Bill Baileys Vietnam - Season 1 Episode 02- Ho Chi Minh
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00:00Welcome to Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam.
00:10A city that's been on fast forward for the last 50 years since the end of the war.
00:15So what better time to pause and reflect on this fascinating city.
00:24Vietnam. Of course it's a place of tea plantation.
00:29Traffic. Temples. But then it's something else entirely.
00:38Come with me on an unusual.
00:40Oh no, no, no.
00:41Unfiltered.
00:42I'm soaked. Look at me trousers.
00:45Unforgettable adventure.
00:48Give me five.
00:49My mind's off on a whole bunch of other tangents.
00:53I'm thinking about a sandwich I had in 1982.
00:56As this nation commemorates 50 years since the end of the war.
00:59So as soon as it's safe, right?
01:01I'll explore this fertile land.
01:03Ask the big questions.
01:05Am I in the right place?
01:06Embrace new experiences.
01:08Even my own future.
01:09I'm proud of them.
01:11You are a smart contestant.
01:13Is there any, you know, good news?
01:16Navigate tight spaces.
01:18I'm not entirely sure how I'm going to get out.
01:20Make some new friends.
01:21Separated at birth.
01:24This is a voyage of discovery.
01:26Of strange encounters.
01:27This is your whole life in a plant.
01:29And kindred spirits.
01:31An enchanted stroll to one of the most fascinating places on earth.
01:36Welcome to Bill Bailey's Vietnam Adventure.
01:39This is Ho Chi Minh City.
01:55A huge, dynamic, clamorous assault on the senses.
02:00But what strikes me most is the traffic.
02:03It's relentless.
02:04Simply crossing the road is an adventure in itself.
02:08On the southeastern curve of this S-shaped nation
02:12sits the former capital of South Vietnam on the Saigon River.
02:17Right, that's the geography sorted for you.
02:21Now, back to the street crossing.
02:24I'm told confidence is key.
02:26All right, here we go.
02:30Oh, .
02:31It's bloody green, you .
02:41Is this worth it for a selfie?
02:44Let's get the .
02:45I mean, it's not worth getting mowed down for,
02:50but it's quite a good shot.
02:56I've arranged a personal guide of this thrumming metropolis,
03:01still affectionately known as Saigon.
03:04No safe bus tour for me.
03:06I want to get amongst it, be at one with the people.
03:15Hi, Mr Bell.
03:16There's my guide.
03:17I'm here.
03:18KK.
03:19Across another road.
03:20Yes.
03:21All right, KK, I'm here.
03:23All right.
03:24Watch out.
03:25Just take this nice and easy.
03:28You can do it.
03:31I'm leaving you.
03:32Come on.
03:33Okay.
03:34Yay.
03:35There we go.
03:36High five.
03:37Hi, KK.
03:38How are you doing all right?
03:39You survived.
03:40I survived, yeah, exactly.
03:41I don't know how.
03:42Hello, nice to meet you.
03:43Lovely to meet you.
03:44Yeah.
03:45How do you do that?
03:46Well, I don't know, actually.
03:47It's not something I do normally.
03:49Oh, my God.
03:50Walk out into traffic.
03:51But, hey, you know, I'm here to try new experiences.
03:54And in this context, safety first.
03:57But let's not let safety get in the way of looking stylish.
04:00All right.
04:01I like the fact that I'm colour-coded with the bike.
04:03Yeah.
04:04Oh, my gosh.
04:05Outfit match.
04:06I know.
04:07Like a pose.
04:08Got to get on here like that.
04:09Yes, exactly.
04:10Okay.
04:11I'm just stretching out my hips a little bit.
04:12Yeah, all right.
04:13I've got a little bit of cramp in me.
04:14All right.
04:15My leg won't go.
04:16Yeah.
04:17Yeah, just stretch it up.
04:19Yeah, that's right.
04:20And I can put my feet on this footrest here.
04:22Yes, right.
04:23Perfect.
04:24All right.
04:25Okay.
04:26All right.
04:27All right.
04:28Have some workout today.
04:29It is a workout.
04:30All right.
04:31All right, you ready?
04:32Okay, let's do it.
04:33Okay, here we go.
04:34All right.
04:35Don't be scared.
04:36Yeah.
04:37What could I possibly be scared of?
04:40Actually, this is exhilarating.
04:42Just me, KK, and nothing but Saigon smog between us and the bitumen.
04:47I'm trusting KK with my life.
04:49Watch out for the scooters.
04:51Uh-oh.
04:52There we go.
04:53Look out.
04:54Yeah.
04:55No worries.
04:56Just a little bit of...
04:57It seems like a whole wall of bikes were coming towards us then.
05:01Yeah, that's the beauty of life, my friend.
05:04Yeah.
05:05Uh, the time that you were about near your death.
05:07You never know that.
05:08Oh.
05:09Okay.
05:10I mean, it's a very good point, but not that reassuring.
05:15Uh, KK, I was going to ask you, how many people are in Ho Chi Minh City?
05:19We have approximately about 12 million.
05:2112 million?
05:2212 million people, yes.
05:23Wow.
05:24And of those 12 million, how many scooters are there here?
05:27I mean, there must be a million.
05:29Yeah, we have actually around more than nine million scooters.
05:34Nine million?
05:35Yes.
05:36That's extraordinary.
05:37With the millions of scooters comes smog.
05:41But the good news is, Vietnam is aiming to phase out scooters by 2050 to achieve net-zero emissions.
05:48Until then, riding a scooter is thirsty work.
05:51By the time you've dodged a billion buses and crossed a five-lane highway, sustenance is essential.
05:58So, are we going to have a quick juice or something?
06:00Yes.
06:01Oh, my God, they have some lovely seats for you as well.
06:03Oh, a tiny stool.
06:05Yes, exactly.
06:06So, we will sit right here.
06:07This is how it sits for you.
06:09I hope it's not too tiny for you.
06:11Is this?
06:12Yes.
06:13Is it how it is?
06:14Just like that, please.
06:15All right.
06:16Have a try.
06:17How do you try?
06:18I'll try it.
06:19Yep.
06:20Ah!
06:21You did it!
06:22Great.
06:23And our friends here as well.
06:24Hello, everyone.
06:25Yeah.
06:26Hi, guys.
06:27This city is set on contorting my body into awkward positions.
06:33But this is good practice, actually, for being on the bike, sitting on a tiny stool.
06:40I feel like a giant.
06:42I feel like these stools are for a different size of person.
06:48So, we have some other drinks for you.
06:49What's that?
06:50Oh, so this one is called the peach tea.
06:51Peach tea?
06:52Yeah.
06:53Right.
06:54Please, have a try.
06:55Okay.
06:56Cheers.
06:57All right.
06:58How was it?
06:59Oh, that's good.
07:00That is really good.
07:01And what is this?
07:02Oh.
07:03So, this is what we call a rice cake pudding, you can say.
07:04Okay.
07:05Mushrooms and minced pork as well.
07:06Right.
07:07So, this is like a dumpling or something.
07:08Yes, it's similar.
07:09In Vietnamese name, we call it banh dò.
07:10Banh dò.
07:11Banh dò.
07:12Yes.
07:13So, anything that is made with flour, as long as it has flour, it's called banh.
07:15So, yes, you have it.
07:16Banh dò.
07:17That's exactly.
07:18And, for this baby, it's the breakfast.
07:19This is the breakfast.
07:20This is a breakfast.
07:21This is delicious.
07:22From one to ten, how much would you rate this one?
07:23I mean, a solid eight.
07:41Solid?
07:42Oh my god.
07:43Right now, I mean, this is really hitting the spot.
07:47want to teach you how to say cheers in Vietnam all right go then how do you say so how is it
07:52we counted from one to three in Vietnam we count mot is number one M-O-T mot mot yes exactly and
08:00number two is hi you say hi to your friend hi hi yeah it's number two hi hi yeah and then number
08:07three which means bar like you go to the bar oh yeah counting what hi yes all right let's
08:16Let's do it for the time.
08:17OK, here we go.
08:18Mot hai ba yu.
08:22Hello, everyone. Say cheers to me.
08:24Let's say to Anna.
08:26Mot hai ba yu.
08:31All right, cheers.
08:32Welcome to Vietnam.
08:33Cheers, thank you.
08:40Just as the cacophony of traffic threatens to swallow you whole,
08:44the Saigon River appears, wide and calm,
08:48gliding through the centre of the city
08:50like it knows a quieter way to get things done.
08:53Stretching over 250 kilometres from Cambodia to the sea,
08:57it's been a vital economic trade route for centuries, and still is.
09:02If I ask you, how do you describe Vietnamese traffic into work?
09:08Organised chaos.
09:09Exactly, 10 out of 10.
09:11Right out of bed.
09:12Yes.
09:13Yes.
09:14Ho Chi Minh city traffic is like a symphony with no conductor.
09:21And then, standing calmly amid the chaos,
09:24is the father of modern Vietnam.
09:26The man who led the country through war, independence,
09:30and into history,
09:31and whose profound impact brought about the renaming of Saigon,
09:35Mr. Ho Chi Minh.
09:37For Vietnamese people who live abroad,
09:39Uncle Ho may be a deeply polarising figure,
09:41but for locals, he was the leader of North Vietnam
09:44and fought for autonomy from French colonial rule.
09:48The sad thing about his death is that he was fighting for so long to have the Independence Day.
09:53Independence Day is 30 April 1975.
09:56Yes.
09:57Yes.
09:57He never survived.
09:59He never lived to see it.
10:00Yes, exactly.
10:00He unfortunately passed away before that.
10:02When the war ended in 1975 and the North claimed victory,
10:07Saigon, once the capital of the South,
10:09was renamed Ho Chi Minh City.
10:12There's not really an equivalent figure in British society.
10:22The only person I can think of who is anything like us revered
10:25in terms of carrying the hopes of a nation is Winston Churchill.
10:29A handsome man in his early days, before the balding,
10:50although bald heads are held in high regard here,
10:52the bald are thought of as wise,
10:54which, of course, I can't argue with.
10:56He's actually quite a good-looking fellow, isn't he?
10:59Yes, actually.
11:00Quite striking.
11:01Yes, exactly.
11:02But because he's been thinking too much,
11:04so his hair is kind of similar.
11:06Oh, yes.
11:07Very strapped.
11:08Same with me.
11:09I'm thinking so much, so my hair went...
11:11Wow, seems like you carry heavy responsibility like him, too.
11:14Yeah, must have done.
11:16Do you know what?
11:16It's actually a very good statue as well.
11:18Yes.
11:19It's actually really well done.
11:20Yes.
11:21You know, because some statues are sort of, I don't know,
11:23maybe their likeness isn't great or the actual proportions,
11:29but this is very well done.
11:30Would you like to have a statue in the future?
11:32I mean, who knows, you know?
11:33Wouldn't that be great, have a statue of yourself?
11:35Oh, my God.
11:36I don't think I'd get a city named after myself.
11:38Oh, my God.
11:38No, I don't think so.
11:40Maybe a roundabout.
11:43That's my first big lesson of being here,
11:47of learning about what is important to Vietnamese people.
11:51And so much of it is tied up with him.
11:54And such a sort of reverence.
11:58It's interesting that KK was saying,
12:00don't try and imitate his pose.
12:03And I guess that's what we do as tourists, you know.
12:06But actually, it's disrespectful.
12:09And I can see that, you know.
12:11He's...
12:12He is, after all, the bringer of light.
12:20Whoa!
12:21I wasn't ready for that.
12:23Jeez!
12:24Oh!
12:27I was just getting it.
12:28No, I wasn't ready for that.
12:30I head-butted the back of your helmet.
12:33Yeah, they like using the horn, don't they?
12:42Thank you so much, KK.
12:44It's been fantastic.
12:46Thank you for all your information
12:48and all your guides and guidance.
12:50It's been brilliant.
12:52Never mind all that.
12:53Get out of the road, you idiot.
12:54High five.
12:55All right.
12:56See you next time.
12:57It's amazing I've survived this challenge at all.
13:03This is not a series about the Vietnam War,
13:10which has been dealt with exhaustively elsewhere.
13:14But it is 50 years since the end of the war.
13:17And to help me understand what makes Vietnam so extraordinary,
13:21I can't ignore the very thing that has defined this country for decades.
13:25And with that in mind, I've come to this place, the Koo Chi Tunnels,
13:30a tourist site now which celebrates the ingenuity of the Vietnamese
13:34in a conflict that was broadcast graphically to the world.
13:37This country is no stranger to attempts on its freedom.
13:42After a thousand years of Chinese imperial rule,
13:46French colonization, and of course the Vietnam War,
13:49it's no wonder that people value independence so much.
13:53I'm here to find out a little of what it was like
13:55to have been a soldier in the Viet Cong
13:56in this brutal battle between North and South Vietnam
13:59that was backed by the U.S.
14:01as I prepare to head down into the tunnels,
14:04an experience which is not, as it turns out, for the faint-hearted.
14:09I'm just looking at these rules.
14:12You should not go down the tunnel in the following cases.
14:15Visitors who are afraid of darkness and narrow places.
14:18Visitors of old age, 70.
14:20Come on, that's not that old.
14:23Visitors who are drunk.
14:24Well, yeah, fair enough.
14:27Old drunk people with asthma.
14:29Don't bother.
14:32Don't even bother coming down here.
14:34Who comes here drunk?
14:37I know what I'm going to answer that question.
14:39British tourists.
14:41I can just imagine it.
14:43Come on, lads.
14:44Let's go down the tunnels.
14:46Yeah.
14:48Oh, I know.
14:50I mean, they're pretty well turned out,
14:52matching scarves and capes.
14:55I imagine it's pretty grim down in these tunnels.
14:57I like a cape.
14:59I do like a cape.
15:02It's all pretty practical stuff.
15:05Sandals,
15:06webbing belt,
15:07water bottle,
15:08torch.
15:09I mean,
15:12that's what you need for tunnel life.
15:18Quite attractive,
15:20in a strange kind of way.
15:24The Koo Chi tunnels are a complex underground network
15:28designed to conceal the Viet Cong from the enemy.
15:31And local expert Tin is going to help me navigate these tiny spaces.
15:35Now, these tunnels originally would have been much smaller, wouldn't it?
15:40Today, for visiting, yeah,
15:42some part of the tunnel has been widened for two years.
15:44Right.
15:45Yeah.
15:45It's about 80 centimetre high by 60 centimetre wide.
15:49God, that's tiny, really.
15:51Yeah.
15:51Because mostly Vietnamese people are so skinny, you know.
15:54Much smaller.
15:55Yeah, smaller.
15:55Yes.
15:56Do you think I'm too big for this?
15:57Um, but it's big enough for you.
16:00All right.
16:00It's comfortable for your side.
16:01All right.
16:02I'll take your word for it.
16:05Be careful your step.
16:07Yeah.
16:11I'm hoping to avoid a subterranean freak-out,
16:15trying to comprehend how soldiers survived
16:17this dank, claustrophobic space,
16:19which was remarkably all dug by hand.
16:22Wow.
16:22This was the well down here, right?
16:25Yeah, this is the well.
16:26Ah, right.
16:27Yeah.
16:2815 metres, 15 metres deep,
16:30by human power.
16:31There's no technology.
16:32It must have been tough living down here.
16:35It must have been, like, dark and damp,
16:38and were there, like, sort of snakes and rats down here
16:42and all sorts of things?
16:43Yeah, a lot of animals, yes.
16:44Yeah.
16:45During the rainy season,
16:46there are a lot of animals in the tunnels.
16:47Insects, you know, centipede, you know, yeah.
16:50Yeah.
16:50And what about, um, how long did they,
16:54would they spend down here?
16:56Ah, minimum for a week
16:57and maximum for a month without going out.
16:59And if they were underground,
17:03they were at risk from being bombed or shot
17:07or seen by the American forces?
17:09Yeah, sure.
17:10U.S. Army knew the tunnels,
17:12but they didn't know exactly where tunnel system, yeah,
17:15from aircraft, helicopters, the bombing.
17:17So if U.S. Army dropped the heavy bomb,
17:19local people moved down to second and third level,
17:22because our tunnel system included three levels.
17:24We are on the first level.
17:26First level, not so deep.
17:27Yeah, it's gone deep U.S. Army bombing.
17:28So there's another two levels below this?
17:30Yeah, six metres and ten metres.
17:32Ah, that's extraordinary.
17:36This tunnel system,
17:38which stretches out for hundreds of miles
17:40in lots of directions,
17:41was crucial in this war of attrition,
17:45this guerrilla warfare.
17:47It was kind of instrumental
17:48in their eventual victory.
17:53This bat is...
17:54That's amazing.
17:57There he comes.
17:58Whoa!
17:59To the bat cave!
18:01Not being able to find the entrance to the tunnels
18:14was a big part of how effective they were.
18:17Oh, my God.
18:18Is that the entrance?
18:19This is a secret entrance to the tunnels.
18:22The actual size of the entrance.
18:23It's really small, yeah.
18:2530 by 40 centimetres.
18:27I think you don't believe
18:28how local people can fit down here.
18:30Let me demonstrate some for you
18:31to see how local people get in the tunnels.
18:34Yeah.
18:35You have to do like this,
18:36the camel flesh, the entrance.
18:37Put some leaves on the cap.
18:39Yeah.
18:39And make sure everything from around you
18:41like a natural.
18:42Right.
18:44Yeah.
18:45Hold it up.
18:47Yeah.
18:47Put the cap over your head.
18:50Yeah, swipe your arm.
18:51Like this.
18:52And lower your body.
18:58Gone.
19:00Disappeared.
19:02Amazing.
19:02It's like a vanishing trick.
19:07That's amazing.
19:08Excuse me.
19:09I'm here.
19:10On what?
19:11Hello, I'm here.
19:13How'd you get there so fast?
19:15That's incredible.
19:17I'm too big to fit down here, do you think?
19:22If you want to go,
19:23may I show you the bigger side
19:24for the foreigner?
19:24Yes, thanks.
19:25I'd like it.
19:25Do you have this in a large?
19:27Yeah.
19:29Oh, there we go.
19:29That's more like it.
19:30Bigger.
19:31So, okay.
19:33Sit down here.
19:33Sit down.
19:34Put your leg first.
19:35Okay, here we go.
19:40Right.
19:42Okay.
19:42Okay.
19:47Wow.
19:49Okay.
19:49Yeah.
19:50Your hand below the cap.
19:51Below here?
19:52Yeah, below the cap.
19:53And now, yeah,
19:54straight your arm, yeah.
19:55Straight on?
19:56Straight your arm.
19:57Like this.
19:59Yeah, your arm straight.
20:00Straight, yeah.
20:00Straight on?
20:00Yeah, yeah, yeah.
20:01Okay.
20:01Oh, okay.
20:02Lower your body.
20:02Yeah.
20:04Careful, careful.
20:04Okay.
20:06All right.
20:07Yes.
20:07How was it?
20:17Wow.
20:17Okay, hand up first.
20:18Yeah, put your hand up first.
20:19Hand up first, yeah.
20:19Hand up first, yes.
20:20Gosh.
20:21I mean, even this is a tight squeeze.
20:23Sure.
20:25I'm only just about fitting here.
20:27But this is the wider one.
20:28Yes.
20:29Wow.
20:32Gosh.
20:32Okay, I hear you.
20:34You're saying, oh, look,
20:35it's like a tunnel badger
20:36and needs to lay off the banh mi.
20:40But in all seriousness,
20:42the human cost of the war here
20:43was overwhelming,
20:45with around 3 million Vietnamese dying
20:48during what the locals called
20:49the American War.
20:51I mean, the Americans
20:51threw everything at them.
20:53I mean, they carpet-bombed
20:54the place with BB-52s,
20:57they dropped napalm,
20:59they dropped phosphorus,
21:01they dropped millions of litres
21:04of Asian orange,
21:05there was this defoliant
21:06which just sort of stripped
21:08the landscape of any kind
21:09of vegetation.
21:11And yet,
21:12they still prevail.
21:14And...
21:15But at a terrible cost,
21:17you know,
21:17the lands was poisoned
21:19by this dioxin,
21:21there's fragments of bombs
21:22everywhere,
21:23it's still...
21:24The legacy of this war
21:26is still very much around.
21:27above ground is very much
21:45my preference in general,
21:46and Ho Chi Minh City
21:48has much to offer
21:49in that regard.
21:50On my travels round the world,
21:56I've found it hard
21:57to pass any creature,
21:59feathered or furred,
22:00without saying hello.
22:03Hello.
22:04Hello.
22:06Don't be like that.
22:07Hey, come and say hello.
22:09Yes.
22:10I've always believed
22:11if you really want
22:12to understand a place,
22:14talk to the animals,
22:15or at least
22:16give them a little pet.
22:17Oh, that's nice.
22:24Hello, mate.
22:25Hello.
22:27But wait,
22:28there's more.
22:32Oh, my word.
22:35That is a pampered-looking pooch.
22:37This dog's getting
22:38a fantastic trim here.
22:43Hey, dog, look at it.
22:44How can I resist
22:46that doggy in the window?
22:50I'm drawn to this salon
22:51like an Englishman
22:52to the midday sun.
22:54Hello.
22:55Hello.
22:57Oh, hello.
22:59I have many pets.
23:00I'm practically
23:01Dr. Doolittle,
23:02and this menagerie of fluff
23:04is making me feel
23:05right at home.
23:06Oh, I love you too.
23:07It's like the sort of thing
23:08that, you know,
23:09sort of very fancy
23:10Parisian women might have.
23:12Wow.
23:22This is great.
23:25I do miss my dogs
23:26when I'm away.
23:27Oh.
23:28So any chance I get
23:29for a bit of a cuddle,
23:31I'm not going to pass up.
23:32They don't want me
23:34to put them down.
23:34I've got this sense
23:35that they want to
23:36come with me.
23:37Is that right?
23:38You know I'm a soft top.
23:43That's what it is.
23:47Look into my eyes.
23:55What?
23:56You're trying to tell me
23:56something with your mind.
23:58What?
23:59You want to come back
23:59to London with me.
24:00Is that what you're saying?
24:01You're mesmerising me
24:04with your cuteness.
24:11I'm totally...
24:12I don't know
24:12who's hypnotising who here.
24:17Bye!
24:18It's like,
24:23look at you,
24:24pampered idiots.
24:27Oh,
24:27you're getting your ears
24:28trimmed, are you?
24:29Yeah, yeah.
24:30Look at you.
24:31Vain.
24:33You're not proper dogs.
24:35Look at me.
24:36I've got one ear going up,
24:37one ear going down.
24:38There we are.
24:47As the city settles
24:48into early evening,
24:49I've spotted a group
24:50of locals playing
24:51this rather hypnotic game
24:53with their feet.
24:54And I'm thinking,
24:55this could be
24:56the perfect opportunity
24:57to make a fool
24:58of myself in public.
25:00It's called Dachau,
25:02and it's the national
25:03street sport of Vietnam.
25:05And you can play it anywhere.
25:06All you need
25:06is a weighted shuttlecock,
25:08and hope that your legs
25:09will do what your brain
25:10tells it to.
25:11Lum Yuwang is my coach.
25:13OK, go on.
25:13The first,
25:14in the chicken wing,
25:15you hit outside of your foot.
25:17That way?
25:18You blow to my right.
25:19I show you.
25:19To there?
25:21Chicken wing.
25:22Oh!
25:24OK.
25:24I show you where you hit that.
25:25You're outside of your foot.
25:27Like that?
25:28Yeah.
25:29Take it up.
25:32No turning.
25:34No turning.
25:36Wow.
25:37I feel like I'm a
25:38kung fu fighter
25:39learning to juggle
25:40with my feet.
25:41Which of course
25:42feels completely natural.
25:43Oh, easy.
25:44When you score,
25:46you have to pack it
25:47over the net
25:47to the other side.
25:48Yeah.
25:49And the feather is done
25:50when you hit the round.
25:51Right.
25:51Right?
25:52And you need the 15 points
25:53for winning.
25:54Right.
25:5415.
25:55And you can take the match.
25:56I say similar scoring
25:57to Babbage's.
25:57So 15 is a set.
25:59Yeah.
25:59Yeah.
25:59I love that the game
26:04dates back to the
26:052nd century B.C.
26:06in China
26:06when it was a way
26:07to keep soldiers
26:08healthy and entertained.
26:10I like it.
26:11It's good fun.
26:12It's a bit like
26:13a hacky sack
26:13only with a shuttlecock.
26:15A simpler way
26:16of playing badminton
26:17without a racket.
26:19Which I like.
26:20I like the idea of it.
26:21You know,
26:21the idea of
26:21simplifying
26:23what can be seen
26:24as quite an elitist sport
26:26into something
26:27that you can just do
26:28in the park.
26:28I can see a future
26:29for this.
26:31Polo
26:31without the ponies
26:32or the sticks
26:34or the ball.
26:37I should have brought
26:38me Crocs.
26:39That would have been better.
26:51It's morning
26:52in Ho Chi Minh City.
26:53And like most big cities
26:54and me
26:55we need a kickstart
26:56with the help
26:57of a familiar friend.
27:01Café Vot
27:02uses an old style
27:03cloth filtered
27:04coffee technique
27:05first used
27:05in the early 20th century.
27:07And here in the city
27:08there's only a few
27:09practitioners left.
27:10Ciao.
27:11Hello.
27:12Ciao.
27:13Hi, how you doing?
27:14Can I get a
27:15out of a
27:15black coffee?
27:16Black coffee, alright.
27:17Yes, please, yeah.
27:18Ho Chi Minh City
27:19is the grandson
27:19of Thuyette
27:20who started making coffee
27:22here when she was
27:23just six years old.
27:24My grandmother
27:25has opened this
27:26like coffee
27:27for 70 years
27:29her whole life.
27:30Wow.
27:30Yeah.
27:31You seem to be doing
27:32a good trade, do you know?
27:34Yeah.
27:35People are just
27:36coming past all the time.
27:37These are like
27:38usual customers.
27:40Right.
27:40For me, every day
27:42making coffee is like
27:44a ritual.
27:44Oh.
27:45You know, I love
27:46good coffee.
27:47I'm going to give it a go
27:48and learn from a master.
27:51Alright, so I get
27:52some of this in here.
27:54Yeah, okay.
27:54Alright, so I need to get
27:56this spoon out
27:57and then I have to get
27:58in here.
27:59Oh, how do you?
28:00Yeah.
28:01Oh, I see.
28:02In there.
28:02Water and perp.
28:03Right, okay.
28:04In here, like that?
28:06Yeah.
28:07Yeah.
28:07Right, okay.
28:09So that goes back
28:10over there.
28:11Yeah.
28:11Right.
28:12Then you can hold it.
28:15Right, okay.
28:16So hold it over here.
28:17You have to hold it
28:18in an angle.
28:19In an angle, like that.
28:21Whoopla!
28:24There we go.
28:25Look at that.
28:26There we go.
28:27That's it.
28:28There we go.
28:30I spilt it a little bit.
28:32I'm not getting the job
28:33as a barista here
28:34anytime soon.
28:36One more coffee.
28:37Anyone want a coffee?
28:40Anyone?
28:40Coffee?
28:41Fresh coffee.
28:42Come on, get your coffee.
28:44How much is that?
28:45This is 22 for milk coffee.
28:47Oh, 22,000 dole.
28:50Oh, 25.
28:51Alright, hold on a second.
28:52So we get three.
28:53Three, hang on.
28:55One, two, three.
28:57Yeah.
28:58There you go.
28:59Okay.
29:01I can get used to this.
29:04If my comedy doesn't work out,
29:08I'll sell coffee.
29:13I had no idea that Vietnam
29:15is one of the biggest coffee exporters
29:17in the world.
29:19Open 24-7,
29:20this place sees a day
29:21in the life of Saigonese,
29:23caffeinating the early workers
29:24right through to the party-goers
29:26at 2 a.m.
29:26Nice to meet you.
29:27Thank you so much.
29:28I guess in an age where,
29:31you know,
29:32young people want everything
29:33like right then and there,
29:36you know,
29:36you want to go to Starbucks
29:37or something
29:38and get your latte.
29:39It's really heartening
29:41to hear that
29:42actually they're rediscovering
29:44this traditional,
29:45this authentic way
29:46of making coffee.
29:48I thought that was lovely.
29:49The bustling streets
30:04offer up many unexpected moments
30:06of human connection.
30:09Oh!
30:12I didn't expect a car
30:13to come down here.
30:15The street vendors,
30:17mostly women,
30:17are mobile merchants
30:19of charm and persistence
30:20and masters
30:21at selling you things
30:22you never knew you needed.
30:24That's nice.
30:24OK, all right then.
30:25I'll get these ones
30:27and a fan.
30:28Can I get a fan?
30:29I've only got 100,000 dong.
30:31How much do the fan
30:32and the magnets?
30:34I've got 100.
30:36I've only got 100.
30:38Oh, right, OK.
30:40I need more dong.
30:41Can I get a fan?
30:42All right, there you go.
30:44Yeah.
30:45OK.
30:46Come on.
30:47Come on.
30:47Yeah, come on.
30:48Ah!
30:50Have a good one.
30:51Thank you so much.
30:52Good luck.
30:53Yeah.
30:53Oh, look at that.
30:54Oh, yes.
30:57Why?
30:58Why, Mr. Darcy?
31:00All right,
31:01I have a hard time
31:02appearing coquettish
31:03these days.
31:08As the sun dips,
31:09the city shifts up a gear.
31:11Food stalls flicker
31:13into action.
31:14Markets serve up their
31:15sometimes dubious delights.
31:17I'm not eating one of them.
31:18Oh, my God.
31:20The streets thrum with life.
31:22It's not just noise,
31:23it's the soundtrack of a city
31:24clocking off and coming alive.
31:28This evening,
31:29I'm searching for a spot
31:30to quench my thirst.
31:31En route,
31:32I've become distracted
31:33by the nightly ballet
31:35of commuters.
31:36I just want to think,
31:39what do they all do?
31:40Where are they all going?
31:41All these little individual stories
31:44of, like, lives, you know.
31:46There's all manner of things
31:48that have been carried,
31:49you know.
31:50It's an entire sort of culture
31:52of itself.
31:54Everyone's got some purpose.
31:56They're driving somewhere.
31:57They're taking their family.
31:59They've got their business
32:00on the back.
32:01You know,
32:02it's an inexpensive way
32:03of getting around.
32:04It's quicker to get around
32:06through the traffic,
32:06you know.
32:08It's kind of mind-boggling,
32:10really.
32:10I'm going to have another crack
32:13at this crossing-the-road caper.
32:19It might leave you asking,
32:21why did the bill cross the road?
32:23Or, more importantly,
32:24why did he try to cross it again?
32:29I'm convinced,
32:30after a few days here,
32:32I've nailed it.
32:33Literally everything
32:34my parents have told me
32:35not to do,
32:37blunder out in the traffic.
32:39I reckon I've earned myself
32:44a drink at the local
32:45institution,
32:47the Caravelle Hotel,
32:48once a popular
32:50wartime correspondence bar.
32:54And they do a very good
32:55passion for its sour.
32:57And now a place
32:58to share an intimate moment
32:59with Novak.
33:03That's sort of
33:04disconcerting, isn't it?
33:07Looking right up
33:08his trowder leg.
33:09On my travels,
33:18I've become fond
33:19of a bit of a sketch.
33:22Some people take photos.
33:24I enjoy drawing the sights.
33:25In this case,
33:26Vietnam's national flower.
33:29You know,
33:29it's become a symbol
33:31of resilience.
33:33The fact that the lotus
33:34blooms from mud.
33:37Something beautiful
33:38can grow.
33:40In a way,
33:41it's symbolic
33:42of Vietnam.
33:43In many ways,
33:44this idea
33:45of independence,
33:46of freedom,
33:47growing out,
33:48of something
33:48that was
33:49a time of great hardship.
33:51and you see it around.
33:53The lotus
33:53is a kind of
33:54common thread
33:56amongst a lot
33:57of the visual imagery
33:58in the city.
33:59There's a big fountain
33:59here with the lotus
34:00in the middle.
34:01But you often see it
34:02in cafes
34:04and the insignia
34:05and designs
34:06of lots of places.
34:07I kind of think
34:08it's an appropriate
34:09image of this country
34:10and this city
34:11particularly.
34:17It's quite difficult
34:18to try that
34:18because there's loads
34:19of bikes in the way.
34:24Uncle Ho
34:25is sort of
34:26giving his veneration
34:27behind the lotus
34:29in front of City Hall
34:30with the flag
34:31gently fluttering above.
34:33There's the three words
34:35which are sort of
34:36almost like
34:37bound up with
34:38Ho Chi Minh's
34:39kind of philosophy
34:40and that was
34:41you know
34:42independence,
34:43freedom,
34:45happiness.
34:47And
34:47on these official documents
34:50there's a hyphen
34:51between each one.
34:52Independence,
34:53freedom,
34:54happiness.
34:55And apparently
34:55some Vietnamese
34:56mischievously
34:57interpret that
34:59as a subtraction mark.
35:01So
35:02what that document
35:04could be interpreted
35:05as is
35:06independence
35:07minus freedom
35:09minus happiness.
35:12It's a little bit
35:13rascally
35:13but I can see why.
35:16I love slowing things
35:24down in the middle
35:25of a fast-paced city
35:26and
35:27staying on trend
35:28I'm going to post
35:29this picture
35:30into the future
35:31in old school
35:32snail mail style
35:33at the Saigon
35:34central post office.
35:36A famous landmark here.
35:37I shall send this symbol
35:38of Vietnam
35:39to my final destination
35:41Harlong Bay
35:42like a time capsule
35:43to test the postal system
35:45and to see if it still
35:46resonates when it gets there.
35:47All right.
35:48That's it.
35:49He's there.
35:50So,
35:50got the stamp.
35:53Now I've just got a post-it.
35:59That's it.
36:00It said,
36:01it's in the post,
36:01I got my receipt.
36:03Next time I see it
36:03we'll be in Harlong Bay.
36:09I'm getting the feeling
36:10that Ho Chi Minh City
36:11is a place
36:12where the only thing
36:13you can expect
36:14is the unexpected
36:15and for a lover
36:16of the spontaneous
36:17that suits me fine.
36:20This is a place
36:20that looks like
36:21a modern
36:22thriving city
36:24that just wants
36:25to get on.
36:26There's a sense
36:26of energy,
36:27determinism,
36:28dynamism
36:29about the place.
36:29Look out.
36:31There's a triceratops
36:32coming.
36:35Sometimes for me
36:37staying focused
36:38on the job at hand
36:39can be hard.
36:40Oh, look.
36:41Now you can get
36:41little scooters.
36:45How much
36:46for one of these?
36:49Oh, s***.
36:51Despite having
36:52a schedule
36:52to keep to,
36:53the director
36:53is indulging me.
36:55We have
36:56four minutes
36:56to get over there
36:57and mail the ferry.
36:59It's all right.
36:59It's sorted.
37:00All right.
37:04Oh.
37:07F***.
37:13It's a lot faster
37:14than I thought.
37:16Oh, s***.
37:18Oh, s***.
37:20Sorry.
37:22Oh.
37:23Hang on.
37:23I'm in the wrong gear.
37:25F***.
37:26Right.
37:34Right.
37:35We have to go.
37:39Okay, let's go.
37:43I'm getting the
37:44wind-up from the crew,
37:45so I've got to get moving.
37:47Brilliant.
37:49Oh, yeah, we've got to get the boat.
37:52I was having too much fun on the crazy go-kart.
37:57Best 50,000 dong I've ever spent.
38:04Gliding across the calm of the Saigon River
38:07offers a moment to reflect on the rhythm of this city
38:11that's constantly reinventing itself.
38:14I'm heading to meet a local band
38:15to experience my first foray into Vietnamese music.
38:19What will be the sound of this city?
38:24I'm heading off for my first experience
38:27of contemporary Vietnamese music.
38:30It's exciting.
38:31I've got no idea what to expect.
38:33It wasn't long ago here,
38:35playing Western music would get you arrested.
38:38But times have changed,
38:39and now I'm about to meet a group
38:41who are rewriting the rules.
38:43I've heard about this local band
38:46that blend traditional Vietnamese folk music
38:50with modern rock.
38:54So I thought I'd come and check them out.
39:00Nam Top are an eight-member band
39:02and one of the trailblazers of the folk rock genre,
39:05and I'm fascinated to hear
39:07how they fuse authentic Vietnamese sounds
39:09with contemporary instruments.
39:17This band use a mix of traditional ancient instruments
39:21with amplified guitars and metal drumming.
39:25It seems an incongruous mix,
39:27but they managed to pull it off.
39:29Whoa!
39:30Fantastic!
39:31Thank you!
39:32Amazing!
39:33Wow!
39:34Thank you!
39:34Is this common in Vietnam?
39:37No, nobody play that.
39:38Nobody's doing this.
39:39Mix the folk and rock together.
39:41You're sort of like,
39:43you know, pioneers, really, in a way.
39:45It's just amazing.
39:47I've never heard anything like it.
39:48It's a measure of the progress of the arts here
39:53that Nam Top are playing this music at all.
39:57I really want to ask you a little bit
39:59about these traditional instruments.
40:01This instrument called Dan Zhang.
40:04Dan Zhang, yeah?
40:04Yeah.
40:05And so you strum here,
40:10and then what are you doing here?
40:11You're adjusting the pitch.
40:13Yeah, press.
40:16Oh, I see.
40:17So you can have vibrato
40:21or pitch change, right?
40:23OK.
40:23Yes.
40:25Wow.
40:29My fault.
40:37Wow, that's beautiful.
40:39Wow.
40:39Good technique.
40:41Could you explain to me a little bit about this?
40:43So we call that Dan Bau.
40:46Dan Bau.
40:46Dan Bau, only one string.
40:48The Dan Bau is an ancient one-string zither
40:51that has been adapted and amplified.
40:54The stem is bent to change the pitch of the string.
40:57Wow.
41:01Yes.
41:02Yes.
41:03Yes.
41:04Wow.
41:04It's so difficult to play, I mean, it takes an enormous amount of skill because it's about
41:16you have to feel where the sound is coming from.
41:21Yeah.
41:22We have a gift for you.
41:23Oh, thank you.
41:24Go.
41:24Yeah.
41:24Here we go.
41:25Wow.
41:25This is nice.
41:26Yeah.
41:27Vietnamese.
41:27Yeah.
41:30This is lovely.
41:33OK.
41:33And this is the frog.
41:35OK.
41:36So.
41:36Yeah.
41:39It's like a frog.
41:39Frog.
41:40Like a frog sound.
41:40Yes.
41:41Right.
41:41OK.
41:42So that's him.
41:44And then his little.
41:47That's great.
41:47Yes.
41:48Thank you so much.
41:49We have another song and you can try instrument too.
41:51I can join in.
41:53I'll play piano and frog.
41:54And frog.
41:55Yeah.
41:58Prepare for a world first.
41:59OK.
42:00Vietnamese folk rock, Bill Bailey style.
42:57Yeah.
42:58Fantastic.
43:00So when are we going on tour?
43:04I'm available, you know.
43:05I can come and jam with you guys any time.
43:09Nantong!
43:10Nantong!
43:11Nantong!
43:12Nantong!
43:13Nantong!
43:14Nantong!
43:15Nantong!
43:16Nantong!
43:17Nantong!
43:18Nantong!
43:19Nantong!
43:20Nantong!
43:21Nantong!
43:22Nantong!
43:23Nantong!
43:24Nantong!
43:25Nantong!
43:26Nantong!
43:27Nantong!
43:28Nantong!
43:29Nantong!
43:30Nantong!
43:31Nantong!
43:32Nantong!
43:33Nantong!
43:34Nantong!
43:35Nantong!
43:36Nantong!
43:37Nantong!
43:38Nantong!
43:39Nantong!
43:40Nantong!
43:41Nantong!
43:42Nantong!
43:43Nantong!
43:44Nantong!
43:45Nantong!
43:46Nantong!
43:47Nantong!
43:48Nantong!
43:49Nantong!
43:50Nantong!
43:51Nantong!
43:52Nantong!
43:53Nantong!
43:54Nantong!
43:55Nantong!
43:56Nantong!
43:57Nantong!
43:58Nantong!
43:59Nantong!
44:00Nantong!
44:01Nantong!
44:02Nantong!
44:03Nantong!
44:04Nantong!
44:05Nantong!
44:06Nantong!
44:07Nantong!
44:08Nantong!
44:09Nantong!
44:10verdant hills of Dalat. Nothing says I love you like 64 knackered flamingos. My
44:17mind's off on a whole bunch of other tangents. I'm thinking about a sandwich
44:21I had in 1982.
44:40I'm thinking about a sandwich. I'm thinking about a sandwich. I'm thinking about a sandwich.
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