Ho Chi Minh (Saigon), Vietnam

Next stop, Vietnam, Ho Chi Minh City !!!!

Ho Chi Minh City is the economic centre of Vietnam, and is booming with new hotels, chic bars and trendy clubs. There are plenty of old landmarks worth visiting and interesting markets where you can get a lot of antiques and souvenirs.Ho Chi Minh City, or Saigon as it is still known to many, it is Vietnam’s largest city with a growing population of around 7 million.  The main means of transport within the city are motorbikes, buses, taxis, and bicycles. Motorbikes remain the most common way to move around the city. Backpacking travelers most often frequent the "Western Quarter" on Pham Ngu Lao street in District 1.


The Distance between Manila and Ho Chi Minh City is about 885 nautical miles, a little over 2hrs of flight time.

Ninoy International Airport 3

Tan Son Nhat International  Airport



@ Vien Dong Hotel in Pham Ngu Lao Street (District 1)



Our Hotel Room

early breakfast

early morning at Ho Chi Minh City

The Củ Chi tunnels are northwest of the city in Củ Chi district, it is 70 kilometers of Ho Chi Minh City. Cu Chi is the most stratetic importances during the Vietnam War, a system of secret underground tunnels developed , used by Viet Cong against the US. By 1965, over 200 kilometers of tunnels stretches from Cu Chi to Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon's fringes), linking communities and Viet Cong supporters.The tunnels were upto 10 meters deep with three different levels, they contained kitchens, field hospitals, command centres and living quarters. Now, visitors can crawl  through sections of restored, widened tunnels,  visit cenotaphs honouring 40,000 tunnel martyrs. On display are various mantraps and bomb craters made by B-52 bombers.

Upon entering Cu Chi Tunnel

camouflaged trap door

booby traps

Viet Cong War Attire



a tank destroyed during the vietnam war



Self Made Weapons Gallery

Improvised  Land-Mine Bombs



Bomb dropped at Cu Chi District





rice paper making



guerilla's used to wear during the war (they dress like the farmers)

improvised slip wear   (from broken  US army jeeps and trunks tires,
these are made to slippers)





a big crater from the B-52 bomber

  

entering the Cu Chi Tunnel

experiencing Cu Chi Tunnel
(this tunnel has been made wider and taller to accommodate tourists)

bunkers (command centre, field hospital, dining and kitchen)



Viet Cong War Apparel



We enjoyed Cu Chi tunnel in a hot summer afternoon, as we head back to Ho Chi Minh, we had a quick stop in a cultured rubber tree plantation, which Zarah can't resist the rows and rows of trees. The weather here in Vietnam, suits for cultivating the sap-like extract (latex), the primary source of natural rubber.

Cultivated Rubber Tree Plantation

Photographed at District 11 area

District 1 is where most of the city's administrative offices, embassies and big buildings are located. District 1 is the busiest district in the city with the highest living standards.






somewhere in District 1



Ho Chi Minh City People's Committee Head Office

 

Pho Hoa @ Pasteur Street (District 1)



@ The War Remnants Museum



Facts about the Vietnam War, (for the vietnamese people, it the "Ämerican War")





Slogans/Posters (propaganda)

The most prominent structures in the city center are Reunification Palace (Dinh Thống Nhất), City Hall (Ủy ban nhân dân Thành phố), the Municipal Theatre (Nhà hát thành phố, also known as the Opera House), City Post Office (Bưu điện thành phố), State Bank Office (Ngân hàng nhà nước), City People's Court (Tòa án nhân dân thành phố) and Notre-Dame Cathedral (Nhà thờ Đức Bà).



Reunification Palace/ Independence Palace






Saigon Notre-Dame Basilica is a cathedral located in the downtown of Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam. Established by French colonists, the cathedral was constructed between 1863 and 1880. It has two bell towers, reaching a height of 58 meters (190 feet).







Notre Dame





just outside the Notre Dame (wedding pre-nup photo OPS)




Saigon Central Post Office is a post office in the downtown Ho Chi Minh City, near Saigon Notre-Dame Basilica, the city's main church. The building was constructed when Vietnam was part of French Indochinain the early 20th century. It has a Gothic architectural style. It was designed and constructed by the famous architect Gustave Eiffel in harmony with the surrounding area. Today, the building is a tourist attraction.

Saigon Central Post Office



inside the post office



Roaming around District 1 Area



The Saigon Opera House owes its specific characteristics to the work of architect Félix Olivier, Its architectural style is influenced by the flamboyant style of the French Third Republic with the façade shaped like the Petit Palais which was built in the same year in France. Now its the Opera House for Ho Chi Minh City. 

Ben Thanh Market, from Vietnamese Ben meaning "wharf", and Quy Thanh meaning "turtle citadel") is a big marketplace in the downtown area of Ho Chi Minh City, District 1. The market is one of the earliest surviving structures and today is considered one of symbols of Ho Chi Minh City, popular with tourists seeking local handicrafts, textiles, and souvenirs, as well as local cuisine. Where we found Pho 2000, a vietnamese restaurant were former US president Clinton ate when he visited Vietnam.



Pho 2000 near Ben Thanh Market



Food Trip

The Saigon Notre-Dame Basilica, the Saigon Opera House, the Central Post Office, the City Hall, Pham Ngu Lao street, the former Republic of Vietnam President’s Reunification Palace, Rex Hotelare some of the most famous historical tourism sights in District 1. Besides specific locations like those mentioned, basically every street in District 1 built and designed since 1946 was by the French. Most of the buildings constructed since the French colony era are still standing now, with most renovated recently.