarket", in the words of contemporary Saigon, which gave birth to the name "Nha Be", which was simple but full of sentiment.
In the 21st century, Saigon continues to be the largest immigrant land in Vietnam, the "magnet" for Vietnamese people to make a living and start a business. It is also the convergence of many flows of money, technology and talent as well as new cultural and artistic flows. Saigon's style has been and is being enriched and made more unique. Saigon's style continues to create the richness and abundance of a colorful humane life. If you do not know how to enjoy, inherit and contribute to cultivating, then you are not a "true" Saigon citizen and an "official" Saigon lover!
My Saigon and ours continue to struggle amidst many unprecedented challenges. Therefore, it is necessary to cherish and mobilize the inherent good and beautiful things to learn and use to resolve the multifaceted difficulties when facing the problems of climate change, huge population, traffic congestion, urban pollution, and one-sided development.
My Saigon and ours continue to struggle amidst many unprecedented challenges. Therefore, it is necessary to cherish and mobilize the inherent good and beautiful things to learn and use to resolve the multifaceted difficulties when facing the problems of climate change, huge population, traffic congestion, urban pollution, and one-sided development.
Source: https://tienphong.vn/phong-vi-sai-gon-post1633537.tpo
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