I Love Vung Tau

Vung Tau has a population of around 8,000 people and is well known for being a ‘R&R’ town for the Australian troops that were stationed nearby during the Vietnam War. It is now a very modern town by Vietnamese standards and it is supported by a well established local Oil & Gas industry. The people who live there are very proud of their town which is well on the way to becoming a major tourist destination in the coming years. This song is dedicated to the beautiful people of Vung Tau.

Song Saigon

I was once a frequent visitor to Vung Tau in Southern Vietnam I would fly into Saigon (Ho Chi Minh City) and get the ferry down the River Saigon to the coastal city of Vung Tau. The 120 km journey took one and a half hours and I would often stand on the deck and never cease to be amazed at the diverse activities that took place on the river. The river was the common bond for many of the people who worked or travelled up and down it regularly. This is the story of two such people – oh and by the way in Vietnam the Vietnamese name for river is ‘Song’.

Saigon Heart

One major legacy from the Vietnam War still evident today is that Vietnam now more women than men. With limited opportunities some of the older Vietnamese women look towards the local working ex pats and dream of getting married and moving to the USA, Europe, Australia or New Zealand. Every night they spend hours on the internet searching for Mr Right, some are lucky enough to find the right man but it is often the case that when marriage approaches they realise that they cannot leave their families behind, and decline the opportunity. This is the story of one of those women.

Dawn in Halong Bay

One of the most serene experiences in life is to watch the sun rise whilst sailing on Halong Bay in the North of Vietnam. There are over 3,000 stone mountains or Nhie Nhie as they are called by the local Vietnamese scattered around the bay. It is legend that the bay was created by a dragon that swished her tail around the mainland and that the deep valleys created were filled by the sea. She was so happy with her creation that she settled deep in the bay amongst the many stone mountains that over time became known as the ‘Children of the Nhie Nhie’. She is said to still live under the bay. This song describes the dawn over Halong Bay and pays tribute to the ‘Children of the Nhie Nhie.