Shopping, Sights & Snacks in HCMC, Vietnam

The wife and I made a short visit to Ho Chi Minh City (HCMC) last weekend. We took time off on Friday and Monday, so it was kind of a long weekend. The reason for the trip was to attend the wedding of one of my Vietnamese colleagues. We stayed at the Sheraton Saigon on Dong Khoi Street (in District 1). This is at the centre of HCMC, and from there we were able to wander around the main shopping areas, visit some of the prominent sights and also enjoy some Vietnamese snacks.

Here's a short visual documentation of our trip, for those who haven't yet been and may be contemplating a trip to Vietnam. Believe me, it's a very charming country.

The first photo shows the Sheraton Saigon hotel (the one on the right). Very comfortable and truly excellent service. The other tall building is actually another well-known hotel - the Caravelle. It was prominent during the American War (which is how the Vietnamese refer to the conflict we usually call the Vietnam War), when Western journalists and diplomats used to base themselves there. There's a particularly well known rooftop bar.

The next photo (above) shows the HCMC Municipal Theatre, popularly known as Saigon Opera House, one of the city's landmark buildings situated on Le Loi Street. HCMC was formerly known as Saigon. Even though the name change was imposed in the mid 1970s after "the fall of Saigon" when North Vietnamese forces took over the city and "reunified" the country, the locals ae still fond of using the old name Saigon. This beautiful structure was completed in 1911, under the supervision of French architects. Besides being a theatre, it was once also used as the South Vietnam government Assembly House. These days it hosts Vietnamese theatre and music performances.

Next you can see yours truly with Uncle Ho (i.e. Ho Chi Minh, the much revered leader who reunified Vietnam). This statue is in a small park in front of the grand HCMC People's Committee headquarters or City Hall, which you can see a part of in the background. Unfortunately during this period, the building facade was undergoing some renovations, so there were scaffolding everywhere.

There are numerous architectural influences from the French Colonial period in Saigon but probably none are more French than the Notre Dame Cathedral ! This 19th century neo-Romanesque structure has two 40-meter towers that can be seen from all over HCMC and is the centerpiece of the city’s government quarter skyline. I read somewhere that this Catholic cathedral originally had stained glass windows, but those were destroyed during WWII and never replaced. (For keen eyed shopaholics, Diamond Plaza in the background houses a modern departmental store).

 

This is the front of the General Post Office, a grand building just adjoining the Notra Dame Cathedral. If you think it looks nice outside, just take a look at the interior (below) ...

Shoppingwise, there are many department stores,branded shops (Gucci, Milano, etc) and souvenir outlets in HCMC. But we like to go to where local products are sold. And the best place for this is Ben Thanh Market.

The next few shots were taken within Ben Thanh market.

You have seen some of the architectural influences of the French in the previous photos. Vietnam was part of French Indo-China for many years, and even up to WWII. It was only after the famous Battle of Dien Bien Phu in 1954 that the French forces were finally expelled by the Viet Minh communist revolutionaries under Ho Chi Minh.

With any occupation by a foreign power, I'm sure there were many issues and hardships. But one less documented but positive influence that the French left behind was in the area of confectionery. I truly believe that in Vietnam you can find some of the best croissants and pastries in Asia. Feast your eyes on the display below !

They taste fabulous. I kid you not !

Vietnam: Colour, Culture & Community (Part 1)

My very first visit to Vietnam was in 2003 when I was invited to speak at eGovernment seminars in Hanoi and Ho Chi Minh City (HCMC). I didn't know it then, but this visit kickstarted a series of workshops and conferences I would find myself participating in over the next five years. In my current job*, I support various ASEAN countries, and as such I make fairly regular trips to Vietnam - mostly to Hanoi, occasionally to HCMC, and a couple of times to Danang.

It is probably true to say that Vietnam has become one of my firm favourite countries. I feel strangely comfortable there. The people are friendly, the local food agrees with me (it is usually vegetable or seafood based, which makes it healthy and tasty), there are many historical or culturally significant sites, and the place is relatively safe.

Despite its rapid economic growth over the past 7-8 years, Vietnam is still a developing country. I have lived most of they past 30 years in concrete jungles we call modern cities, mostly in supposedly developed economies, so I tend to find the pace of life in Vietnam a couple of notches lower than what I'm used to - which is absolutely great because it allows me more time for three important R's: reflection, relationship-building and relaxation.

I would like to share what I like about the three cities of Hanoi, HCMC and Danang. I will only cover Hanoi in today's blog, and continue with the other two cities in Part 2 another day.

The national capital HANOI, located in the north, tends to be more conservative, more official-like, with more protocol. It also feels more cultural (I might be wrong here, but to a visitor like me, there seems to be more cultural or historical sites to visit in Hanoi than in HCMC). Here's the Opera House, which is very close to the hotel I normally stay at.

To illustrate the pervasiveness of the local culture, consider for instance the Hoan Kiem Lake. The lake is located right in the centre of the city, and there's a fascinating legend associated with it. According to a tale that dates back to the 15th century, King Le Loi, also known as Le Thai To, the founder of the Le Dynasty, found a holy turtle during a cruise on the then Luc Thuy, or green lake. The turtle told the King to return the sacred sword that had helped him defeat the northern Ming aggressors now that peace had been restored to the land. Le Thai To unsheathed his sword and threw it to the turtle, which caught the sword in its mouth and dived into the depths of the lake. The King later renamed the lake "Hoan Kiem" which means "Lake of Returned Sword". This is a story passed from generation to generation.

The Old Quarter in Hanoi is another fascinating place, that I love to wander around when the weather is cool. I am told that the Old Quarter retains a bit of the ambience of ancient Hanoi. The Old Quarter consists of a network of 36 streets, which bear the names of the goods that were originally manufactured by the craftsmen living on that street in days gone by, eg. Silk Street, Paper Street, Bamboo Street, etc. The Old Quarter is a great place to buy souvenirs or gifts. I also like to hang around the cafes of the Old Quarter just to watch the community that lives, works and plays there (ahem, this sounds like a company slogan I'm rather familiar with!).

A unique & very colourful cultural experience in Vietnam is watching water puppetry. One can do this at the Thang Long theatre, at the edge of Hoan Kiem Lake. Backed by musical instruments such bamboo flutes, bronze drums, gongs, xylophones and other instruments I can't even name. The program includes ducks, snakes, dragons, buffalos and little people dancing and diving above and under the water surface. The themes played out reflect daily life of villagers such as farming, children playing, romance , as well as depictions of ancient legends.

Other places in Hanoi worth visiting are the Ho Chi Minh Mausoleum, Temple of Literature, Museum of Fine Art, and the West lake area.

Well, that's it for today's posting. As mentioned earlier, I'll continue to share my thoughts on Vietnam in subsequent blogs. Do give me any feedback you have or share your own experience travelling in Vietnam.


* Some of you may know that I'm with the Asia Public Sector team at Cisco Systems, the global communications & collaboration company.

Note: All the photographs included in this blog were taken by Jemima Yong (jemimayong@hotmail.com)