Saigon Rain and the Mud

The weather in Saigon has definitely been quite unusual since Monday.  Oddly enough, it looked like it would rain Sunday but I never thought about it.  It does not normally rain in Saigon during January.  The rainy season usually switches to the dry season in November.  Granted, the last three years the weather has not been normal in Vietnam, like much of the world.  Normally though, January tends to be a bit cool with the warmer weather arriving by Tet.

The rainfall the last couple of days have been annoying though.  The accumulated dirt, sand, dust, you name it, have collected on the streets and alleyways since the last rainfall.  Saigon is now a muddy mess.  I was surprised to see how muddy my motorbike was just after Tuesday.

Several years ago, the construction sites would have kept their areas clean.  The drivers would wash their trucks before going on the streets.  I remember my neighbors in Thu Duc used to clean their trucks very well.

Even when they tore apart the sidewalks on Tran Binh Trong street in District 5 nearly 5 years ago, there was not a mess.  The workers kept the streets clean.  Now when they break up the sidewalks, it is a huge mess.  You see the sand and dirt all along the streets.  It blows in your face.  The days of not wearing  a mask are long gone even on rainy days such as today.