Far East Update 14 - Shabbat In Ho Chi Minh City or Gut Shabbos Vietnam!

Friday afternoon was a whirlwind of activity. 

When we arrived back in the city from Can Tho, it was already 2:15 pm and Shabbat was to begin at 5:09. We had to go to Nam Silk, have fittings for all the items that we had bought and then make our way over to the hotel, check in, pick up the luggage that we had left, shower and dress for Shabbat and walk the ten minutes to Chabad to be there in time for the ladies to light at the correct time. 

We had all the fittings completed and left the tailor shop at 3:15; the van that waited for us, took us to the hotel and we checked in, advised all the concierge staff about our special issues about Shabbat, which they were well aware of from previous guests and got ready for Shabbat. 

We were at Chabad in time to light candles on time. 

By then there were about 8 men there and a few women. We met the Rav, his wife and their three boys, and within 10 minutes there was a minyan and we began to daven Mincha. By the time Kabbalat Shabbat was over, there were about 40 to 50 men and women who had arrived for the first Shabbat Seudah. 

The Chabad house is located in a narrow lane way right behind the main football stadium. It is a three story villa in very good condition. The main floor houses the kitchen, the bakery and the restaurant/dining room. The second floor houses the shul with the offices on the third floor. 

The rabbi, Menachem Hartman and his wife Rivkie, arrived here from Israel 6 years ago. At the time they had one baby.  They are both very personable and welcoming.

Among the attendees on Friday night, were a number of locals, mostly former Israelis, who have moved here because they run businesses in Vietnam. They all love the slower more relaxed pace. Very few if any of them are dati. But they enjoy attending shul and love the rabbi and his family.

During the meal, there were many zemirot and popular niggunim sung, the rabbi said a dvar Torah and one of his regulars distributed the mashkeh to everyone and led the ruach. We stayed till about 9 pm. 

On the way to and from the shul, we successfully negotiated crossing the streets and I believe that we now understand the way to cross in a straight line while literally hundreds of motorcycles weave around you, all the while cognizant of your location and direction. 

Shabbat morning we slept in as shacharit was not beginning till 10 am. We all gathered in the lounge and had a quick bite before heading out to shul. In total, there were about 25 in attendance in the morning and for the second Seudah Shabbat. 

Once again, I lained and had maftir. And once again there was much singing and a dvar Torah. 

Seated across from us were three young Israelis who were in the middle of a three month trip thru Southeast Asia as their post army trip. They had just completed their tour of duty a few months ago. One was from Karnei Shomron and the other two were from Ofakim. The one from Karnei Shomron told us that he had received a call on Erev Shabbat that he was being called up to do reserve duty as part of the Gaza operation. So he is cutting his holiday short to return home as soon as possible. He also told us that the army had been preparing for this for over a year and that he did not believe that this would be a quick operation.

During every tefillah over Shabbat we said tehillim for our brethren in Israel  and specifically for the IDF.

Immediately after benching, we gathered to daven Mincha. 

After a brief rest in the afternoon, we met in the lounge and had a couple of games of Bananagrams. At 6 pm, we davened and made havdala, collected the packages that had been delivered from he tailor, and were off to the airport for our 8:30 pm flight to Da Nang. 

It was a very nice Shabbat. We met some interesting people, the food was plentiful and very tasty and Chabad again provided a wonderful welcoming atmosphere.

We are now seated on the plane (Vietnam Air Airbus A320) and will arrive in one hour in Da Nang where we will be met by our driver for a short drive to our hotel in the quaint town of Hoi An. 

We arrived in Da Nang on time and our driver was waiting for us. We drove the 30 km. to the Palm Garden Resort where we will be staying for the next two nights.

More tomorrow....shavua tov!

Hope you all had a wonderful Shabbat

All the best

Fran and David