When will it rain?

Nice clouds, but not what I came for.

I left work yesterday and the air was throbbing with humidity, the wind picking up. I’d been keeping an eye on the various cloud formations out the window all afternoon, assessing their shade of grey and what they could bring. The odd crack of thunder had also kept me hopeful. It’s time, I thought, this reluctant rainy season is finally going to stop teasing us, the sky is going to dump its goodness, and I’m going to be on the 23rd floor of the Sheraton Hotel watching the show while sipping an overpriced cocktail.

Alas, I was wrong, again. I don’t know why I keep getting my hopes up.

Right now, it’s too hot in Vietnam, and it’s really starting to get under my, and a lot of other people’s skin. I think the usual Vietnamese conversation opener of ‘Have you eaten breakfast/lunch/dinner/rice yet?’ has been replaced with the more relevant (if obvious) ‘It’s hot!’, or ‘Nong qua!’ said while fanning or shading oneself from the blasting sun. This is always the hottest time of the year, however usually by May there’s been some rain or at least cloudy days to drop the temperature a little.

I’m sick of being drawn indoors and addicted to my air conditioner. Though I know I shouldn’t complain, as unlike most people in this country I have a wealth of options for cooling down. As compared to, for example, this woman. I have always marvelled at how these wiry women manage to carry these baskets; they have a special way of quickly tottering, which gives momentum to the groaning weight on the ends of their bamboo poles. Like many people, she works and lives most of her life on the street. Imagine doing that in close to 40 degree heat for days on end.

Fool for Love

Ever wondered what happened to Dustin Nguyen from 21 Jump Street? Over the past few years he's been making quite a few films back in 'Nam and this one is his latest. The sign above the box office said the genre of this film was 'spychology' but I think Romantic Comedy might be a bit more accurate. Dustin Nguyen's character, Dung, is the fool for love, ditching his job as a toilet attendant in a posh hotel in Saigon to follow the girl of his dreams to Nha Trang. She's the glamourous lead singer in a band and he's just a humble, hapless fellow with a rusty old Honda Cub, but love conquers all in the end. Most of the comedy is provided by the somewhat effeminate character (on the left of the poster) that Dung befriends and becomes the driver for in Nha Trang. There's some good old asian slapstick, including a chase scene where a Xe Om driver pursues a series 6 BMW. It's a fun film, with some good shots of Saigon and the lovely coast around Nha Trang, and has been very popular here, holding its own against Iron Man 2 and the other blockbusters.

More Reasons to Celebrate

One thing that happened on April 30 was that Vietnam celebrated 35 years of Independence and Communism. Another thing that happened was that a big, shiny shopping centre opened right in the heart of downtown Saigon. The new Vincom Centre is a 27 storey building with 8 levels of shopping and entertainment. We, along with hoardes of others, took a look around on Friday night. Not many shops are open yet, so there was just a lot of people wandering and gawking, and taking photos of themselves next to supersized posters of the brands yet to come, such as Jimmy Choo, Armani and Versace.

Although buildings are going sky high all around central Saigon, there aren't any towers in the immediate vicinity of Vincom, so it looms large from all angles. There is a long thin digital screen in the centre of the building, it must be dozens of storey's high. Pity those residents of the old apartment blocks across the road, who will have millions of pixels bouncing around their living rooms every evening from now on. Though the way things are going, they won't be there for too much longer.


So, what to do tomorrow, International Labour Day, also a holiday in Vietnam?  Maybe I'll go shopping.