MATT VEND - MUSICIAN AND WRITER

Tour report 30^th of August 2024:

The last month has been interesting to say the least, I left the humdrum of Ho Chi Minh City for a quiet life on the coast. The lack of opportunity in my tiny quaint fishing village and tourist town has led me to do a lot of soul searching. A tour has thus ensued and I’m back out there doing what I’m built to do. The first show of the tour was fun, a small yet lively crowd showed up at El Latino, a quirky little spot that serves great food. The evening ended with some dancing and Tequila, new friends made and a good time all round.

3^rd of September:

I awoke with pre tour jitters, an anxious feeling consumed me and I couldn’t really understand why. Within the confines of my own mind I decided to convince myself that there was a lot riding on this tour, yet in fact it was just like any other tour really. Only now for the first time in my long and modest career as a songwriter I was venturing off into the international realms, meaning the small village town touring I had done in South Africa had now evolved into touring Vietnam and Cambodia, with 3 mega cities included in the roster. Maybe I was just mistaking the anxiety for anticipation? Can’t really be sure. I had done shows in other parts of the world including the UK, Mexico, Thailand and the United States, yet this was the first extensive month long jaunt in foreign lands.

I left my oasis on top of the hill around 9am and was on route to hop a bus to Saigon around 9:30am. I walk past a coconut plantation, and small houses amongst the jungle where dogs run out barking and snarling at any pedestrians passing by.

They still eat dogs in Vietnam and I overheard some expats at a bar in Mui Ne mention that some of the dogs get kidnapped for dog meat. So I guess the snarling is justifiable. After various failed ambush attempts by the said furry creatures, I finally made it to the main road. The sun was beating down in its usual menace. Yet thankfully the bus arrived promptly and I was in my sleeper cubicle enjoying the air conditioning in no time. An uneventful journey commenced and about 4 hours later I was in Ho Chi Minh, getting lost around D1 while looking for my hostel. This part of D1 really is a circus, yet the hostel was situated in a quiet little alley and presented itself as a refuge amongst the chaos. I checked in and walked around and realised why I fell in love with Ho Chi Minh in the first place but I also realised why I decided to leave as well.

I walked past makeshift markets where vendors were selling vegetables on the streets and found a vegan place to have soup. After that I laid down for a bit before it was time to go and set up at Mooney's, a great little Irish bar and music venue where it all started for me in this part of the world. I literally stumbled into the venue by chance on my first night in Saigon almost 2 years ago now and had an instant musical family. It was a special night and there was an energy in the air that was fairly electrifying. I walked home past numerous tourist traps, in the heart of Ho Chi Minh City and tried my best to get some rest, I awoke early with no concept of time.

4^th of September:

I made my way downstairs, the sun was barely up over the city, I finally got around to checking the time and it was before 6am so I decided to sleep a little longer. It’s amazing how accustomed we have become to cell phones, my phone was in for repairs so I couldn’t set an alarm and didn’t want to miss breakfast. I slept a bit later and made it downstairs for the grub. I ordered something plain, I couldn’t stand any more eggs, which had been a firm fixture in my diet for the last few days. Boiled eggs to be exact which I'm not entirely fond of, yet they are good protein so I stomach them for the sake of nourishment. I ate a banh mi, with jam, 3 neatly cut pieces of watermelon and a pot of mint tea. I chatted with some nice backpackers, a couple from Argentina who remarked on how good South Africa are at rugby and a young polish chap, all three were off on some adventure through Vietnam as I got ready for a day out in the trenches of Saigon. I had a lot of admin to do, yet still managed to have a small rest after breakfast. The nice elderly man at the cell phone repair shop said I should come the next day to collect my phone. I had a couple erands to run, before retrieving my cell phone.

I started walking back to where the cell phone technician had his little workshop, when I arrived he took out his phone and explained via the google translate that the phone would cost almost double to fix. So I said thanks but no thanks and took it to another place just next to the workshop. After a brief discussion again via Google translate, the women behind the counter consulted the gentleman sleeping under the counter and they agreed to fix my phone for 500 thousand dong, roughly 20 us dollars.

They said come back in 2 hours, so now I had time to kill. I found myself at a franchise coffee house, using the internet and doing numerous admin tasks as well as wasting time. The heavens erupted into a massive storm which always sends Ho Chi Minh City into temporary chaos, I was in the perfect location to experience the chaos, without having to be affected by it. Over 2 hours passed and my coffee was now finished, so I decided to go and see if my phone was fixed. The rain had stopped, which now had made numerous puddles around the area of D1, I dodged the wetness and made it to the cell phone repair shop. The woman was there and said I should come back in another 2 or so hours. I walked the bustling streets near Bui Vien and finally found a cheapish Indian restaurant and decided to splash out on a veg korma and naan as I waited. The man serving was nice as the other customers in the establishment seemed to be notably rude. I ate my Korma and bonded with the server over the fact that both of us were from Africa, I forgot what country he was from yet he seemed excited that I was South African. I paid my bill and decided to go check if the phone was ready, this time it was and it was working perfectly. I was back in coms.

I found a tour operator, who said he could get me to Kampot for just under 900k, the other women wanted 950, so I thought okay let’s get this bus ticket sorted. After a fairly long wait I was booked to travel to Kampot Saturday night, arriving on Sunday morning. I felt a little more reassured now that my travel plans were in motion for my visa run and first ever show in Cambodia.

Now it was early evening, I had a show to get to, I had left my guitar and some baggage at the hostel from the previous night, so I went there to retrieve it. I bumped into a musician I met in Mui Ne, named Roberto, who happened to live in Kampot, he was on his way to Indika and I was on my way to Twist, and we were both headed for Kampot so I suppose it is a small world indeed, we exchanged pleasantries and wished each luck for our respective shows.

My data died so a nice young man selling some kind of food from a vending cart ordered me a motorbike taxi to Twist Café and bar, a trendy roadside coffee shop and bar in Thao Dien. When I got there the weather had settled and it had actually turned into quite a pleasant evening in D2. There was a fairly decent crowd already and by the time I started I felt nothing but love from the audience. A few friends showed up with instruments and it was nice to share the stage with some Saigon open micers. The music eventually quietened down and it was time to head to my place of rest for the evening. It wasn’t far so I decided to walk, I walked past a sports bar where a terrible expat band was butchering a Ramones song. I walked in and couldn’t handle the massacre so I walked straight out, I ate cup noodles at a Family Mart and then eventually made it back to the house I was staying at. A friend, gave me a room on the top floor of the house, a room filled to the brim with art supplies and canvases, I felt at home even with no fan or air conditioning. I opened the window and a draft enabled me to get to sleep only to be woken early by the standard Saigon sounds of kids screaming, roosters crowing and angle grinders doing what angle grinders do.

5^th of September:

Once the sounds of the morning had somewhat subsided, I decided that it was time to get up and get going. I had to get a set of guitar strings, so I walked under the bridge across the river to the nearest place that sold such things. I bought the overpriced strings then had some admin to do on the computer so I found another chain store coffee house, mainly for the purpose of functioning internet and air conditioning. I did some admin promoted the shows, more showers outside ensued yet I was safe inside. The early evening arrived and it was already time to go and set up for the next show, this time it was at Bardo, which is also situated in Thao Dien. I went back to my art storage room, got my guitar and musical odds and ends and made my way to the venue for another open mic. When I arrived no one was there besides the bar staff setting up sound equipment, I offered to help yet they seemed offended by this offer so I sat and read. By 8pm all was good to go, I started the first set and played to literally the bar staff, owners and 2 people sitting in the back, I had a feeling it was going to be one of those shows where you literally play to no one, yet by the time 9pm arrived people showed up and it wasn’t a bad turnout, a few talented people also rocked the open mic. I chatted with some nice folks until about 1am and then decided to walk back to my place of refuge for the evening. I took a wrong turn and walked for quite some time through the suburban areas of Thao Dien, the upmarket expat area of Saigon. I eventually walked past Munch Bistro where another open mic was happening and I bumped into my homie Felix, the host of that particular open mic. We chatted briefly and then I said I needed food so I walked on. I eventually found a circle k, and bought a sandwich, banana and soy milk. Felix happened to stroll in after so we chatted at the bar across the road till about 3am. I finally made it home at about 3:15am. I drifted off to sleep and was awoken the same way in which I was awoken the previous morning.

Friday the 6^th of September:

I decided to snag some internet again at Highlands’s coffee this time round, all my hard earned dong was going towards my visa expenses. The visa guy said he would come pick up the cash for the 3 month visa, I know I could do it online for cheaper but it’s so hassle free paying the extra fee I just went along with it. After more wasting of time and completing numerous admin tasks it was once again time to get my baggage and get to the next show. This time it was Indika Saigon, a venue I had played at many times. I grabbed a motorbike and once again got to the venue early. The show was a success in my eyes and even though it wasn’t packed it was well attended, 4 shows in a row in Saigon and still not one of them empty. These are little indications that I must be doing something right. The night ended at a weird little bar in D1 that had arcade and board games. I retired for the evening on a friend’s conch. I awoke, with the anxious anticipation that later in the evening I would be getting on a bus traveling towards the Cambodian border for my first ever shows in that part of the world. My friend had a jam during the day and chatted about numerous things including South African music. It was a nice bit of respite from the turbulent chaos of life on the road. The evening eventually arrived and it was time for me to head to D1 for the night bus to Ha Tien and eventually on towards the border near Cambodia to get to Kampot. I had some time to kill so I decided to see if Mooney’s was open as I knew I could leave my luggage there as I also had to get some US dollars for the border crossing and some spending in Cambodia. Mooney’s was closed so I decided to grab a banh mi and a local café nearby. As soon as I sat down the heavens opened up and I was in the perfect place to experience the storm without getting soaked. After the storm had subsided, I went back to Mooney's, Liam the owner was there, so I walked in, put down my bags and had a small chat. After that I walked to Ben Thanh market to buy some dollars with my earnings from the last few nights. It now seemed I was 100% ready to cross the border into Cambodia. I went back to Mooney’s and chatted with Liam and Sascha, a great Saigon Musician before it was time to get to the tour operating desk to catch my bus. I was asked to wait then the guy I bought the ticket from just took me to the Futa bus stand and bought a bus ticket and handed it to me, I got notably upset for the first time in days as the ticket was only 250dong and he had charged me 880 total I do understand this did also include the transfer into Cambodia and Kampot yet it seemed too much money for what I was getting. After a brief argument we came to some kind of understanding as he also said the bus would take me directly from D1 not the west coach bus station which I now had to wait to get to via a shuttle arranged by Futa, again all of this could have been done without his assistance. A learning curve for next time. I wasn’t aware that Kampot was situated so close to Ha Tien in Vietnam. I suppose we only learn these things in hindsight. I waited till about 10pm then the shuttle arrived and I was nearly at the bus station. By 10:30pm I was on the bus heading towards Ha Tien. Once again the bus journey was uneventful and I was awoken abruptly at 5:30am at the Ha Tien bus station.

Saturday the 7^th of September 2023:

I was early, the sun hadn’t arrived yet, and a shuttle dropped me outside the travel agency that was arranging my transit into Cambodia. There was no one in sight yet it didn’t take long before a woman started making and serving coffee to people awake at that ungodly hour. I found some cold wooden chairs outside the travel agency and tried to catch a snooze, then the heavens opened up once again and I had to scramble to keep my luggage safe from the water. The sun finally arrived and I bought a coffee at the women’s stand. The man who I argued with the night before told me I had to be there by 7am otherwise I would miss the shuttle to Kampot, another half-truth. The woman behind the desk said I had to wait another hour, so I got a bit irritated once again, yet I think my irritation was largely brought on by a lack of sleep and many shows and a long bus trip. I met a nice Somali youngster who was on the same shuttle as me to the border. We exchanged pleasantries and then we were on a way to the border which was a short drive maybe 10 minutes max. The rude driver said that once across another shuttle would be waiting from 9am. We walked in together and there seemed to be some issue with the somalin’s documents, the immigration police kept talking about large sums of dollars, the English of these immigration cops was almost non-existent. I’ve travelled enough in this part of the world to know you don’t get involved with strangers at borders. So I just walked through, got my Cambodian visa and made it into Cambodia hassle free. The youngster was nowhere to be seen, maybe he was up to something, maybe he had overstayed in Vietnam or bought a fraudulent visa, I wasn’t sure what was happening and I didn’t want to know, you’ve all seen “broken down palace” etc. There was no way that I was going to be embroiled in someone else’s wrong doing. So eventually the shuttle arrived and the driver had a photo of me sent from Ha Tien, so I was on the shuttle, the youngster still nowhere to be seen? I got on the minivan and within about an hour I was in Kampot, it was a 5 minute walk to the venue. Jean the owner is a really nice guy and allowed me an extra night at his lodge. I drifted off into a long sleep. I didn’t do much that evening besides explore a bit of Kampot and eventually get some more rest after chatting a bit with Jean the owner. I write these last sentences from a coffee shop in Kampot as I get ready to play my first ever show in Cambodia this evening.