HO CHI MINH CITY – Many people said that the mood is more elated and comfortable when sitting and watching the traffic go by after 4 months of staying at home.

Outdoor entertainment spots in District 1 and District 3 such as Nguyen Hue pedestrian street, Con Rua lake, downtown Post Office area, Notre-Dame Cathedral… on the evening of October 10, there were many people strolling and playing games. the story when the city eases social distancing according to directive 18, allowing outdoor entertainment venues to operate, gatherings of less than 15 people.

Mr. Thanh, 70 years old, and his wife, Mrs. Hoa, 65 years old from Binh Thanh district went to Nguyen Hue pedestrian street to sit on a bench away from the crowd and chat with each other, watching the traffic go by. The two have completed two doses of the Covid-19 vaccine a month ago and always wear masks. Walking street is the place where Mr. Thanh and his wife often go on weekends because of the airy space, but this habit has been temporarily shelved for many months.

“The last time I went to the street to walk was in May, I only came here today to play again. In Saigon since I was a child, I have never felt as sad as in the last period, the epidemic, many people died because of the disease. Covid-19, the distance, the sad news kept coming and I stayed at home all the time. Now when I go out to see Saigon bustling, the spirit is also better. I hope the Covid-19 cases in the city will decrease. In the coming days, life will return to normal”, Mr. Thanh shared after leaving the pedestrian street, the couple will drive around some places such as Ben Thanh market, West Bui Vien street to see the street first. when coming home.

Along the street, more than 600 m long, people stop their cars, buy gifts, cakes, and drinks. Some people who break the stop rules will be warned. From October 1 until now, the District 1 Traffic Police team regularly patrols and sanctions cases of illegal stopping, violating the curb, gathering on the sidewalk… in the street. Ministry of Nguyen Hue. There are some cases of being recorded and invited to work in the ward.

Similarly, in the area of ​​​​Con Rua Lake, District 3, there are also many people coming to have fun, divided into small groups of 2-5 people. Nguyen Kim Phung and her husband and 2 children drove from District 7 to Con Rua Lake, stopped here for a light dinner and fresh air for about 30 minutes, and then left.

“Today is the first day my family and the children walk in Saigon, along the way, the shops only sell take-away, so I stopped by to buy bread and drink to sit here. Usually, at Con Rua Lake, there are mixed rice paper shops. , delicious baked rice paper but not sold today. I feel that Saigon is starting to return to normal life, so I am very happy, wearing a mask throughout I do not mind, is a very good way to protect yourself and the community,” said Ms. Phung.

Mr. Duc, a guard on duty at the Con Rua Lake area, said that since 5 days ago, many people had come to Con Rua Lake to have fun, the number of people was larger as the evening went on. Before the fourth Covid-19 outbreak in Ho Chi Minh City, visitors to Con Rua Lake would park their cars in the opposite parking lot, but now this parking lot is closed, most customers park their cars on the side of the road and are reminded by the authorities. so they just stop for a bit or walk here.

“My shift is from 14:00 to about 23:00, when I see that guests are not wearing masks, I will remind them to put them on, remind people to eat and drink in the right places, do not pick flowers and leaves…”, Mr. Duc said. Looking at people having fun after many days of separation, Mr. Duc also felt happy, feeling that the city gradually returned to normal life, but because the psychology was affected by the recent social distancing period, somewhere still apprehensive when seeing the crowd.

Ho Chi Minh City has ended more than 100 days of isolation with different levels, there was a time when Covid-19 cases increased, people were asked to “stay where you are”, not allowed to leave the house. . From October 1, the city applied Directive 18 on adjusting effective measures to control Covid-19 and socio-economic recovery. Outdoor playgrounds are allowed to operate but not for gatherings of more than 15 people.

Life of Saigon people after ‘opening the door’

On the morning of October 10, Danh took the car to the street again. It has been 10 days since Saigon ended the distance, even if there is nothing, Danh goes every day to “breathe the street air”.

The first destination of Nguyen Danh, 29 years old, is Notre Dame Cathedral in District 3. For the 5th time in a week, a freelance photographer has been here. “It’s been many months since I came back, the grass in front of the church has grown taller than before. There are even squirrels climbing from the trees to the street to find food,” he said.

“My general feeling is that everyone is excited after four months of being confined to their house. Walking across the street is always fun, everyone smiles at each other with their eyes,” Danh said. He also feels happiness in the noisy sounds of the city, in the street lights, honking car horns, crowded streets when walking on the pedestrian street on the evening of October 8.

Every day, Danh’s route starts from Notre Dame Cathedral, pedestrian streets, alleys, Thi Nghe market, City Post Office… move again. Characters in Danh’s photos are gym-goers, delivery people, families taking their children to the park for a walk. One day, when he woke up early, Danh “caught” the scene of crowded roads during the morning rush hour – something he thought was a “luxury” during the months of social distancing.

“Once I met an ice cream vendor, I was surprised and touched,” the photographer said.

This morning, Danh visited Nguyen Van Binh book market, district 1. The street was still quite a few people, a few customers bought books, took pictures to check-in, and then returned, no one lingered for long. It has been 10 days since opening, but it seems that people are still quite cautious because, in fact, Covid-19 is not clean, there are still more than 1,000 new infections every day. The fourth wave of Covid-19 has sickened more than 410,000 people and killed more than 15,000.

Ho Chi Minh City has experienced 120 days of social distancing at many levels. On May 31, the city started implementing Directive No. 15. On July 9, Ho Chi Minh City applied social distancing according to Directive 16 and lasted until the end of September 30. Accompanying Directive 16 are strict isolation regulations such as only going out for essential purposes or the “who is where stay there” recommendation that most people just stay at home.

Covid-19 has changed many things in Saigon. Although the street is crowded again as in the photos of freelance photographer Nguyen Danh, overall “the city is not normal”. Many places are still deserted and the epidemic is still an obsession for many people.

Hoai Thu, 30 years old, living in District 7, is one of them. On October 1, Thu’s boyfriend texted her asking her to go for a walk and date, but she refused because “still afraid to go out”. That was the beginning of an argument, causing the two to break up.

The female office worker “crying and laughing” talked about a broken love relationship. “When the city opened, he texted right away,” she said. Thu’s boyfriend lives in Tan Binh district, intends to “drive a luxury car to pick up the pedestrian street in District 1”.

Thu has had two vaccines, but she thinks that when there is no necessary reason, she will not go to crowded places, regardless of her boyfriend’s “need to meet face to face”. “My company won’t go back to work until mid-October. From now until then, I’ll just stay at home,” Thu insisted.

Not only afraid to go to the street, many people are also afraid to go to the company to work because they are used to working from home. About 13 km from Thu’s apartment, in Go Vap, Ngoc Tram, 25 years old, did not hesitate to choose the answer “work from home” in the survey of the human resources department.

After months of struggling to adapt to the distance, Tram is half excited and half worried about the 1/10 milestone. She works in the field of air ticket service and visa applications for guests. The nature of the job is not required to join the company. “Staying at home for 5 months now, now I’m afraid to go back to work. Most of our employees continue to choose to work from home,” Tram said.

In addition to the reason “working from home is more comfortable”, Tram said that she is still afraid of traveling and interacting with people because at home there are children under 18 who have not been vaccinated.

Saigon is open, but for business people, it is difficult to return to the way it was. In recent days, Hoang Vy, 28 years old, lives in Binh Thanh, a law office worker cum owner of a children’s fashion brand, busy reopening the store. The girl with one hand holds the phone to contact old customers, the other hand hovers the mouse on the laptop to inventory, plan discounts, advertise new campaigns on e-commerce platforms.

The extended closing time caused the shop’s revenue to decrease. After the city eased the distance, the purchasing power of customers after the epidemic was still hesitant, the tailors at the factory had not returned to Saigon. “Opening for sale after the epidemic is like starting a business,” Vy confided.

There were no customers to buy clothes, so Vy sold odd jobs in the apartment to have an extra source of income. “I sell vegetables and fruits. These days people only buy food, not anything,” she said.

At first, Hoang Vy thought selling vegetables was a light job, but it was difficult to start. Every day, she is “flooded” with tasks such as loading and unloading, composing orders, delivering goods, and cleaning.

Saigon has become more vibrant, but many people still feel deprived. They are longing for the “busy, noisy” sound in cafes and restaurants. Like the story of Tran Tam, 27 years old, when he stopped in front of a coffee shop in Phu Nhuan, waiting to buy a glass of water to take away on October 10.

“At the time of separation, I just wanted the shop to reopen to order home to drink. But now I realize that what I really need is not coffee, but the atmosphere of sitting at the shop,” the guy working in the media industry shared. .

Tran Tam is an introvert. Last year, when people complained about staying at home for too long, Tam felt comfortable again. But the past four months have brought him a very different experience. “I haven’t been on the street for a few months, now I just want to go out and meet people. Even though I can buy food and drink, I still feel unsatisfied, because I’m still just sitting in the four walls of the house. Stop it,” Tam said.

For Ms. Vo Mo, a preschool teacher in Binh Tan District, Saigon is open, but she still feels confused and doesn’t know what to do, after being unemployed for 5 months. “30-year-old female, had 2 vaccinations, needs to find a part-time job at home”, is the message she sent to a job search group in Ho Chi Minh City, on October 8. From now to January 2022 – when Saigon students are expected to return to school – Ms. Mo still has to find a job to cover living expenses.

“My wife and I have had no income in the past few months, so we have to borrow money from relatives and friends. I’m looking for a temporary job at home, like folding paper, or processing something,” said Ms. Mo. “But finding a job is too difficult, I have a small child, I can’t go out.” The mother of two children hopes to return to teaching soon but does not expect too much. “There are still a lot of F0 in my area,” Mo shared.

When Saigon is open, there are still worries about the epidemic, there are still people in difficulty, there are still shortages and inconveniences in material and spiritual life. But Saigon people are distilling every little joy, about a city gradually revived after a “gray” time.

“Thinking positively, the pandemic has helped me to adapt better, from being a lawyer, selling clothes to selling vegetables, loading, and unloading … I can do it all,” Hoang Vy shared. She admits it’s still hard for the business to get back to normal now, but “as far as it goes”. “At least it’s good to be healthy enough to manage to make money,” Vy said.

For Nguyen Danh, the thing that makes him feel most deprived when describing Saigon in the days after the lockdown is the lack of bus horns and the sound of planes flying in the sky.

“Without those things, it’s called the new normal Saigon, not a normal Saigon, in its own right,” the young man shared. “Anyway, the city is slowly coming back,” Danh said. Follow vnexpress