playing the saigon ponies
It’s a great outing, but Saigon seriously has a long way to go if it wants a legitimate horse racing circuit. Way out in District 10 is the Phu Tho Horse Racing Club. A decent enough track bounded on one side by a battered Soviet Bloc style building that was apparently supposed to have the feel of a French villa to it. Not so. It costs 50 cent for entrance.
The place teems with elderly Vietnamese men and little children (the only women around are tending to the manh mi stalls). It’s not particularly crowded, and the sight of a white man and asian woman walking together draws (not so friendly) stares. I approach one man cautiously to ask him what race is up next. ”Number 5″. He walks off. Another man, younger, approaches me. He says in Vietnamese, “next is race number 6″. I thank him and retreat to wonder why the earlier man lied. It’s 2:00 pm.
Phu Tho Saigon Horse Racing Club, September 2010
We didn’t bet on race 6. Instead, we just wanted to check out the horses and generally take in the atmosphere. Here’s my personal take. (1) the horses aren’t horses – they’re tiny ponies (2) the jockeys are children (3) the ponies are incredibly slow (4) the men watching the race look like they’re going to rob you if you’re not constantly watching and (5) no one gives a shit about the races. For race 6, we literally stood directly at the finish line … we had plenty of room … no one crowded us. In fact, there wasn’t even a crowd. A brief swell in volume accompanied the finish, but the hoofs weren’t even audible amidst the near silent crowd – they’re that small and slow.
Child riding a pony, September 2010
We bet on the 7th race. Minimum bet is 10,000 VND (50 cents). We bought a race program and flipped to the 7th race – the predictions were set out, number 1 through 4. Approaching the betting gate is a bit like approaching the DMV. They aren’t enthusiastic – and they sure don’t give a shit about a white guy betting. I assume they think we’re all cheapos just looking to make fun of their pony show. Um …
I told the woman in Vietnamese I wanted to place a 10,000 VND bet on Monika to win (accepted). Then I wanted to place another 10,000 VND bet on the top 3 predictions. Nope. I was told that of the four “horses” predicted to place, the only one that was actually racing was Monika (who was predicted to win). Um … I cancelled the second bet and just went with the obvious choice. It paid off. I’ll be honest, I wasn’t surprised to see Monika tearing down the track in front. It was almost sad. We won 2,000 VND (10 cent).
Yvonne, 2,000 VND winnings
Now, I’m not saying I didn’t have fun. I loved the experience. I’m just saying that the ponies don’t put on much of a show. You have to bring that yourself. Anyhow, if you want to visit – here’s the map. -b
