Vietnamese birdsong

We’re looking for a southeast Asian city for today’s Geo Quiz. The Saigon River flows through it and the city’s name honors a Communist leader. This is Vietnam’s largest city with more than 9 million people. Feels a bit crowded at times but you can find peace and serenity. Just get up early and head for one of the city’s tea pavillions:

“Very early on weekend mornings, men start arriving on motorbikes, and on busses, or just walking, and most of them are carrying a wicker bird cage. By seven o’clock in the morning, there are 80 birdcages hanging here, and the birds are singing up a storm”.

So where is this unusual dawn chorus?

The answer is Vietnam’s Ho Chi Minh City, which was formerly known as Saigon. It’s an economic hub, with a busy stock exchange, and a bustling waterfront but there’s a place in Ho Chi Minh City where the locals can go to get away from it all.

Richard Flemming sent us this audio postcard: