Trung Yên

This week our group took a trip to Trung Yen, one of the more developed areas of Vietnam.  Lining the streets were not food vendors but rather banks.  Businessmen walked the empty streets and sidewalk was readily available to be walked on.  Palm trees lined the surrounding area and the apartments were definitely styled in a different way.  No longer were the cramped side by side, but were spacious and large. Sometimes while walking around I felt as if I was walking in my own neighborhood back in the States only to be reminded that I was still in Vietnam when Ngan or Dung had to pull me to the side to avoid getting hit by a car -___-;

When we started to look for the items on the list, we noticed that, unlike Den Bach Ma, everything was more spread out. We were unable to find a lot of things on the list (place to buy rice, fresh vegetables, knife sharpener...) but comparing this area to DBA, Trung Yen doesn't allow for any of these things to be available.  What I thought was nice about the area was that it had a nice public park for everyone to enjoy.  There were kids running around, to teens playing tennis and badminton, and older people walking around the perimeter of the park. 

Not by a tourist attraction, Trung Yen is a lot more calm and relaxed. I don't know if I can see myself living here just because the life pace is a little slower but it does look like a great spot to retire in.

Đền Bạch Mã

Our group was assigned to go to Đền Bạch Mã.  Nestled in Old Quarters, this area was somewhat familiar to me (some of us were actually at Club JAM two nights before). Because of its proximity to Old Quarters, Đền Bạch Mã had most and almost everything on the list, besides the tree space.  Everything was within walking distance and even though it did not have a market of its own, about two blocks up on Thanh Hà street there was a market selling almost every good imaginable.  A block down from Đền Bạch Mã is Ta Hiện and Lương Ngọc Quyẽn where there are bars, Bia Hoi, and dancing clubs.  Due to this, Đền Bạch Mã and the area around it is very tourist heavy.  The streets were lined with restaurants and soveniour shops.  On Hang Buom, there a lot of tourist agencies to cater to that.  Traffic was heavy throughout the entire time we were there (5-7pm).

Of all the times I've been to Old Quarters, this was the first time where I was able to fully be aware of where I was and absorb all that the area had to offer. It was nice walking around without a real destination to go to and just simply exploring.  But at the same time I think I enjoyed more the time spent with my project group to really think critically about my surroundings.

Would I live here?  Considering my age I find this place to be in the center of everything that I need. There's always people around and the streets just feel alive. As I get older, I don't think this would be a place I would want to retire in though.

:)