Return to Saigon

When I return to Saigon I find a room for only 5USD, 50m from where I originally stayed. I meet a pair of brothers from Canada who are doing a similar trip but in a different order to myself. The older has hitch hiked through South America and I enjoy some of the stories he shares. Our schedules have us arriving in Pakistan around the same time so it's possible we may meet up there.

Vincent comes to visit and we have a cheap dinner and drinks with a small collection of travellers that we all know.

The following morning, Vincent picks me up and we head to his home city (District 12 of Saigon) to meet his family and try some of the food (which is much better than that in Saigon Central).

I meet his mother and one of his cousins in one house, an uncle in another and an aunty in another. His extended family exceeds 150 people. Vincent's niece (Nga which is Vietnamese name for Russia) joins us as we go to the supermarket to get supplies for hotpot.

For lunch we have a soup (Bun Rieu). Looking at the soup, I see what appears to be a block of chocolate floating in it. I mention this to Vincent and he cracks up laughing, translates in Vietnamese and all the people at the restaurant join in and laugh at the foreigner. From then on Vincent continues to bring up the story of Vietnamese chocolate, which is actually cooked pig's blood and is quite delicious.

After lunch we take a quick dip in a local pool and head back for hotpot with Vincent's friends.

Eating a mushroom and seafood hotpot. From Left to Right, Vincent's friends: Thuy Anh, Ly, Tam, Thuy, Mai, Thao and her son and Nga (the niece).

We finish the evening with Ca Phe Sua Da (Iced coffee with milk) on the roof of a cafe overlooking the Saigon international runway.

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