Vĩnh Nghiêm Pagoda

Vĩnh Nghiêm which literally means "ever solemn" is the first pagoda to be built in the traditional Vietnamese architecture style. Located at 339, Nam Kỳ Khởi Nghĩa street, Ward 7, District 3, Ho Chi Minh City, this pagoda covers an area of 6,000 square meters. One buddha (Gautama Buddha) and two bodhisattvas (Manjushri and Samantabhadra) are housed in this pagoda. The highest structure in the vĩnh nghiêm pagoda is this 7-storey, 40 meter-high tower.

Vinh Nghiem 

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Rex Hotel Saigon

Rex Hotel was originally opened as a French garage showcasing European cars in 1927 during the French colonial rule in Vietnam. The building was later renovated into a 100 room Rex Complex Hotel with cinemas, cafeteria, dance hall and library. It became popular during the Vietnam war when daily press conference was held in its conference room. Military official and war correspondents used to hang out on its rooftop bar. 

After the Vietnam War, Saigon Tourist Bureau took ownership of the hotel and renamed it "Ben Thanh." The hotel was the venue of the press conference announcing the reunification of Vietnam in 1976. In 1986, the hotel was renamed the Rex Hotel. 

This 284-room famous luxury and business hotel has become a landmark and a witness of the ups and downs of city's history. It a stone throw's away from Ho Chi Minh City Hall in District 1.  

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Saigon Central Post Office

Adjacent to Notre Dame Cathedral is the Saigon Central Post Office. This gothic style building was built nearly a century ago when Vietnam was still part of French Indochina. This was designed and constructed by the famous architect Gustave Eiffel.

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Notre Dame Cathedral

This red brick cathedral is one of the fingerprints left by the French in Saigon. It was built between 1877 and 1883 in a mixture of revised Roman and Gothic style. It has stained glass windows and two bell towers reaching 57.6 meters high, each holding 6 bronze bells. All the materials of this building were imported from France. Sunday morning services are held in Vietnamese and English.

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Ben Thanh Market

On March 22, 2010 at around 2 p.m., we were back in Saigon from Phnom Penh. We left our baggage at the apartment and headed to Ben Thanh market to buy souvenirs and "pasalubong". I bought blouse, t-shirts, Sunday dress and bag.  

Ben Thanh Market

Around 5:00 in the afternoon, shopkeepers  are  starting to set up their booths for the night market. The stalls are well-lit. The night market is a must-see, even if you have been to the market during the day. With night lights, cooler atmosphere, shopping and strolling is easier and more enjoyable. Join the crowd, grab a drink and enjoy a unique slice of life in the city.

Ben Thanh market is the largest market in Saigon. It is located right in the heart of the city. Built in 1913, this French-styled building with a distinctive tower clock at its entrance sells a wide variety of local and imported products such as garments, textiles, handicrafts, souvenirs and more. Besides the shopping, it is also a great spot to try local street food such as pho, banh mi and bun thit nuong. Considered one of the symbols of HCMC, this market is a must-visit.

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Saigon: City of Motorbikes

The first thing I observed in Saigon when we went to tour the city on the of morning March 18, 2010 was their means of transportation. The city is swamped with motorbikes. 

There are cars but they are not as numerous as the motorbikes. I heard that there are about 6 million motorbikes in Saigon. Each year, an estimated 300,000 to 350,000 new motorcycles are licensed in the city. 

Even the house where we stayed is packed with motorbikes. The first floor which is supposed to be a dining room is used as a garage.

The motorbikes run anywhere, even on the pavement! At one time, our bus was sandwiched by the two herds of motorbikes coming from the opposite direction. I was really amused and amazed. Scooters rule the place.

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Ho Chi Minh Museum

Ho Chi Minh Museum or Uncle Ho’s Museum is located at 1 Nguyen Tat Thanh Street, District 4, Ho Chi Minh City about five to ten minutes walk to the Ben Nghi Canal. It is popularly known as the Dragon House because of the two dragon-shaped symbols on the top of the building. 

Ho Chi Minh Museum

Built in 1862, the building which is also called Ben Nha Rong used to be the office of the French shipping company Messageries Maritime. It was at this place that the 21-year old Nguyen Tat Thanh, who later became Ho Chi Minh, set sail on board Latouche Treville as a stoker and galley boy on June 2011 to begin the struggle for Vietnam's independence. In September 1979, the building was chosen to be the museum site to house Uncle Ho's memorabilia. The museum contains a rich collection of Uncle Ho's personal belongings including some of his journals, pencils, watering can, rubber sandals, clothing, radio and so on.  

Address: 1 Nguyen Tat Thanh, Dist 4

Visiting Hours: 7:30 - 11:30 and  1:30 - 5:00pm

Tel No.: 840 0647

Admission Fee: 1 USD

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