Opera House

View photos of the HCMC Opera House

There’s something that has eluded me for the last 7 months – art.  Going from NYC, the artistic capital of the US to Saigon has been a shock to my artistic side; it’s gone into hibernation.  I miss Broadway, I miss modern art, I miss galleries.  Sure, they have some museums here in Ho Chi Minh City, but most of them are about the war, which is a bit sobering for me to take.  So when my friend texted me and asked if I wanted to go to a cultural performance at the Opera House this weekend, I leaped at the chance to wake up my right side of my brain.

Chandelier

Not only was this a chance to see art, but it also accomplished two other important things for me.  I had a reason to dress up and go out in a sophisticated manner AND I was finally going to see the inside of the famed Ho Chi Minh City Opera House.  The Opera House sits smack in the center of the city the jewel of the city demanding attention with it’s bright floodlights highlighting it outside grandeur, but it’s always left me wondering what’s inside.  I’ve been by it a million times, but I’ve never seen the doors open, it just sits there unused from what I can tell. 

I went with some teaching friends who impressively came to the cultural event in a very Vietnamese cultural fashion…driving their motorbikes with skirts and stiletto heels.  The old building was very nicely refurbished, the chandeliers in the lobby gave it a warm, inviting glow.  We found our seats and as one would expect the show started late (as does everything in Asia).  They did kindly give us an English program; little did we know that it was the only English we’d be seeing or hearing for the rest of the night.  Granted, it was a Vietnamese cultural show, so I guess I shouldn’t expect it to be in English, but a girl can hope.  There were a handful of westerns in the audience anyway, so I don’t think it bothered anyone else. 

A little Broadway?

The show was…well…good in a totally Asian way.  It was very traditional and most of the time I felt like my television had gotten stuck on one of the local Vietnamese channels that played variety shows.  I really did enjoy the traditional costumes and dances.  The singing was a bit more hard to appreciate, but I tried; and the people around me seemed to really enjoy it, so I just nodded and smiled along with them. 

After intermission, there was even a fashion show as part of the performance.  A little Vietnam’s Next Top Model; you gotta love that!  They paraded out in their best catwalks looking serious and mode-like and showed off elaborate, traditional Ao Dai’s.  More singing followed and then the big finale, complete with a big dance number and confetti at the end. 

I sat there most of the 2 hours with a big smile on my face.  I think I was watching the people around me as much as I was watching the stage.  I do love to see and try to understand the culture here.  This was an opportunity to see the art/performance culture instead of the grittier street culture that I’m normally exposed to.  It was a nice change and a great opportunity to finally get inside the grand Opera House with my camera!

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