The place weaves old and new. A captivating bustling city.
-November 2023-
Have you ever thought about the places you can explore your budget travel not only in urban cities, and beach towns but also mountainsides? Vietnam is absolutely one of the countries. We started our journey with Ho Chu Minh, Vietnam, which is a mixture of local hidden spots and urbanized places. There are many French influences in food and buildings due to colonization. The colonial-style architecture is one of the highlights when walking in the street.
The iconic scenery is motorbike-torrents because it is their popular transportation. They even carry cabinets, tables, and even 5 passengers. You are better to keep your eyes on when crossing the road. To be honest, all traffic lights and road signs don't apply to Vietnamese, but they follow their own rules. It works for some reasons...They go anywhere like narrow paths and pavements. Well, it makes sense because it is handy to go somewhere.
But please drive safe ....
1. SAIGON CENTRAL OFFICE
Falling in love with colonial building. The exquisite decoration on the facade is very stunning. Once you step inside, you will find a high ceiling in an arched shape. All the language you see on the wall is Vietnamese which enhances an exotic mood.
2. SAIGON OPERA HOUSE
So exquisite deco that took my breath away! There are some advertisements at front, so some shows are on.
3. HO CHI MINH CITY HALL AT NIGHTTIME
The whole area is lightened up, so it is so gorgeous like being in a wonderland. A view of the building through the fountain is a romantic scenery. It is like Paris!? So many tourists taking pictures, so we struggled to get a better spot for shooting.
4. UNION SQUARE
Architecture hopping is going on! This is a shopping centre that many premium stores in.
It's near the opera house so taking a walk in this area is very fascinating for the landscape tour.
5. SAIGON RIVER NIGHT CRUISING BY A BOAT.
At first sight, this view reminds me of a metropolitan city on the waterfront in Tokyo.
This is another landscape of the city looking from outside by boat. The boat we took wasn't a posh cruiser but a standard one for everyday use for locals. The night summer breeze was very cool so evening time would be the right time to get on board.
6. TAN DINH CHURCH
This building is 60 m high with remarkable colour as known, "PINK CHURCH", it is the oldest and the most important roman catholic institution. It's located in District 3, so we took a few buses from District 1. The bus network is well-developed here so it can be an option for tourists for transportation.
Better to be careful about opening hours because it was closed from 2- 4 pm for some reason when we visited.
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7. TAO DAN PARK
Walking down in parks is so refreshing during busy trips to rest our minds. There are two big parks in centre, one is "Tao Dan Parks" which is near the independent palace and another one is "Cong Vien 23 thang 9"which is close to the backpacker hostel area.
Those parks may be the place for locals not only to take walks but also exercise and dance like in the photo shown below. I saw some outdoor exercise machines too that are open to use by anyone. That is why they can keep fit.
The ladies were dancing Tai chi along with music and fans. Tai chi is slow motion flow, but it must be a bit intensive exercise because I could see a lady in sweat on her back.
8. BEN THANH MARKET
A famous big market which is good for both shopping and eating. We did both.
The stores I saw a lot were clothing, bags, shoes, souvenirs, and coffee shops. We bought some pieces, so negotiation was a must! They have a discount culture so why not try? That is a part of shopping.
COFFEE SHOPS
FEMAIL CLOTHING SHOP
"NHAN TAN"
So many cute designs and colours! I bought a piece of trousers which has silk combined fabric and flare design, so it is perfect for summer. She was so friendly and gave me a discount too, so I promised her to write about her shop on my travel blog instead.
They design, wholesale, and retail. I got a shop card below.
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