Ho Chi Minh City - A Mix of Old and New, Chaos and Class

Lounge - Changi Airport

Bedroom Paragon Saigon Hotel

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Ho Chi Minh City - A Mix of Old and New, Chaos and Class.
I like Ho Chi Minh City and have been several times particularly near year end when the weather is usually dry. Its history, colonial landmarks, tasteful modernity, bustling markets, excellent dining options, interesting day trips and its "capitalist communism" make it a great place for a few days getaway. Being invited into the Ambassador Transit Lounge at Changi Airport, a smooth flight on Singapore Airlines and being assigned a suite at the 4 star Paragon Saigon Hotel got the trip off to a great start.

Near City Hall

Ho Chi Minh Statue

Living Area Paragon Saigon Hotel

I like the area around City Hall, it is equally interesting by day or night. Ho Chi Minh's statue is back in place after recent renovations in the area.
In the evening I skipped the legendary Rooftop Garden Bar at Rex Hotel this trip and opted for the historic Saigon Saigon Rooftop Bar at the Caravelle Hotel instead. It's louder, more hip and has a great Latino band.

Sail Boat Manufacture

New Street Art

The side streets nearby are interesting to browse and include a sail boat manufacturer, colourful art, two Singapore style restaurants including a chilli crab one and of course the Opera.

The Cafe Apartments

The Quirky "Cafe Apartments"

It was my first visit to the funky/Quirky/Bizarre "Cafe Apartment" a short walk from City Hall at 42 "Walking Street". The nine-storey building formerly housed military servants but now has coffee shops, bars, restaurants and small shops. Pay the 3000 Vietnamese dong (a few cents) and take the lift to the top floor and slowly make your way down by the old stairway, stopping for pictures in the instagramable corridors. Sky Coffee on the eighth floor (which does serve beer) next to Sexy Forever is a good choice for lunch and has great views of Walking Street and City Hall.

Street Food

Vietnam is famous for street food but I struggle with the very low plastic stools lol. The noodles and cuttlefish were superb.

Near The Cathedral

Notre Dame Cathedral Basilica of Saigon

"Book Street" Cafe

Post Office

The Cathedral (Notre Dame Cathedral Basilica of Saigon) built in the 1880's and Post Office opposite, a 15 minute walk from the hotel, are "must visits" for me even though the Cathedral is still undergoing renovation, a year after I last went. The Post Office is a good but slightly pricey place for souvenirs and always offers lots of photo opportunities. I loved the way the monk calmly invited himself into the model's group photo. So called "Book Street" a 100 metres away has lots of bookstores and cafes and is well worth a stroll through. Print isn't dead!

Our Lady of Peace

Visiting Monk Gate-crashes the Photo Shoot at the Post Office

Street Art

Street art or graffiti depending on your point of view is growing in popularity throughout the world and Ho Chi Minh City is no exception. These three works were all near my hotel.

Phan Liem Street - Environmental Awareness

Whale Full of Plastic Items

Phan Liem Street wouldn't have been on anyone's itinerary until this year when a group of 200 local volunteers and activists transformed a half kilometre grey wall into colourful murals to raise environmental awareness. Overuse of plastics, ocean pollution, industrial and traffic smoke emissions and the threat of extinction to Vietnamese rare animals such as elephants, rhinos and pangolins because of poaching and habitat destruction are all highlighted.

Pangolins are endangered in Vietnam

Bitexco to Ben Thanh Market

The contrast between the old and new is shown at the Bitexco Financial Tower with its upmarket office and viewing and Ben Thanh Market a fifteen minute walk away.

Bitexco Financial Tower

Ben Thanh Market

Ben Thanh is a popular place for breakfast. The seafood selection is interesting are there is a wide selection of handicrafts, clothes and food items. Being in the centre of town and frequented by lots of tourists so expect a bit of hassle and bargain!

Binh Tay Market
Binh Tay Market is home to hundreds of stalls. It is a 30 minute taxi ride away but worth the effort. Prices are lower and there is much less hassle as it target customers are wholesale buyers. You will be amazed at the number of hats on display!

Chinatown Market

Chinatown is only a few minutes' walk from Binh Tay. Wander the streets and bargain for fruit, vegetables, meat, live chickens and much more.

Into The Darkness - "Heart of Darkness" Bar

The Heart of Darkness Brewery remains one of my favourite bars with its wide range of home brewed craft beers

Tao Dan Park
Tao Dan Park is an ideal escape in the heart of the bustling city. It is a "people's park" best visited on a weekend. There are over a thousand trees, dozens of sculptures, a small cafe, bird watchers, school parties doing challenges, model shoots, picnickers, exercise fanatics and people simply hanging out. There even a few murals now.

Don't Forget the War!
It's hard to go to Vietnam and not think of the war. The Vietnamese have moved on with their lives and most of the war museums are full of foreign tourists. Understandably all the museums give a rather slanted Vietnamese perspective of the years of horror.

War Remnants Museum and Independence Palace
The War Remnants Museum is small but has a good collection of fighter planes, helicopters, shell cases and a rather disturbing are depicting torture.

The various posters on display are creative and effective.

Helicopter at War Remnants Museum

War Remnants Museum

Independence Palace

The Independence Palace or Re-unification Palace was the home and workplace of South Vietnamese President General Ngo Dinh Diem until his death in 1963. In 1975 a North Vietnamese tank crashed through the main gate effectively ending the Vietnam War. The building is essentially a museum frozen in 1975 and still hosts important meetings.

Ho Chi Minh City Museum