Property and construction business are booming. More international 5 stars hotels (
both Hilton and Sofitel) are currently under construction. Domestic economy and consumption has increased. Foreign goods and cars (including the new hybrid cars) are easily available if you have the money, of course. Locals are heading toward jewelry outlets to invest in gold to deck themselves with this precious commodity. TV programs on 10 local TV channels are aired throughout the day and if variety is what you demand, subscribe Cable TV. Elsewhere, a sure sign that time is good is the mushrooming of restaurants dishing out local (
Pho 24 and Wrap n Roll are some home grown success selling Vietnamese noodle and fresh rice rolls) and western cuisine and designer cafe bars.
Sipping coffee at Mojo's of Sheraton was my last trip's favorite as it was the place to people watch. It's a favorite of the young upper crust in the Vietnamese society where they are decked out with the latest Parisian bag, diamond encrusted Rolex, IPOD and wheeled in by fancy cars. If that's not your cup of "coffee", you could order their delicious cakes and desserts. This time around Kimchi (She is chief strategist in an international media firm) took us to the cafe bar close to her office,
Ban Sonate Cafe at District 1. It's an oasis that comes with free wi-fi, furnished with comfortable couches nestled in a serene background of tropical foliage, waterfall, rock garden and designer garden chairs and some cute ornamental ducks in the garden.
The Vietnamese coffee bar are not for the Starbuck's die hard where they order, collect and go. Enjoying a good cup of "Vietnamese drip
coffee" will mean dedicating a good amount of time waiting for the brew to drip through tiny holes into your cup filled with a small amount of condensed milk. In the meanwhile, what can you do? Kick your legs up, sit back, relax and indulge in sweet talks, office gossip or do nothing. If you are alone, you can always go back to your boring activity of working on your laptop. With an extensive menu of coffees, tea, light snacks it certainly hard to choose. As I was having one of my sinus attack, I had to decline the cup of coffee and ordered ginger tea. Thoroughly relax after my drink, all that I have to do is to soak in the surrounding, filled with the rippling sound of the water of the artificial river that runs at the back of the upper level of the cafe.
The younger generation have embraced coffee culture not just in the city but all over Vietnam. In
Da Lat(capital of Lam Dong Province), in the central highland, cafes lined up along main roads. All serving the requisite cup of drip coffee served hot or with ice. Coffee are an important commodity introduced by the French and Vietnam is the second largest producer in the world after Brazil. In Da Lat, coffee is considered the king of beverage but tea are definitely the queen.
Jasmine tea, Green tea, lotus tea, oolong tea, artichoke tea are very, very popular. The mild, cool temperate climate is the best reason to have a constant warm-me-up drink, which is the tea. Vietnam's domestically driven economy has made Da Lat a major producer and supplier of temperate fruits and vegetables all the way down to Ho Chi Min City.
In Cho Da Lat(Da Lat Market), the morning market is swarming with locals and buzzing with activities of buying and selling. Mulberries, strawberries, apple custard, artichoke, avocado grown here are arranged in a orderly manner to show of their best. Fresh peas of all sorts are picked and shelled, carrot, radishes, green papayas daintily hand shredded, ready to be sold and taken home for that infamous green papaya salad, Stalls selling an assortments of herbs and salad leaves such as butterhead, endive, watercress, basil, spearmint, perilla leaves, forest ferns as a condiment for fresh rice paper rolls. Fresh tofu, fresh rice noodles, fresh rice paper, cherry eggplants, roma tomatoes, pink potatoes, straw mushrooms, eggs, rabbit, quails, pate, ham, roasted pork, fresh living seafood and so much more ....... ( I will leave some to your imagination or you can check the pictures I have uploaded). After that, walk over to the wine, spices, pickles and preserves corner. Here, you will also find a variety of bulbs such as garlic, some as tiny as a kidney bean together with shallots of different colors.
A walk through the Cho Da Lat(the market is about the size of a football stadium) will by now arouse hunger growls from your stomach. Smell the food and take the stairs in the center building block where hawker stalls are situated. Similar to the Pudu market, the food court sells local food from Pho to steam dumplings, baguette sandwich, rice, vegetables, hot and cold drinks as well as desserts. For vegetarians, the options are far better than the regular family restaurant in Da Lat town. No tummy ache eating street food.
By now, with tummies satisfied, visit the myriad arrangements of flowers located in the front of the block. A prestigious spring flower festival every April herald Da Lat as the main producer of temperate flowers such as hydrangea, lilies, roses, orchids, peonies and etc. Head towards the preserved nuts and fruit section to sample popular items like ginger, soursop and tamarind candies. Do buy some mulberry or strawberry gum sweets and famous artichoke tea to take home. Practice bargaining prices just for the fun of it but the language barrier is pretty obvious. It is very difficult to find anyone speaking English and if at all with their accent, you might as well use sign language.
What about the nightlife? More al fresco cafes and a lively pasar malam carnival like atmosphere. Cardigan and scarves are the norm dress code as the night temperature dips low. Downtown Da Lat square turns into a pedestrian mall on Saturday and Sunday with al fresco dining, live art and music performance as well as horse carriage riding for families. In the windy night, the smell of freshly grilled dried cuttlefish and corn permeates the lakeside air. I glimpsed the lady carrying the "kandar" stick and wondered what everyone was eating. Hot steamy bowls of silken taufu far with pure molasses syrup boiled with young ginger and topped with a spoonful of coconut cream. It was the most heavenly manna I have ever eaten and so deliciously simple, all for less than RM1.
A non-stop frenzy of wheeling and dealing from morning till night. Motorbikes and taxis abound in the one way streets of booming Da Lat. The resourcefulness and the political circumstances have resulted in a strong local economy that is positive and thriving. Even in such a small town, infrastructure are pretty well planned, city folks like Pius and Kimchi have bought property here both as an investment and second home. With such a positive prediction and the spring climate, of course, who wouldn't.
Most Vietnamese are very contented with the current economic environment and more overseas Vietnamese have chosen to return to live and work. Likewise many expatriates have chosen to start businesses and live here as well. LG, a Penangite, married to Wade a chiropractor from USA has opened a practice in HCMC for more than two years. In a rare and bizarre situation, Vietnam is probably the only country where our friend wears gold bracelet the size of a watch strap. a necklace thicker than a rope and still feel safe. Capital punishment have kept crime rate from escalating in such a bustling city. Yes, there are some downside of a communist regime but no government is ever perfect.
Wish I can feel the same living in Bangsar. But what an experience I've had for the past 6 days in Vietnam. Having travel to Hanoi, Hue, Hoi An to HCMC and now Da Lat, I have enjoy the best of all Vietnam.
Good night, Vietnam!
Back to the rat, I dug out our rust resistant rat cage, smothered a good amount of peanut butter onto a piece of multi-grain bread and placed it at the corner of our backyard. Why peanut butter, you may ask, why not belacan, ikan bilis or cheese?
The peanut butter bait have succeeded in trapping the rats, not once, not twice but three times, the last was the juvenile rat. I have a feeling there is a last member hiding in my roof space. The "dead giveaways" are the incessant scratching and squeaking at night. Pardon my pun.
Back to the rat, I dug out our rust resistant rat cage, smothered a good amount of peanut butter onto a piece of multi-grain bread and placed it at the corner of our backyard. Why peanut butter, you may ask, why not belacan, ikan bilis or cheese?
The peanut butter bait have succeeded in trapping the rats, not once, not twice but three times, the last was the juvenile rat. I have a feeling there is a last member hiding in my roof space. The "dead giveaways" are the incessant scratching and squeaking at night. Pardon my pun.