Saigon has the face of Southwest of Vietnam. Rivers and channels appears everywhere in life. People used to use small boats to travel around, sell goods in floating markets. Nowadays, scenery about floating life can only be seen in District 8, district 6 and some rural areas around Saigon. But floating life is in every Saigon people characters.
The Mekong is very rich. In flood region, it provides huge amount of nutrition through fishes and vegetables for people in the Southwest. Long ago, they just went out, went fishing; picked fruits and vegetables enough for meals in day. Life used to be very comfortable, easy and wealthy. That made up the generosity in character of people here. Saigon is the specific place in which that character manifests and develops. In Saigon, people can easily find out some orphanage house, houses for one-parent-family, and houses for handicapped people. Most of these centers have very good donations from small traders in markets of Saigon. Students and young pupils often use their days off at school to volunteer in hospitals or orphanage houses. That’s not anything new about volunteer in Saigon. That tradition appeared long time ago since very early history of this city 300 years ago. People live wealthy. They are eager to share some good things of their lives to others.
In the other side, Saigon never cares much about where everyone comes from. It does not have any word to call a people from rural areas or countryside living in the city (compared with Hanoi, they have some specific words with scornful attitude to call countryside people living inside the capital). Saigon is actually a melting pot of farmers, countryside men, fisherman, intellectuals who come to live on it by their own talents and strength. One does not have much time to look down on others. Everyone is so busy to struggle to earn a living. Competition rate in Saigon is very high and painful.
Channels make up flower floating markets every summer and Tet holiday. In Summer, fruit boats from southwest provinces take fruits from their garden to sell in Saigon. In Tet holiday, vendors bring flowers and specific fruit to sell for traditional worships of Vietnam. In some channels around District 6,7,8, banks are covered by flower colors. They sell easily. They buy new clothes and furniture back home to celebrate the New Year. People live on rivers, travel and return home on boats. They are sons and daughters of rivers. They dare to travel around, live simply, generously, and liberally.
Nowadays, channels in Saigon are all polluted with waste water and garbage. Their flows are in dark colors and foul-smelling. People hate them and curse them for their ugly appearance. Channels seem to make the city dirty and foul.
But then, immediately, after a rainy afternoon on Nhieu Loc Channel, children flood out of their house and fly kites on the bank. They call each other’s name, run fast and play joke while kites are flying. Wind blows on their hairs. Dirty channels still give people in narrow Saigon an open space to breathe (even the foul-smelling), to walk around, to meet each other and to see something in a commodious space.
Saigon has a big story in 300 years, with channels and rivers flowing inside its heart.
