Hello everybody, I don't usually post in the Forum Section, but I have been looking at Google Maps and I have noticed that a number of Vietnamese Companies have been set up to take street view pictures of Saigon. Up until now, Feb-Mar 2019, only a few select popular areas of Saigon have been done in Street View...places like Ham-Nghi Street and Nguyen-Hue Street in District 1...WELL...now they a buzzing all over the city on their little Honda 125's holding a "Google Golfball Camera" on a pole between rider and pillion trying to out-do each other as to how many pictures they can upload. Just pan down to the nadir and you will see their company logos.
This means I can now reveal the best lamp places in this city I am so familiar with. Like all other Asian Cities, they tend to concentrate all the same goods in the same areas....whole street of shops that sell only Variacs, Whole Street of shops that sell only petrol gensets....whole street of shops that sell only safes etc. ( Hopefully you all get the drift of it ).
Anyhow, there is this area of Saigon around Yersin Street and Nguyen Thai Binh Street where lamps and lighting are sold by hundreds of shops. I will put links so you can "cyber explore" the area.
Here are some pointers..
Vietnamese Number their Properties like here in Australia, odd on one side, even on the other, starting at "1" at one end and going up until one runs out of street...NO 107 on block one, 207 0n block two like in the United States resulting in HUGE street Numbers.
Off the main streets in Saigon there are laneways, these are called "Hem". These "Hem" are attached to the Street they run perpendicularly off and bear the name of that street...so "Hem 1, Nguyen Thai Binh Street" or "Hem 1 Duong Nguyen Thai Binh". I think the street numbers run up the hems than back out again.
Words...
"Dien" (With the slashed "D") pertains to anything electrical
"Den" (With the slashed "D" [which is pronounced like our "D", whereas our unslashed "D" is used like a "Y"]) means "Light"
"Bong Den" is "electric lamp", "light globe" or "light bulb"
"Den Neon" is "Fluorescent Tube
"Den Huynh Quang" is C.F.L.
"Den Metan" is "Metal Halide"
I think "Den Cao Ap" is "Incandescent Lamp".....but you should get the idea
Most Saigon properties are 4m by 10m (12' by 30') with the narrow side to the street.
Business names are displayd out the front on a sign and are usually composed of someone's name and the stuff or brands they sell. The street name and number is usually on the sign in small text in the lower left corner, the phone number (DT or Dien Thoai...liketally "Electric Throat") is in the opposite lower corner...so her is a random lamp shop, near Yersin Market..the "Bulb area of Saigon"...
https://www.google.com/maps/@10.7670737,106.6985821,3a,24.3y,225.62h,92.31t/data=!3m6!1e1!3m4!1sAF1QipMLwz140KAYxzSecEAqUnuVfnZCSMC25ij2sRSS!2e10!7i11000!8i5500 Have fun! If any of you ever go there, you will now have the "goss" on where to go and what will most likely produce results. Rather conveniently both Yersin and Nguyen Thai Binh Streets are just a 300m/Yard walk south east of the "Backpacker/Girlie Bar /Touristy" area around Bui Vien and De Tham streets...You only have to cross one "Main Drag" of Tran Hung Dao Street without being converted to a "pavement pizza". Hint to cross busy drag in Saigon...look out for BIG vehicles with loud horns...trucks, lorries and cars...treat these as you would at home and avoid them or wait till there are not any in sight....NOW... the THOUSANDS of motorbikes! Just walk out at a nice steady pace looking at the oncoming bikes...they will go around you! Just keep your wits about you and make sure the riders can see you and you are not hidden behind another bike.
Good Luck!
