Uniquely Vietnam: Ho Chi Minh City

Ho Chi Minh City, previously called Saigon, was named after the Vietnamese communist revolutionary leader who led and established the communist-ruled Democratic Republic of Vietnam who defeated the French Union. It used to be the capital of South Vietnam until the reunification of Vietnam in 1976.The breakfast for the day officially marked my first foreign meal and since it was a buffet, I made the most of it particularly the coffee. I tried several coffee mishmash and true enough, the aroma, the taste and the experience was truly one of a kind.

10:00 am:The War Remnants Museum is a three-storey building that houses collections of artilleries, armories, aircrafts, unexploded ordinances, bombs, tanks, pictures, etc. It used to be called the “Exhibition House of US and Puppet Crimes”, and then renamed to “Exhibition House for Crimes of War and Aggression”, then finally “The War Remnants Museum” after the diplomatic relations with the US.I was amazed by how they have preserved and valued the history despite the horror and fright that it caused in their lives. As for them, the museum is a testament of how their elders fought for the future generation and for the young ones to value the life that they enjoy today -- it made them the proud Vietnamese of today.

12 noon:The temple is dedicated to Thien Hau or the Lady of the Sea. Small figurines adorned the roof while lanterns hang at the entrance. The pink prayer flags contain the name of the people who made donations for the upkeep of the temple.

3:30 pm;From Wikipedia: It was formerly known as Independence Palace and was built on the site of the former Norodom Palace. It was the home and workplace of the President of South Vietnam during the Vietnam War. It was also the site of the end of Vietnam War during the Fall of Saigon on 1975 when a North Vietnamese Army tank crashed through its gates.We were not allowed to enter the palace during our visit because of a rumored bomb or something. We actually saw from afar the guards scanning the whole area to rule out the said rumor. Because of that we just made funny poses with the cyclos parked outside of the palace.

4:30 pm:The Cathedral was finished in 1880 and was established by French colonists following the conquest of Cochinchina and Saigon. It has two bell towers with a height of over 58 meters. According to several online articles, initially it was called Saigon Church but in 1959, Bishop Phan Van held a ceremony to install the statue of Peaceful Notre Dame made with granite from Rome. In 1962, after the Vatican anointed it as Saigon Chief Cathedral, it was called Saigon Notre-Dame Cathedral Basilica.

Just across the Notre Dame Cathedral is the Central Post Office. The design was said to be a mixture of Gothic, Renaissance and French Influences. Telephone booths and ATMs are housed in red/orange maple-toned wood enclosures that added elegance to the place. Souvenir items are available here and for me rightly priced. It was here that I bought my fridge magnets which I discovered were cheaper than the market price without the need to haggle.

After the puppet show, we had our dinner at Nha Hang Ngon, said to be the number 1 authentic Vietnamese restaurant in Ho Chi Minh. We paid a total of about VND320000 or Php625. Wow!Before we went back to our hotel, we did a quick shopping at the Ben Thanh Market where I bought several bags -- Krumpler camera bag, Kipling bag, Vietnam souvenir bags and kapis-shell shoulder bag. I less cared whether the Krumpler and Kipling is original or otherwise, I was simply happy with my loots for the day.I thought we will call the day off early but of course, we can't afford to miss the nightlife and the Saigon beer. Since establishments are pretty small, the alleys at night serves as an extension of the club. Foreigners and locals alike party all night as a way to end the day.

We arrived at the tunnel past 11 in the morning after a 1-1/2 hour travel. At the entrance, we were oriented with the rules, the restricted areas, and of course our time limit.The tour allowed us to crawl around in the safer parts that are partially illuminated with low-powered lights.fter our actual underground experience, we were allowed to wander on our own for a short while. There were plenty of souvenir shops but I found the one near the shooting range as the most budget friendly. I bought a wooden carved flower vase and a small wooden pot with Cu Chi Tunnel engraving for my keeps.

On our Second Day, we were referred by our hotel attendant to a tour operator for our Cu Chi Tunnel Tour. Tours offered are either in big groups (in a bus) or small groups (in a van). For this one, we chose the bus which costs only USD5 per head. The fee covered the two-way transportation, the English speaking tour guide, a quick drop by to a lacquer workshop along the way, and complementary bottled water.

From Wikitravel: Cu Chi Tunnels is located 40km northwest of Ho Chi Minh City. The tunnels are an elaborate underground community made up of 250km of tunnels and chambers below the city. The tunnels were dug with simple tools and bare hands during the French occupation in the 1940’s and further expanded during the Vietnam War in 1960’s to provide refuge and a defensive advantage over the American Soldiers. So despite all the bombings in South Vietnam, the Cu Chi people were able to continue their lives beneath the soil – where they slept, ate, wed, gave birth, planned attacks, healed their sick and taught their young.

Originally published here.

We stayed at Saigon’s Sports 1 Hotel at USD30 per night with free buffet breakfast for two. The room can actually accommodate three persons but you need to pay extra USD3 for the buffet. The narrow lot/floor area was something noticeable of Saigon as most of establishments around occupies an average of 75-100sqms.Another uniquely famous about Vietnam is their coffee. According to some, it’s far beyond the Starbucks taste... Hmmm.... as a coffee addict, I was longing for the morning already to savor Vietnam’s coffee....