Vietnam: Ho Chi Minh City Tour

Day 4 of Ho Chi Minh Trip ^_^

After a heavy lunch at 4P's Pizza (click this link to read about it), we decided to have a stroll at the city. After 4 days in Ho Chi Minh, we haven't been to the tourist spots in the city. We have a little sense of urgency to visit them as we are leaving HCM the next day. 

Hence, we walked under the hot sun to look for Saigon Opera House a.k.a Municipal Theatre. Saigon Opera House was built in 1897 by French architect Eugene Ferret. The 800 seats building was used as the home of the Lower House assembly of South Vietnam after 1956. It was not until 1975 that it was again used as a theatre, and restored in 1995. It is a smaller counterpart of the Hanoi Opera House which was built between 1901 and 1911, and shaped like the Opera Garnier in Paris. (Read more on Municipal Theatre at Wikipedia here)

The opera house with the bright blue sky.

The Saigon Opera House. 

Was contemplating if we should go in for a show. But, due to time constraint, we decided not to. If not, we will not be able to drop by the Central Post Office and Saigon Notre Dame Cathedral. 

Found a nice garden on our way from Saigon Opera House to Central Post Office.

While walking, I saw Trung Nguyen Coffee opposite the road. 

Then, I pointed and said, "Friends, can we go there?" I promised myself to have a try of Trung Nguyen Coffee before heading back Malaysia. Now it is just right in front of me, and surely I will not walk pass and wait for another chance. Hence, we de-route to Trung Nguyen Coffee. Yeah! =)

Some other friends are still buying souvenirs while I can't stop myself from walking towards the coffee shop. Vietnamese coffee is so attractive... 

Ordered a cup of Hot Sang Tao No. 2 and friend ordered Iced Sang Tao No. 5. Surprisingly, they served us with their new item - banana pancake for FREE! So sweet of them! Back to coffee, so whats the difference between the numbers? According to the worker, different number has different kind of aroma, ranging from mild to strong. But their numbering did not go according to the level. So if you're not sure, please kindly consult the workers. They are very helpful in explaining =)

Trying to take a hipster photo for my coffee. XD seems a bit fail though...

For my cup of hot coffee, I tried a bit and decided to ask for ice. It is too strong for me and I still think it goes better with ice. I need the ice to melt slightly to make it a little thinner, which suits my taste better. The banana pancake is surprisingly good though. Crispy pancake with sweet banana inside. Me likey, especially it is free! =D

Close up of the pancake. Looks good right? It was served with sliced ginger which neutral out the sweet taste of banana pancake. 

After having our coffee, we bought some coffee as souvenirs in the shop. Surprisingly, the price of their coffees aren't expensive for such a branded coffee shop in Vietnam. I realized that their price is affordable when I was in airport. Why so slow? VND is merely just too confusing. Too many zeros and I thought they are expensive. Too late to realize! Aikzz.....

Ok, back to my Ho Chi Minh City Tour. After a half an hour detour to have a cup of coffee, we proceed our journey to Central Post Office and Notre Dame Cathetral. It is not too far from the coffee place. Didn't expect it to be so near. We were a bit lost at first and thankfully we have Waze to guide us to the place. =) 

Here we are at Notre Dame Cathetral and Central Post Office. They are just beside each other and you definitely won't miss either of them. Notre Dame Cathetral is so beautifully constructed that your eyes will definitely stare at it for a while whereas Central Post Office is so striking with its yellow paint that you won't missed out too. 

Notre Dame Cathedral.

Saigon Notre-Dam Basilica, officially Basilica of Our Lady of The Immaculate Conception is a cathedral located in the downtown of Ho Chi Minh City. It was established by French colonists, the cathedral was constructed between 1863 and 1880. It has 2 bell towers, reaching a height of 58 meters (190 feet). All the original building materials were imported from France. (click here for more information)

This cathedral is so beautiful! Can't stop taking photos of it. Makes me feel like as if I'm in Europe. Such a beautiful building. So glad that it is still well maintained and I have the chance to visit it. 

We were there on a Sunday evening and they are having Sunday prayers. It is quite a grand prayer as a lot of people were standing outside the gate to join because inside was full! We managed to take a look inside and was amazed by the interior design. 

Very grand! Look at the crowd! 

They are praying and hence we left quietly after observing for a minute. 

Last shot of the cathedral. Favourite shot of the day. Inspired by google images of the cathedral.

Then.... Walk across the road to visit the Central Post Office. It is the huge bright yellow building. 

The interior of the post office. It looks even nicer with the lights on. However, when we reached there, they were closing already and hence we missed the chance. 

Saigon Central Post Office is a post office in the downtown Ho Chi Minh City. The building was constructed when Vietnam was part of French Indochina in the late 19th century. It counts with Gothic, Renaissance, and French influences. It was constructed between 1886-1891 and is now a tourist attraction. It is still operating till now. It was designed by Auguste Henri Vildieu and Alfred Foulhoux, as well as Gustave Eiffel. Inside the Central Post Office, there are 2 painted maps that were created just after the post office was built, the first one located on the left side of the building is a map of Southern Vietnam and Cambodia titled Lignes telegraphiques du Sud Vietnam et Cambodge 1892 ("Telegraphic lines of Southern Vietnam and Cambodia 1892"). The second map of greater Saigon is titled Saigon et ses environs 1892 ("Sai Gon and its environment 1892"). If there's a chance, please have a look at the historical map. (information from Saigon Central Post Office)

Typical tourist photo. 

Central Post Office -- Day view

Central Post Office -- Night view

As we reach the cathedral and central post office late evening, the sun sets after a while. It's night time and we continued our city tour to enjoy the night scene of the buildings. 

Spotted a statue near City Hall.

Accidentally walk pass the City Hall. Beautiful lighting. =)

Went back to Opera House just to snap a photo of its night view. 

For opera house, I prefer the day view. Looks more grand. =D

Spotted a very nice hotel beside Opera House. Colourful lighting. Aww...

And hence, we ended our city tour and headed for our last dinner in Vietnam at Wrap & Roll. Kindly wait for the next update for photos of our food! Hehe....