September 2, 1945
National Day (Vietnamese: Ngày Quốc Khánh) is a national holiday in Vietnam observed onSeptember 2, commemorating the Vietnam Declaration of Independence from France onSeptember 2, 1945. It is the country's National Day.
So how do the Vietnamese celebrate National Day???
There are military displays and parades, but from what I have been told by my Vietnamese colleages, it is a day that people like to spend with family, bbq and just relax and enjoy the fact that they do not have to work. I actually feel it is quite similar to what we would experience on Canada Day. There were Vietnamese flags flying EVERYWHERE...and I'm not sure if this is really out of patriotism or more because of the fact that there is a government regulation that states you must fly the flag. But I'm leaning towards the second reason. There was actually a notice in the elevator of our building notifying everyone of this very fact.
Afternoon walk with friends in District 2 - notice all the flags!
So how did we celebrate National Day?
We didn't have any big plans. We had been advised to avoid the crowds of the military displays, so we enjoyed sleeping in and a morning game of tennis followed by a swim.
After a hot and steamy game of tennis we met our friends Roxanne and Jordan and their 4 kids for a swim. We love hanging out with them, because they get it, they live it - the crazinness and the chaos of 4 - no comment or explanation required...we just KNOW. ;-)
We decided to join them for lunch and trek across town to the Snap Cafe. It came highly recommended from other families because it has a play area for kids right bedside the dining area. We were excited and hungry to check it out.
Because it was pretty far and we enjoy each other's company we decided to share a cab. Yeah! You do the math 2x6 + 1 (the cab driver) is 13. Thirteen of us, big and small, in one cab. ..normally a 7-seater. It was cozy.
The "clown car"...not sure how we all fit, but we did!
You are thinking..."Is this even legal?" Well, what we have come to learn is that there really are no safety regulations here - translation...no seatbelts required. Now, as Canadians, we know better...but "When in Rome..." The Vietnamese can carry insane amounts of stuff and people on their motorbikes and we are mirroring with cab riding.
Lunch at the Snap Cafe was delicious, and the kids had a lot of fun playing on the structures.
It was "burger day"...and everyone who ordered a burger got two free beverages. With the amount of sweating going on, one drink is not enough. ..so they serve two! Choices of beverage were pop, lime soda, beer or wine. Stepan loved it. 2 beers and a burger. ..what a combo!
I had the Mexican Burger with avocado and salsa...It was delish!
Kids had fun before and after lunch on the playground.
So the Snap Cafe is a cool place. It has a very relaxed vibe and it is actually quite large. It has a family section - that is where we were, and the adult section with pool tables plus live music on Saturday nights. The drawbacks for us were the distance...the cab ride was close to 300,000 VND approx. $15US, and the food, for Vietnam standards was on the expensive side. The whole meal for the six of us set us back about 1,000,000 VND - about $50 US, which is still quite good considering we had 4 burger combos with fries, salad, 8 drinks (two of which were beer), and 1 large pizza.
On our short walk after lunch we realized we were in an area where there were a lot of expats...most of the restaurants we saw served western style food and even some of the shops carried foreign merchandise. There was an international food mart - all organic that had some great food. In most cases though, western style and western options mean western prices. But when you're looking for something specific or craving that taste of home, it really hits the spot. It is comforting to know that we have everything available. I am grateful for options and grateful for choice on this National Day in Vietnam.
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