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Wednesday, July 13, 2011 @ 1:31 PM PERMALINK


Day #1: Seeing the sights, soaking in the atmosphere 

The flight from Singapore to Ho Chin Minh was only about an hr and a half, since we caught the earliest flight we slept in the plane and hit the ground running. Two of the best tips I read online were:

1. Where to get a taxi from the airport.


You can either get a taxi coupon from the counter when you leave the arrival hall or leg it to taxi stand. If you are unlucky like us and there are only dodgy looking private cars/taxis, go up to the next level (where the depature hall is). We took a Saigon Tourist taxi (not as common) and the airport staff gave him directions to our hotel.


2. Which taxis were the best to take


Ho Chin Minh City has a ton of taxis and you'll quickly notice that there are an array of logos and taxi companies to pick from. While researching on Ho Chin Minh, I came across alot of horror stories about pirate taxis which would rig the meter and refuse to let you out if you didnt pay their prices. We were lucky and avoided this scenario although we did get into a cab with a rigged meter and paid probably 50%-70% more to get to where we wanted to.

It may sound like overkill to analyze every taxi before you get in but our guide Long confirmed that this was accurate and not just tourists being paranoid (taxi tips at the bottom of this entry)

Our taxi dropped us on this main street, pointed out roughly where our hotel was and even though we didnt really know where it was, we took our bags and got out. We then proceeded to walk in the wrong direction before realising we'd better as for directions.

Our hotel Bich Duyen (283/4 Pham Ngu Lao St., Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam) is located through a small alley behind the main street. Jasmine and I soon found out that this small alley was a godsend. The minute you turned in, all the noise from the street was left behind and you found yourself surrounded by guesthouses and local residences.

We were greeted happily by Chanh who I had communicated with via email and he informed us that our room was not ready yet (duh, it was 945am) and we could leave our bags in the lobby. We then got directions from him to the nearest money changer.

Bich Duyen is run by both Chanh and Thang who take shifts at the front desk. Both of them are amazingly helpful and are quick to whip out maps to direct you to where you want to go. Jasmine and I saw and talked to Thang more often as he ran the night shift and we often only got back past 9pm.

We got lost (again) on the way to the money changer, but found it in the end, get our VND and got back to the hotel just in time to find our Saigon Hotpot volunteer tour guide Long waiting for us.

Saigon Hotpot is a volunteer group which gets their guides to take tourists around Ho Chin Minh for free so that they get to practice their English. The only cost you have to pay is for the entrance fees (if needed), transport and food. If you need to contact them, they are on Facebook and reply very promptly to emails.

We quickly decided on the places that we would see. We decided to see the Reunification Palace, Notre Dame Cathedral, the General Post Office, the Emperor Jade Pagoda, the War Remnants Museum and finally Ben Thanh market.

Long informed us that the best way to see Saigon was to walk and so thats what we did. I think it was really amazing that instead of taking the easy and more comfortable way out, Long insisted on ensuring that we had the most authentic experience possible.

One thing that Long pointed out was that the sidewalks of Vietnam are lined with towering green leafy trees, much like you would see in Europe. This is just one of the remaining influences the French had on the city.

Our first stop was the Reunification Palace, the ticket price was 30,000 VND. This palace stands as a symbol of when North and South Vietnam finally reunited as a whole country. The palace is mostly untouched since the last president left it. There have been repairs done of course as it was damaged during the war. Each room in the palace is open for viewing, this includes bedrooms, meeting rooms, map rooms, the kitchen...etc. Without Long, the historical importance of the Palace would have been lost on us.

While this alone is a stunning building (although very different from European style palaces), Long shared with us information about various presidents (which one was Catholic, who could speak 4 languages, where the escape route was) and facts about the palace which made our visit so much more interesting.

If you are going by yourself, I suggest reading up on the various presidents or joining a guided group if not you may find yourself at a loss in trying to understand the significance of the numerous rooms.


Our next stop was the Notre Dame Cathedral and the General Post Office. These two buildings are 2 out of the 3 most viewed French styled buildings. The third being the Opera House which Jasmine and I only caught a glance of when we were in a cab.

The architecture of both buildings are spectacular and almost out of place compared to the tall, narrow buildings we would grow to be familiar with in Pham Ngu Lao.

While we couldn't go into the Cathedral (it only opens on Sundays for mass), the General Post Office is still a functioning post office and it kind of feels like you stepped into an European train station.



After looking at these buildings, we sat down and decided to go for lunch. In another show of professionalism and hospitality Long racked his brain trying to decide where to bring us, we had told him to bring us to where he'd like to eat but he was worried that the cuisine he was used to was too salty for us. He thus decided on the more touristy option and brought us to the usual place he brought his tours to.


At the restaurant, the menu is super extensive and features food from the South and North of Vietnam. Long also wanted to get us tables on the 2nd story as he said it was nice and more quiet.

I had asked Long to order for me and while he very thoughtfully remembered I didnt eat fish and seafood, he neglected to remember that the mixing sauce for this dish was fish sauce. I ate it anyways, wasnt too bad. (This was just one of my encounters with fish sauce). The food here is great by the way and super inexpensive for a restaurant.

After lunch, we went to the Emperor Jade Pagoda, tourists who are hoping to see a grand pagoda like those in Thailand and China will be disappointed. This pagoda is run down and authentic in its structure, Long informed us that it was built by chinese boat people and its obvious Chinese influences really stand out.


Following the Buddhist rituals of releasing animals for good karma, the temple grounds are surrounded by turtle, bird and fish sellers that sell these animals for worshipers to release on the temple grounds. However, this means that the temple ponds are full of fish and turtles which are not exactly well cared for (serious animal lovers may want to take this into account before visiting the temple) 


The temple may look small but houses alters for many different deities which may be familiar to Singaporean Buddhists. There are alters for the Keeper of Hell, Goddess of Mercy, a shrine for Fertility gods. (I apologise that I don't really know the accurate names of these gods, Jasmine seemed more familiar with them)

Chinese characters are featured on written tablets put up on the wall and there are two huge guard statues that looked like they were made out of bronze or wood, Long later informed us that they were made out of paper.


After the temple, we caught a taxi and headed down to the War Remnants Museum. (Entrance fee is 15,000 VND).

The Museum is 3 stories high and each level has a different theme.

The  first floor showcases various propaganda posters and material used by Vietnam and its other supporting countries during the war. It also covered the issue of self immolation by Americans and monks during the war.



Propaganda posters showcasing Cuba's support for the North Vietnamese during the war

The outside compound of the museum covers torture tactics and living conditions of prisoners.

The second and third floor showcases photos of famous war photographers, effects of Agent Orange, crimes against the Vietnamese and Vietnam's rebuilding efforts

Thinking back about the contents of the Museum (and after reading up abit more about the war), I am pretty sure that most (if not all) of the blame for Vietnamese deaths and torture was pinned on the Americans, there is almost no mention of the living conditions once communist North Vietnam had taken over the country.

There was however an exhibit showcasing how it was hard for American soldiers during the war and how many of them did die in vain. There were also exhibits that covered protests in America for peace emphasizing that not all Americans supported the war.

It is pretty obvious that the Vietnamese still blame America  for getting involved in the war and perhaps rightfully so. If you are looking for a museum that is well balanced, this is probably not going to be it. However, it does showcase how hard the years of war were on the Vietnamese and how the use of Agent Orange, Agent Blue and Napalm created (as is still creating, as many Vietnamese say) so much destruction and suffering. The pictures of suffering 2nd generation Vietnamese affected by Agent Orange was a bit much to take and until now, I still cant figure out why any one would think of using such warfare.

Given all that, the showcase of photos on the 2nd and 3rd floor of the museum are a testament to the dedication, passion and talent of various war photographers and photojournalists many of which also perished in the war and that alone for me, would warrant a visit.

After dinner we went back to the room too exhausted to explore the streets and went to bed after watching some tele.

Stay tuned for Day 2 when we went to visit the Chu Chi Tunnels and the Cao Dai Temple in Tay Ninh.


1. http://wikitravel.org/en/Ho_Chi_Minh_City#b
2. http://asiatravelmag.com/blogs/asia-travel-feature/archive/2011/03/06/ho-chi-minh-city-taxi-guide-vinasun-and-mai-linh-taxis.aspx

Labels: Holiday plans, saigon, vietnam

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