My first tattoo, in Saigon, and a drag party
The time on this trip has been flying recently. We finished our last few days in Saigon by getting me a tattoo, getting some art for Patton’s friend, and going to a big gay party. It was a great time, and then I was sad to be leaving Saigon come Sunday morning!
Thursday, August 8
Woke up around 11:00 I think and went to Landmark 81 food court with Patton. I had a dish called BÁNH MÌ CHẢO 1: ĐẶC BIỆT, and Patton had Bún riêu. Mine was like a cast iron griddle of different meats that I put onto a bánh mì bread myself along with vegetables. It was very good. Mine cost 89,000 and Patton’s cost less, around 59,000. We had to get a value card from a generic cashier first using cash only, then use that card to buy food, then get a refund on the balance of the card when we returned it. Kind of strange. And there was also an indoor ice skating rink we sat next to.
Getting food at Food Hall Landmark 81, Saigon, Vietnam.
Getting food at Food Hall Landmark 81, Saigon, Vietnam. Our table was next to an indoor ice skating rink.
The Food Hall at Landmark 81 in Saigon had a strange system where the restaurants only accepted a prepaid cash card that you had to buy with cash at a register out front. Then when you left, you could get a refund of the balance. Kind of annoying for a one time visit especially!
We went back to the apartment, and I planned another run. I was going to do a short one but settled on 11 miles, despite my stomach being a little iffy. Then I went to two ATMs to get enough cash to give Matthew and the tattoo guy. It’s annoying how the ATMs in Vietnam don’t usually tell you what the maximum you can withdraw is, and you often need more cash than that for transactions where they don’t take card. I stopped at FamilyMart for some onigiri, water and orange juice.
Out for a second run in Saigon, Vietnam.
Out for a second run in Saigon, Vietnam.
I came across a bunch of cages housing various iguanas or other reptiles sitting on a roof across from a bridge while running in Saigon, Vietnam.
I came across a bunch of cages housing various iguanas or other reptiles sitting on a roof across from a bridge while running in Saigon, Vietnam.
I got back a bit after 18:00 to find David downstairs going out to get his family. I went up and started washing up and ate. Suddenly there were probably 10 family members there, like David’s whole family. I didn’t get directly introduced but I think they were told who I was. They were loud and having a good time, but I guess they didn’t go eat dinner as planned. So I went out around 19:40 to get the tattoos with Quân, and Patton and David ate the four portions of dinner that were delivered for the family. It was then I took my first solo Grab ride, and I opted for the motorbike. I got an older man who drove slowly and carefully.
As we first talked about at Thi Bar the other night, Quân and I met to Hoàng Tattoo to get inked. The tattoo I wanted to get first was very, very simple, basically just a zigzag line, which represents a resistor on an electrical schematic. I inquired about pricing more than a decade ago in San Francisco, and was put off by a minimum seat fee of some hundreds of dollars, which I couldn’t afford easily at the time. I figured it should be easier to get that in another country. Then Quân and I decided we’d also try to get a tattoo of a dragon together, because we are both year of the dragon. He had relayed this with some examples to the artist the day before. Hoàng was ready with some alternatives he thought would work better.
Getting my first tattoos with Matthew at Hoàng Tattoo in Saigon, Vietnam.
It was a pretty smooth experience. I’d never gotten a tattoo before of course, so I’m not sure what the normal process is. But Hoàng printed out the designs in various sizes and cut them out to get an idea which size would work best. Then with some alcohol type fluid, he was able to press the inked paper onto the skin to serve as a sample of the final tattoo and also a tracing outline. Once we were satisfied with the placement, he got to work, first on my dragon, then Quân’s. Then we got the resistor symbols done on our wrists.
Getting my first tattoos with Matthew at Hoàng Tattoo in Saigon, Vietnam.
The outlines of my first tattoo are almost done. Next will be shading.
Getting my first tattoos with Matthew at Hoàng Tattoo in Saigon, Vietnam.
And it's about done! Thanks to Hoàng Tattoo in Saigon, Vietnam.
Getting my first tattoos with Matthew at Hoàng Tattoo in Saigon, Vietnam.
Getting my first tattoos with Matthew at Hoàng Tattoo in Saigon, Vietnam.
Matthew got his own similar dragon at Hoàng Tattoo in Saigon, Vietnam.
Matthew got his own similar dragon at Hoàng Tattoo in Saigon, Vietnam.
Matthew and I both got this electrical symbol for a resistor on our wrists. It's what I wanted as my first tattoo for a long time, but it was too small to make it worth paying the mandatory minimum seat fees in San Francisco.
Altogether it took about three hours, and cost about $160 with tip. It was not painful at all aside from the wrist one hurting just a little bit because the line was pretty thick. I was very happy with the results!
Quân and I were going to eat, but he decided to go home since his mom said she cooked him dinner. I went back to the apartment via another Grab moto. This time I got a young guy who drove really fast, and my legs kept sliding into him when he braked. He gave a very cheerful, “Thank you Charlie, have a great night!” at the end.
Friday, August 9
Friday was pretty low key. We did some shopping, post card sending and Patton bought some more art for his friend. But first, Patton had a long conversation with his mom about the feasibility of us helping transport a 50 pound box of herbs to the United States, which we would have to carry through the rest of our trip to Hanoi and Tokyo again before returning home. I agreed to help if necessary but advised against it, and I’m happy to now report it did not come to fruition!
We went out to the post office to send some post cards. An the way we swung through a street shopping area that seemed to target tourists. For example, I am not sure how many local Vietnamese want to read books in English about Kamala Harris or the American dream, but I could be wrong. And Trump University??
Interesting selection of books at a street sale in Saigon, Vietnam.
Interesting selection of books at a street sale in Saigon, Vietnam.
Streets of Saigon, Vietnam.
We made it to the post office. Inside was pretty large, even including shops selling souvenirs and various merchandise. Instead of one queue like in the U.S. where a postal worker would help with anything, there were about a dozen windows around the edges for various postal tasks, types of packages and destinations. The busiest section was people buying stamps for letters and postcards. You would tell the worker the destination, and they would tell you how many stamps you needed to buy. For sending a postcard to the U.S., you needed three large stamps that take up probably 25% of the post card area. It was pretty interesting.
We sent some postcards from the main post office in Saigon, Vietnam.
We sent some postcards from the main post office in Saigon, Vietnam.
We sent some postcards from the main post office in Saigon, Vietnam.
Then we went to an area that has a night and flower market, called Ho Thi Ky Flower Market or Chợ hoa Hồ Thị Kỷ. It was clear when we got there that the area is much more night oriented, for many of the shops and restaurants were closed during the afternoon. We walked around and got some food before heading to an art gallery district.
Exploring and getting food at Ho Thi Ky Flower Market, Chợ hoa Hồ Thị Kỷ, in Saigon, Vietnam.
Exploring and getting food at Ho Thi Ky Flower Market, Chợ hoa Hồ Thị Kỷ, in Saigon, Vietnam.
Exploring and getting food at Ho Thi Ky Flower Market, Chợ hoa Hồ Thị Kỷ, in Saigon, Vietnam.
Exploring and getting food at Ho Thi Ky Flower Market, Chợ hoa Hồ Thị Kỷ, in Saigon, Vietnam.
We got something like steamed or simmered catfish with cracked rice and then also a Vietnamese pizza thing that Patton said is kind of a new street food.
Exploring and getting food at Ho Thi Ky Flower Market, Chợ hoa Hồ Thị Kỷ, in Saigon, Vietnam.
Exploring and getting food at Ho Thi Ky Flower Market, Chợ hoa Hồ Thị Kỷ, in Saigon, Vietnam.
Exploring and getting food at Ho Thi Ky Flower Market, Chợ hoa Hồ Thị Kỷ, in Saigon, Vietnam.
Exploring and getting food at Ho Thi Ky Flower Market, Chợ hoa Hồ Thị Kỷ, in Saigon, Vietnam.
Some guys attempting to strap a giant flower vase onto a motorbike at Ho Thi Ky Flower Market, Chợ hoa Hồ Thị Kỷ, in Saigon, Vietnam.
Drugs are scary. Streets of Saigon, Vietnam.
Streets of Saigon, Vietnam.
At first we thought we were going to a big art gallery, but it was actually around 10 different shops all selling paintings that are apparently painted by the people who run the shops. There appeared to be a bit of specialization, but overall each shop seemed to have paintings of a variety of styles and quite similar from shop to shop.
Patton went into various galleries to look for art for his friend Jack. I didn’t want to influence the prices in an upward direction, so I mostly waited outside, at least initially, even though it was starting to rain. We needed to get cash to actually make a purchase, so we left to do that.
Streets of Saigon, Vietnam.
We couldn’t find an ATM that allowed you to take more than 3 million dong, so we settled on just getting that 3 million and paying one ATM fee — instead of me also taking 3 million — and then we got caught in the heavy rain. We waited outside the ATM for 30 to 60 minutes before running back over to the gallery when the rain slowed down. We may have done this by Grab car, but I am getting all the trips confused now.
Caught in the rain in Saigon, Vietnam
Caught in the rain in Saigon, Vietnam
He did eventually make a purchase of these two “fish paintings”, though they were not paintings I think, but mostly embroidered. Patton asked our tour guide Jack via WhatsApp for help with the translations, I think, and he liked what it meant. He negotiated the price down to 2.3 million dong for both, or around $92. The shop called us a complimentary Grab car, but for some reason it took more than 20 minutes to arrive compared to the usual 60 seconds, probably because they booked the cheapest version and it was raining.
The problem, we immediately realized, was these large framed pieces were very heavy, about 10 kg, and contained thick glass. Figuring out how to transport them home would become the big concern going forward and taking up most of our night. I thought ideally we could either get a big box from any store and take on the flight, or take to a shipping company and have them package and transport it for us all the way to New York. But it was the weekend, so that was hard. We settled on going back to the gallery the next morning and at least trying to get it packaged into a bigger box appropriate for airline cargo.
Patton looks at the art piece he got for his friend Jack at our apartment at Vinhomes Central Park in Saigon, Vietnam.
But for now, we just brought them back to the apartment and went out to a nice hot pot chain Haidilao for one more dinner with just David before we would leave the morning after next!
Patton tried to get the free manicure at Haidilou Hot Pot at Landmark 81, Saigon, Vietnam. But when he got up there, they told him they can't do it because he is not a woman!
Indulging in the free snacks while waiting in line for seats at Haidilou Hot Pot at Landmark 81, Saigon, Vietnam.
Patton, David and I ate at Haidilou Hot Pot at Landmark 81, Saigon, Vietnam. It was good, but we ordered way too much food, and we were all very full.
Patton, David and I ate at Haidilou Hot Pot at Landmark 81, Saigon, Vietnam. It was good, but we ordered way too much food, and we were all very full.
We were all very full after that. Patton wanted to go out again, to check out the bar Chin Chin, where I think we was going to meet a friend. I was going to stay in but decided last minute to go. But Patton didn’t hear me say that and he left. So I just stayed and worked on photos for a while before sleep. Patton came back with Quân, to my surprise, around 3:00. In the morning we’d figure out the art.
Saturday, August 10
It took us all a while to get going, but by early afternoon we were all back at the gallery. The Grab car initially dropped us at the wrong location, and we had to walk a few blocks. The store was understanding, but they ended up putting the painting in only a slightly larger box that I did not think would provide much extra protection. I thought it really needed more space on the sides to protect the glass from side impacts. After some back and forth, they settled on adding some bubble wrap. Sigh. But we decided to go ahead with this plan of taking it on the plane and decided not to try to next go to a business that might help with shipping. Quân then went home, and we went back to the apartment.
Matthew accompanied Patton and I back to the art gallery area to try to get a better box for his art piece that might survive as baggage on a plane.
Matthew's and my tattoos, a almost two days later.
Matthew's and my tattoos, a almost two days later.
After Patton and David had some fun at a golf driving range, we had one more dinner with some of his family. We went to a non-veg place called Hoang Tam, Nhà hàng Hoàng Tâm - Nguyễn Cảnh Chân. The dinner was great, I tried some delicious new things and some I’ve had before. It was interesting the family had a son at the table who was engrossed in his phone the whole time. It was a bit different than I would imagine dinner would be if it were my family, but maybe times are different now. The family kindly drove us all back to the apartment.
Dinner with three more of Patton's relatives at a vegetarian place called Hoang Tam at Nhà hàng Hoàng Tâm - Nguyễn Cảnh Chân in Saigon, Vietnam.
Dinner with three more of Patton's relatives at a vegetarian place called Hoang Tam at Nhà hàng Hoàng Tâm - Nguyễn Cảnh Chân in Saigon, Vietnam.
Dinner with three more of Patton's relatives at a vegetarian place called Hoang Tam at Nhà hàng Hoàng Tâm - Nguyễn Cảnh Chân in Saigon, Vietnam.
Dinner with three more of Patton's relatives at a vegetarian place called Hoang Tam at Nhà hàng Hoàng Tâm - Nguyễn Cảnh Chân in Saigon, Vietnam.
Dinner with three more of Patton's relatives at a vegetarian place called Hoang Tam at Nhà hàng Hoàng Tâm - Nguyễn Cảnh Chân in Saigon, Vietnam.
Dinner with three more of Patton's relatives at a vegetarian place called Hoang Tam at Nhà hàng Hoàng Tâm - Nguyễn Cảnh Chân in Saigon, Vietnam.
Then we went to the FamilyMart convenience store and got a 500 mL bottle of Hanoi vodka, 30% ABV, and some 7UP things. We drank those all before going to the bar called The Observatory for an event called GenderFunk featuring drag and dance. David had some issues come up just beforehand and was going to skip out, but after our friend Collin came over and we were all about to leave, he joined us after all. I was very happy!
Pregaming with Collin at our apartment at Vinhomes Central Park, Saigon, Vietnam.
It was an interesting night for many reasons. Firstly, I got to briefly chat with my friend Nhân who graciously guided me around Vietnam 10 years ago when I stayed with him and his family. He happened to be entering the event just as we got there, and we rode the elevator together. Then Quân and of course Collin were there, and Collin had some work come up and ended up doing work on his laptop in the middle of the bar. I also ran into an old friend Henry I knew from San Francisco and spent time with at Burning Man in around 2017. Patton left at some point and then came back. There was a lot of dancing, though not as much on my part, heh. I met one new friend also, a Vietnamese guy named Tùng who I heard speaking Russian, catching my attention, and he lives in Russia. How random of a night!
We went to a drag gay party event called GenderFunk at a bar called The Observatory in Saigon, Vietnam.
The balloons I had seen in Phu Quoc were also available here at The Observatory in Saigon, Vietnam.
Duty apparently called, thankfully Collin brought his laptop to the bar during the GenderFunk party in Saigon.
More laughing gas balloons at The Observatory in Saigon, Vietnam.
It was all great fun, and we were ready to leave by 3:30!
The GenderFunk party was fun, though drinks cost about as much as in San Francisco. Apparently it's because they target expats. They must make a nice profit!
Sunday, August 11
I woke up to Patton packing in the living room. I slowly rose from the dead and got my own stuff together. We said goodbye — and THANK YOU! — to David, took a photo, and then we were on our way to Hanoi. We took a Grab car to the airport, and it was not very busy there aside from a long like for VietJet.
Saying goodbye to cousin David at his apartment in Vinhomes Central Park, Saigon, Vietnam. Thank you for letting us stay! It was a really great time.
Upon checking in for the flight at the counter, they told me I needed to edit my name because I did not have my middle name on the ticket. I was surprised as this was the first time it ever happened to me after 20+ countries of travel and never using my middle name. But arguing wouldn’t help, of course. Thankfully, my worst fear of them making me buy an entirely new ticket didn’t come to pass, but I still had to pay a fee. It was only about $4.25 though. I had to go back to a service desk, pay 108K dong, get a new ticket, and then go back to the checkin lady to drop my bag. People were not pleased at my skipping the line this second time, but we were also getting down to the wire, and I waited once already.
I had to pay a, thankfully cheap, fee to add my middle name to my boarding pass. Or at least the first two letters of my middle name. Never have I needed my middle name on a boarding pass in any country before, interesting. At Tan Son Nhat International Airport in Ho Chi Minh City AKA Saigon, Vietnam.
The rest went pretty smoothly, though we sat in an exit row with no windows, so I could not take photos. Next up, a few days in Hanoi!
Entries in this series
- Touring Phú Quốc, Vietnam, by motorbike! (July 31-August 3)
- Saigon shopping and nightlife (August 3-4)
- Touring the Mekong Delta, Vĩnh Tràng Temple, Saigon Skydeck (August 5)
- The Củ Chi tunnels and a messy Saigon run (August 6-7)
- My first tattoo, in Saigon, and a gay party (August 8-11)
- Biking, boating in Tam Coc, climbing Mua Cave (August 12)
- My first X-ray, in Hanoi (August 11-13)
