Up Cafe - 269 Nguyễn Trọng Tuyển

Just before Tet I drove past this tucked away cafe and immediately had to afford a second glance. There was something clearly out of place. Past the non-affronting sign and down the alleyway for parking stood a quaint looking house that served as the shelter for Up Cafe. But in true form to its name, it was standing on end, the roof firmly rooted in the foundation and the foundation stretching up towards the sky. Passing by on a motorbike, the casual glance I gave it certainly heightened the illusion.

A few days later I brought the whole family to see what other treasures might be within this creative upside down world.

True to form the interiors throw you off your feet with the paintings and lighting fixtures topsy turvy and for good measure there's even a dining room table and piano on the ceiling (perfect for entertaining guests when the Earth reaches zero gravity).

All in all the design is clever and adds to the always fantastic cafe scene in Saigon and in Vietnam overall.

As for the coffee, the price is reasonable for the standard set and though it's by no means an award-winning cup it's not too much of a sacrifice for the clever interiors. I'd recommend dropping by (no pun intended) at least once for a look.

Even their logo is pretty stylish:

You can visit them on Facebook (here)
or in person here:
Up Cafe
269 Nguyễn Trọng Tuyển
P.10, Q.Phú Nhuận

Vanishing Landmarks

My pal Eric Burdette recently had a feature in Tuoi Tre on the disappointing and almost nonexistant state of preservation that exists in Saigon.  Buildings from the colonial era as well as places of historical significance are being thrown to the rubble pile of history seemingly faster than at any other time in history.

Eric wasn't the only one to notice, with the Independent contributing an article particularly focused on Vincom's acquisition and subsequent demolition of the Eden shopping arcade and apartments.  Those buildings that aren't given schedules for destruction seem to be having a tough time at surviving nonetheless with a block of colonial buildings going up in flames only last week.

Eden before demolition (left)

There has been talk among some expats in the past regarding the establishment of a historical preservation society like other places in the world.  While a noble idea, I doubt that an institution as such would have little affect on Ministry of Construction policy particularly when big companies like Vincom are able to use government connections to achieve their business goals.

The silver lining for the preservation, as I see it, lies in the very same enterprises that threaten preservation. Travel into District 3 and you are bound to see plenty of the decaying and derelict French villas. Buildings which probably cause land seekers to shake their heads and wonder when they'll be able to build an office tower or shopping center there.

At the same time, a large number of villas are transforming as entrepreneurs take over the buildings, dust them off and give them a second life as high market cafes and restaurants.

 Khai Silk's Au Manoir de Khai in its restored villa location (Lê Quý Đôn - Điện Biên Phủ)

Its not preservation in its purest sense, as fixtures, floorings and probably even walls are not spared from restructuring, but it's keeping a glimmer of the grandeur most of the buildings once displayed.  And they are certainly more beautiful in their new use than another modern multi-story tower.

A newly renovated villa opening soon as a Ngoc Suong Restaurant (Lê Quý Đôn - Điện Biên Phủ)

 

So whether they value it or not, the Ngoc Suong's and Au Manoir de Khai's of the city are saving the city's historical record.  Perhaps, even Vincom might see it fitting to fashion the corner where Givral once stood in a similar style to the corner known by Graham Greene, Pham Xuan An and the like (though it might have been easier if they hadn't already knocked it down). And as long as patrons keep desiring to experience meals and conversations in places such as those above, I hope that business leaders of the city will continue to seek to cater to those desires. 

Happy New Year

Based on numerous New Year celebrations in Vietnam, I think it's time to lay down some simple rules for New Year's for people around the world to follow. I don't want to rewrite your culture, I don't want to be a neocolonialist, but I feel these are pretty essential in practice. So here are the...

ESSENTIAL NEW YEAR RULES
1. Your famous new year song shouldn't have the word "die" in it.
Auld Lang Syne is no pick-me-up, but c'mon ABBA. "feeling lost", "feeling blue" "man is a fool", on and on. The Happy New Year chorus is the only cheery part but it's surrounded in bitterness. At least write some new lyrics around it.  I personally would give a limb (seriously...like my right arm right now) for someone to record a new year song I didn't want to strangle to death.


(My personal choice)

2. The Beatles' "Yesterday" shall not be played
New Year's is a time for reflection, a time for looking back. But it's not a time for longing for yesterday and this song should not be played anywhere on December 31st. January 1st maybe, but only if you are hungover.

3. Your New Year's event shouldn't end before midnight
If you have an event billed as a "New Year Gala" then it should welcome in the New Year. You don't need to have a countdown, but it doesn't hurt. But at least play a song (while following rules #1 & #2) at 12:01 and have a cheers or two.

Any new year rules you'd like to add?

Vietnam Record Shops

In 2006, Onra, a French-Vietnamese hip hop beatmaker came to Ho Chi Minh City, stumbled through some back alleys and shops and brought out 30 or so old Chinese and Vietnamese vinyl records. He took samples from these records and created an album called Chinoiseries which was widely acclaimed.

A sampling of Onra

While the album features Chinese ballads more than Vietnamese, it gave me hope that there was still lots of vinyl to be had in town; a personal collection hobby of mine.  In the States I can go to any Goodwill or Salvation Army thrift store and find an assortment of cast aside records. Vinyl has even had a bit of a comeback with plenty of folks in my generation enjoying becoming collectors again, even in the ever increasing digital age.

I had a modest collection before I came to Vietnam, which I passed on for safekeeping. Since then I've wanted to have a bit of a collection here. I have a small assortment of 33's and 45's now, mostly courtesy of my parents' collection and a few I picked up in the States.

My modest collection

I've always asked people if they knew where I could score some vinyl in town and didn't get many results until today when a guy told us about the de facto "old electronic" market in District 10.  After a jaunt there and asking around at various places we found at least 2 shops with records scattered among old radios, speakers, fans and assorted varieties of antique lover's dreams.

And what did I find? The Byrds and Beegees among some French mixes and a surprising amount of Russian discs.  My guess is these all made it in to the black market during the time when records would still have been the main medium of music listening (which even in the 70's was being replaced by reel to reel tapes, a predecessor to cassettes). The best find? A 45 record of The Archies "Sugar Sugar" which was in a handwritten case that said "Sugar Sugar, tp. Ho Chi Minh 29/03/1976." I was tempted to buy it just for the historical insight.  Can you imagine a group of Saigonese listening to "Sugar Sugar" in secret during the height of the crackdown on illegal goods such as that one?

As for Vietnamese the only options were really cai luong operas, nothing really that exciting, but the owner has our name and number now and promised to call if something else should come in.

Vietnam Street Name Guide

My friend Minh recently asked on twitter whether there was a good guide to all the street names in Vietnam. A few chimed in with some pages, but most are a spattering of the major streets which most people know anyway.

I thought I'd make a solution to that and turned to Google maps for a little interactivity.

Below is a work that is definitely one in progress particularly as there are some "famous" Vietnamese for whom I can find no information about.  A little more digging will be necessary.  If you know the history behind some streets not covered yet feel free to chime in below!


View VN Street Name Guide in a larger map

35 years later

I absolutely love visiting the Vietnam Center and Archive of Texas Tech online and pouring through the pictures and documents they have available. You can find some true gems about Vietnam's past.

I was reading this article ("Are The Cities of South Vietnam Large & Beautiful?" by Ngoc Tuan, August 1975) over the weekend and thought it was an interesting look back on where Vietnam has come from in 35 years, particularly how the government has altered its stance on so many things.

An article like this, which disparaged the Americans and their puppet regime for building cities with high rises and retail outlets certainly stands in contrast to April 30, 2010 when the parade of victory took place only blocks away from the opening of Vincom Tower, yet another retail outlet high rise in the city. I think the author got some parts right, particularly the slums intermixed between these modern structures, but then again, it's still a prevalent problem today, is it not?

Nonetheless, I like this article not so much for my opinion about it as I do how it gives a window in time to how we've changed in 35 years.

"Post-Village People it's much harder to take the Navy seriously"

Our Man in Hanoi blogger Steve shared a link to "Commandos at peace time" a photo diary of sorts published by the People's Army of Vietnam website this morning.  While most seem to be standard pictures there are a few gems that stick out like this:

"Happiness after a sea patrol" complete with guitar-wielding sailors frolicking in fields with their ao dai garbed girlfriends who assuredly have been waiting at the port in those pristine fabrics since their sailor loves left. Steve commented how "post-Village People, it's much harder to take the Navy seriously," which sparked an idea:

Vietnam cities are inundated with propaganda posters, particularly in the build up to holidays. Right now Saigon is filled with 35 year anniversary Liberation Day posters with the typical tank and grinning soldiers. But thinking back to the posters I've seen they almost have all the ingredients for a socialist realism rendition of the disco-hit making Village People. Police? Check. Construction workers? Check. Soldier? Easy. So we just needed a few more and we can have a complete set. With a little photoshop help to add the Cowboy and Indian and of course the required mustache here and there, I bring you this little draft:

People's Committee officials, contact me when you want to sign a contract.