We got back to Sai Gon happily in the warmer weather environment. The city turned very vibrant with shoppers everywhere we went because there was only 4 more days before the New Year celebration.
We had a couple of days for a very short trip before getting back home to be ready for this celebration. We ran a 2 day trip to Vung Tau, a seaside resort less than a hundred miles from Sai Gon. It would take less than 2 hours of driving with a few stops along the way.
Everything is cheap during this time of the year because businesses had come to a screeching halt. Workers went back to their homes some hundreds of miles away.
People were so busy to prepare and get their house back into shape for the New Year. The businesses that opened, charged less than a third of what they normally charge to draw in a handful of customers.
Food, transportation, and lodging were less than half price and there was no crowd. We booked the whole 2nd floor of a small hotel for the price of two rooms. And there was no neighbors.
The clean and sandy shore was so empty and deserted that it seemed we owned it. There was no hustling, no bargaining, and no noise, all for ourselves.
In the last few years coming back here for the New Year, we always booked a nice hotel in the middle of the Flower Festival Street, hotel Oscar. This hotel situated right in the middle of Nguyen Hue Blvd.
We could see how they built and presented the Festival right in front of our eyes from the balcony.
Once they were done, just a few steps down the lobby, we would be right in the middle of it.
We could walk to Ben Thanh Market about a mile away, and to Bach Dang River less than half of that distance.
We stayed here for 3 nights, then headed home for the New Year's eve.
As our customs, the first day of the year is the day we celebrate within the family. Family members gather around to receive the red envelopes, and the best wishes from each others.
There won't be any work for a few days. There won't be any thing but eating and drinking and gambling, big or small depends on the financial situation for that year.
It was hard for us because we could not get used to with sitting around doing nothing all day.
We couldn't go anywhere because all the businesses would be closed for this time of the year.
Most would be closed for a few days at the very least, and some would be closed for a week or two. They open only on the day that fit their Fengshui.
We always take this time to go on a trip to our neighboring countries, which don't celebrate Lunar New Year to spend a week away from all of those noises.
We wouldn't stay in Sai Gon for long. We would pack up and head to Phnom Penh Kampuchea soon for a few day trip.
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