The Pham! (Phạm Ngũ Lão)

I thought it would be fitting to start off my blog with a post on perhaps the most interesting square mile I have ever come across in the region.

I will try to cover this extremely interesting area of Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam with my own personal views as well as experiences of what you could expect.

This area of the city is usually the first point of contact for backpackers and travelling people visiting Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon) which could be a good thing and a bad thing... let me explain the pro's and con's in my point of view.

Goods - 

• Cheap hotels
• Good food
• Travel companies galore offering many cheap trips to locations as far as Cambodia.
• Cheap beer and Hanoi Vodka!
• Lots of people from around the world
• Nightlife, not sure if good is a word I should use to describe it though
• Good pick up location
• Motorbike rental is cheap
• Can score drugs, if that’s your thing. 

Bads -  

• Crazy Buffalo! I am sorry just something about that place!
• High level of theft and crime
• Annoying people selling stuff to you all the time
• Lots of strange people from around the world! 
• You’re a target for prostitution all day long
• Drugs if that’s NOT your thing.
• It is not a fair representation of a beautiful country.

With the fact that I personally lived in Ho Chi Minh for 6 months this part of the city became almost everyday life for some reason or another! I fail to see how a young western man living in HCMC would function without "the Pham" but again I wonder is this a good thing? I am not sure.

The fact it is located right in the middle of the city makes it ideal for shopping for those odd things you can never really find around the city, it becomes one of those situations where you ask yourself "where can I find this item" the obvious answer is going to be "Pham Ngu Lao"

A lot of people compare it to the Khao San Road in Bangkok which is fair if your just travelling through. However where I feel living in Bangkok you could function without the Khao San I don't feel you could live without Pham Ngu Lao.

A good friend of mine referred to it as "Disney Land for cunts" and living in the city you wonder why someone would say that, especially when he spent at least 1 hour out of his day there for whatever reason but looking back on it now I can see why. For whatever reason you can never relax there is always something that keeps you on edge and for the thrill seeking tourist that’s fun but when you pay your taxes in Vietnam and you just want to finish your "Boston brute" (A lovely baguette from the Boston bar) sink a few beers and move on it can often lead to a rather sweaty and nervous experience. There is no real reason outside of pickpockets and the constantly offer of books, cigarettes and drugs to feel this way but you just do, or at least I and my friends did. It got boring fast but yet we returned which in a way says a lot for Pham Ngu Lao.

I think at this point its a good idea to point out the places of interest....

• Boston bar (Great food, shitty cheap beer and the world’s worst dart boards, but its open 24 hours!)
• LePub (Part of a chain in Vietnam always good food and good drinks, friendly staff, however can be expensive)
• Pharmacy across from Crazy Buffalo - Sells everything you need, literally.
• Vien Dong Hotel - If your after a good massage at a decent price, it doesn’t get better!
• A Silver Elephant - Don’t ask just seek it out
• Allez Boo - A good bar to watch the going's on around the area.
• Go2Bar - Nightclub/bar a better alternative to Crazy Buffalo.
• Subway - The only Subway sandwich shop in Vietnam currently! And its gooood!

Just some places to check out whether you live in the city or just passing by.

As I have pointed out the area certainly plays its part in the western man/woman’s life in Ho Chi Minh whether your just touring the region on live there I would recommend you check it out and take what you want from it but one thing I would also suggest is you behave! Too many times have I seen people get in to trouble around this part of town and it never ends well, in fact I really don't want to imagine what happens after they are dragged into a little room down a dark alley. Let your imagination fill in the rest.

From day one of moving to HCMC it played a large part of my life there and not knowing anyone outside of work it was often a place for me to go to have some contact with western folk at the end of the day or over my weekends. As mentioned the drinks were cheap and the variety of food was across the board so it was easy just to become accustomed to living on what Pham Ngu Lao had to offer. 

Then one day your walking to get a taxi and someone will approach you, offer you girls,  weed, cocaine, whatever he thinks you want really and then it starts from there. As I said,  as a western man everything you need is in the region, or so they think.

One thing to keep in mind when it comes to buying ANYTHING in Pham Ngu Lao is the cost. Outside of menu food everything is up for haggling and the mark up price is usually around 60-70% higher than what they will accept. Remember these people here see you as walking pound, dollar, euro spending machines. There is a fine line when it comes to dealing with the Vietnamese and it is easy to cross it so as far as I am concerned if you stay smart, friendly and respectful you will be able to get what you want for a good price without looking like an arrogant westerner.

To sum up, it’s a good location in small doses and very easy to get sucked in to what it has to offer. If you stay wise to the good's and the bad's regardless of being a tourist or living in Vietnam you will be fine.

Disney Land for cunt....I am not so sure.

Any questions! Feel free to ask!