Nguyen Hue on a Tet evening

We ran the gauntlet and took the kids down to Nguyen Hue which has been transformed from one of the major thoroughfares of D1 into a garden paradise.

You could say that the kids were a little excited about the idea.  Quiddy had some "lucky money" that was burning a hole in his pocket. 

The view looking from the front of the Opera house towards Tax Centre on Le Loi.

The roundabout on the corner of Le Loi and Nguyen Hue.

I think perhaps most of Ho Chi had the same idea.  It was crazy but fun.

This year is the year of not just the dragon but the water dragon which has not occurred since the 1950's.

Nick had his hands full.  I think there are a lot of people in town who are in from the provinces and our kids were a little bit like  lucky charms as many wanted a little pinch and a poke. 

A crowd favorite.  A wide sweeping camera scanning the crowd. I mean who doesn't want to be on the big screen right?  You  can see Scarlett on Nicks shoulders on the left.

I still don't get it.  If it is supposed to give you a nice curl so you look pretty, wouldn't you take it out before you left home so you actually look...well....pretty?

Everyone was in the Tet spirit and there were smiles all round.

Just beautiful.  Hard to believe that is is normally one of the busier roads in D1.

The kids coped surprisingly well.  They are not usually a huge fan of  big crowds.

These are amazing.  We saw them last Christmas.  The details that go into the little plasticine works of art is incredible.

For some reason, don't ask me why, Quiddy fell in love with this scroll and spent his lucky money on it.  I am assuming it says something nice???

A family happy snap.  What can I say.  They probably think we look a little silly when we pose too!

By the way, did I mention that all of these flowers are real?  It's hard to believe isn't it?

Tet....proudly bought to you by Pepsi (amongst a million other strategically placed sponsors)

Our first Tet staying in town.  We are loving it.

Tired but happy...we head home and prepare for some more Tet adventures soon.  This pic is out the front of the People Committee building.  Looking forward to watching the craziness tonight from the roof as we enter the Year of the Water Dragon!

Out with the Old.

Saigons soundtrack is usually the tooting of horns, the spluttering of motorbikes and more often that it's residents would like, the hum of a generator.  This time of year though, it is more common to hear the swoosh of a broom as people clear out the old to make room for the new, including luck, in the New Year.  Apparently it is bad luck to sweep during Tet itself as you sweep all of your good luck away.  That means people are furiously cleaning like mad at the moment and the Moggys are no exception.  We have decided that since we are staying in town during Tet we will spend a part of each day cleaning out all of the stuff we have accumulated including clothes and the kids toys.  Not necessarily to make room for more, God knows we have enough.  Just because, less is more and much much better.  All of the old stuff will be given to various charities and we can start the new year of the Water Dragon with good will in our hearts and less crap in the Man Drawer (did you hear that Nick...it's time to tackle the man drawer.  I'm pretty sure you don't need the key to the house we lived in 15 years ago in your top drawer in Saigon!)

Round one.  I was ruthless, and it felt great!

Birthday Celebrations on the Roof!

I recently celebrated my birthday in style on our brand new roof!  We had a few close friends over and did a sort of Italian themed night.

The recently renovated roof was ready and waiting for some fun.

Here is something novel....a photo of me!  Usually I am behind the lens.  Having a quiet cocktail before our guests arrive.

With the tooting of horns in the background the sun went down and we were ready for some fun...and some FOOD!

In going with the Italian theme we set up a projector and played old Italian movies in the background.  Roman Holiday anyone?

My wonderful husband and I living the dream in Ho Chi Minh City.

Meanwhile, back at the coalface, Ezio, from Italian Food Services (ezio@italianfoodservices.com or ph +84 0 128 6729411) was cooking up a storm.

Crostini al mascarpone e limone 

Home made mascarpone cheese, perfumed with lemon peel, pepper and fresh herbs.

Bocconcini di pane all'uvetta

Deep fried bread dumplings with raisins, pine nuts, herbs and spices.

The man himself.  Ezio is a joy to have in the kitchen.  While he was creating his culinary masterpieces he was also having fun with my kids in the kitchen.  I can highly recommend him to cater for you.  He is always on time, full of awesome recepies and a pleasure to deal with.

And what could be in these little delightful bowls?

Ta Da!!! 

Minestra maritata

Classic Napoli vegetables soup with crispy pancetta ham and pecorino cheese. Served with garlic crostini.

Closely followed by

Risotto all'Aceto Balsamico

Balsamic vinegar risotto with aromatized sausages and Parmesan cheese.

And lastly but by certainly no means least,

Spaghetti alla maggiorana

Spaghetti seasoned with a delicate ragú and perfumed with marjoram herb.

...and in what has become a bit of a tradition....the BEST Banoffee cake in the world courtesy of Jaspas.

So as the clock ticked over to the big day I became another year older and hopefully wiser.  Well, maybe not wiser.  If I was wiser I would not have had that last cocktail!

After the last of the guests had gone, Nick and I settled onto the couch with the streets finally silent below and finished off watching...what else...the Italian Job.  A birthday I will never forget.