Meet my staff so far

Do you remember Kuyen?

Always a big smile from Kuyen

 She was the major reason I went to Saigon last time. I have blogged about her in the past. I may not of mentioned that the trip was a success. Kuyen called us from the train station early yesterday morning. She had spent the past few days traveling all the way from Hanoi. I expected her to be exhausted and want a day to rest before she started her job. Boy, I could not be more wrong. I picked her up by motorcycle with her small bag and took her for a little ride around the city before taking her to her new home. I could tell she like it and seemed happy. After arriving back, Mai, Tram, (my day reception) and Kuyen engaged in a long conversation. Kuyen assessed the state of the hotel and declared that it could be much cleaner, and took charge asking me to drive her to the market to purchase supplies she felt she

Thu is the serious one

 required. Atta Girl!! That is precisely why I spent all the time and effort on her. She knows what to do without me having to tell her. I knew she was probably the only person next to my wife that takes pride in their ability to keep an orderly and clean place. I drove her to the market and armed with her purchases we returned to the hotel. She did not hesitate but filled her buckets and started to clean right away. I am now content with the fact that I no longer will have to check up on everything and have to constantly remind our cleaning staff as to how to do the job to my specification. That is one burden that is lifted. Now if only I could find the night receptionist. I am beginning to think that I may have to find a young woman to fill the position. I think Kuyen would be a great catch for some young man…… too bad she speaks no English. If you ever stay with us and are happy with how she keeps

Our day receptionist

your room, maybe leave her a tip. Her family is poor and she sends much of her money to support them and keeps very little for herself.

Now, also meet Tram, my niece. She works ad my day reception. Her English is somewhat limited. I am hoping that her English will improve quickly. She has been with us from the start and is responsible for the day to day bookkeeping and records. She is also the person who will book your tours and make sure your needs are seen too. The next is my slightly unhappy night guy Thu. He is also my nephew and a computer guy. His wish is to work in the computer repair business, however, I have him trapped helping me until I can find a night receptionist. And of course, lastly, my lovely wife Mai. She is a happy and passionate gal who will always do her best to help you out. And of course there is me hiding behind the camera. We all will do our best to make your stay a pleasant one. I am in a bit of a unique situation as I know a lot more about the real Vietnam that most of the westerners here, so just ask if you want real answers and not perceived answers.

My darling wife
Thap Ba Ponaga Cham

Another attraction is Ponagar Cham in the Thap Ba area. The Po Nagar towers once stood at the entrance of Cai river, where the river meets the ocean. The towers stood in isolation on a rock foundation, but over many years the towers and the land it stands on became part of the land mass as the river changed its flows. Today, the tower is north of the river and the rock formation it stood on became known as nui Cu Lao or Mount Cu Lao. The town of Vinh Phuoc at the base of the mountain was once a fishing village, known as Xom Chai and Xom Bong. Po Nagar towers complex was built between the 7th and 12th century. The most beautiful towers were built in the year 813 and 817. Most were destroyed and only four towers are still standing. Each tower is a shrine to a different deity.

Long Son pagoda

Then there is the Long Son pagoda. This enormous 9 m high Buddha was built quite recently in honor of those monks who elected self immolation rather than continue to live under the oppressive Diem regime. The white Buddha

My three gals

sits upon a hill close to the train station and is worthwhile going up for the view of Nha Trang and the coast. The large Buddha’s base used to be a library until it was closed after the Tet Offensive when it was discovered that the Viet Cong used the library to plan attacks on the city. The pagoda is at the base of the stairs that lead up to the giant Buddha and is very ornate with a strong Chinese influence.

The last two paragraphs were copied from another source. My writing is not on that level am afraid.

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5 thoughts on “Meet my staff so far

  1. An interesting topic to hear about would be doctors, hospitals, health care in Vietnam. How easy is it to access. Is there ambulance services, etc. for the tourist.

  2. Looking forward to my stay at The Tide, I will bring along my friend Sau who also works in a little hotel doing some of the jobs mentioned. She cooks and does the paperwork required by the local police, and arranges tours and so on.

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