Day 1 in Ho Chi Minh City

A new adventure, a new experience. I have never thought of exploring Vietnam, but it was just a spur of the moment, and I just went to buy the air tickets. haha..


No! It's a bird! No! It's a blue plane!

It is only 2 hours away from Singapore, and Ho Chi Minh City just somehow looks like any other city (like Bangkok and Manila), only with the difference in the langauge.



No, I wasn't roaming alone. Huiyan came with me, and she had her Vietnamese friends as our tour guides. :D

Was quite amazed at the traffic there in Ho Chi Minh City. Bangkok and Manila are full of cars. Ho Chi Minh City is full of motorcycles. Even the lanes for the motorcycles are wider than those for the cars.


The motorcycle culture

By the time we got settled down at the hotel and ready to go explore the city, it was already evening time, and the day in Vietnam ends early.

We stopped by the Notre Dame Cathedral to take some photos, and bought some hand-made cards by the roadside. The sellers ended up being chased away by the local police, while I got amused by the happening. haha..


The Notre Dame Cathedral

The General Post Office is just beside the cathedral. We went in, and our 'tour guide' Kim Hai began his story-telling (which I can't remember the content).


The General Post Office


Inside the General Post Office

The General Post Office is unexpectedly big. The decor is of French colonial style, it has a different kind of grandeur. Hard to imagine that this building has been around for more than 100 years.



After that, it was time for dinner. Hai and Giao brought us to a restaurant where they serve delicacies from both North and South Vietnam.



The Vietnamese rolls are a must-try, and there are other cuisines that are worth trying. Sadly I can't remember the names of the cuisines. haha..

The day ended with a trip to the Panorama Cafe at Saigon Trade Centre. A slight disappointment though, because we looked like jailbirds within all the metal grilles. The drinks were a total disaster, and they all tasted like cough mixtures. urghh..


Looking out from the 33rd storey, at Panorama Cafe

By the time we got back to the hotel, we were already dead tired. And there was a time difference, we ended up sleeping later than usual. No more extended sleeping hours. haha..

Stories of Day 2 in Ho Chi Minh City shall continue the next post. :)