Travels: Alone in VIetnam - Ho Chi Minh City Part I

24th December - Day 1

So I part from the rest, who go to the airport, while I cab to my hostel.

Somehow I'd missed Toan (or maybe he arrived later than me), and I waited outside a hotel for a while before deciding to walk around and look for him. I was supposed to meet him at Diamond Plaza, but the ISP team left our lunch place late, and we didn't go to Diamond Plaza in the end, so he texted Trung my hostel's address and Trung called a cab for me. The driver was really nice and drove me to right outside the alley which housed my hostel, and pointed me to the alley (though I didn't get it until after that).

I stayed at Saigon Youth Hostel. For 15USD a night, I had a room, with an attached bathroom, to myself. The room was really tiny, with little walking space, but it was decent, clean and nice enough for me since I'd expected to be out most of the time anyway! The best thing about the room, there were not huge-ass mirrors right in front of the bed (only a TV); mirrors always scare the shit out of me when I stay in hotels alone. It is located in one of the alleys along Pham Ngu Lao street, a popular backpackers' area - I can see why, it's full of guesthouses, hostels and travel agencies.

Saigon Youth Hostel
241/32 Pham Ngu Lao Street, District 1, HCMC

After chucking my luggage in my room, Toan drove me to have lunch! Lunch again, because I didn't eat much for the lunch with the ISP team and he hadn't had lunch yet.
He says it is popular with the locals, but some tourists have found their way there too. I was sitting among caucasians.
Vietnamese pancake. I like the pancake, it was really crispy and well done. The batter wasn't too flour-ey, as a lot of pancakes are. The vietnamese wrap pieces of the pancake in the veggies, but I'm not a fan of mixed tastes, so I just ate the pancake as it was.

Drink was an iced salted lime-peel juice. It tasted like plum juice. Very refreshing drink for the warm weather.

After lunch, we proceeded to the first item on my itinerary... Really, the Vietnamese carry about anything and everything, and do about anything and everything on their motorbikes - I've seen kids sleeping, mothers feeding their kids milk, men carrying ladders, poles, ironing boards and what not, all on their motorbikes.
Superb weather! I was lucky as it was supposed to be rainy, but it didn't rain throughout the days I was there.
On the way... Toan got a little lost on the roads and was checking the map when I took this photo. Heehee, always in the mood for a little camwhoring!
Finally, we arrived at the Ho Chi Minh Fine Arts Museum!

"The fine arts museum occupies a grand colonial building with stained-glass French doors and fanlights, a flared roof, and lots of balconies. Once home to a wealthy businessman, the foursquare palace opened as a museum in 1991."
- National Geographic Traveller

Special Exhibit: Non (Traditional Conical Hat) by Nguyen Lieu

"I was born in Nha Trang City - Khanh Hoa Province. My childhood wass filled with traditional lullabies, endless fields and seas, and a humble pride of my wealthy hometown.... Non was and has been a heart-to-heart friend of farmers. In the early morning or late evening, the non always follows its friends on every road... For me, the miracle of non can't be told just by words. In my paintings, non is a plight, a condition with varios mixed feelings and emotions..."

More depictions of the Non.
More...
Blue Dance.

The Four Seasons.
More art pieces.
Loved this.
Traditional Chair . Carbved hard wood with mother-of-pearl inlay and a marble insert back rest.

The first level features mostly contemporary art and modern art pieces, with interesting paintings and ceramic pieces. Only one particular section featured traditional furniture like the one above.

And then we move upstairs....

Top: Festival in communal house in the village
Bottom: Returning to the village after achieving academic honours.
Both are by Tu Duyen, who developed a unique technique of painting on wood blocks used in the traditional printing process (woodcut painting). All of his works illustrate Vietnamese literary works, folk verses, fairtales and festivals.

More art works by Tu Duyen.

Interestingly, Toan shared that he actually met this artist at the pier. As fate would have it!

Left: My fate is that of a rose-coloured silk.
Right: Pipe Tobacco Sickness

Folk World, by Le Xuan Chieu (1956).
Particularly liked this - Blue Sky by Tran Van Thao (1961).
Creamic Masks.
Expectation, by Pham Cong Hoang (1960).

One of the many entrances.

We moved on to the Courtyard.
Renovations going on...
Touristy picture, haha!
(:

Ho Chi Minh Fine Arts Musuem
97A Pho Duc Chinh, District 1, Ho Chi Minh City
Closed on Mondays
Entrance Fee: 3000VND

Stopped by for ice cream at Goody Cafe.
Such a whimsical little ice cream cafe!
Great decor, great ambience.
Spaghetti Ice Cream. Basically Vanilla Icecrea, with nuts and fruit bits, and whipped cream on top. It's too sweet for my liking, but then again, it's Vietnam.
Homemade Yoghurt with sliced fruits.
Pretty lampshade!
Lovely!!! I'm definitely bringing my friends here (even if not for the ice cream, at least for the ambience). It's a great place to chill and spend your afternoon at.
After that, we went to Big C Supermarket. So many motorbikes waiting for parking lots!
KFC. Why do I get excited each time I see Colonel Sanders?
The Vietnamese love their laughing cow.
Got carried away. Edwin asked for instant pho, and I went with the intention of buying instant pho, but I got a whole lot of chips and meat floss and what not for myself too. This entire basket amounted to about 330,000 VND, which is slightly more than 20SGD.
Dinner. Noodles with spring roll, and barbecued meat! The spring roll and barbecued meat were awesome on their own, but they had to mix everything together. Oh well...
Fairly pleased with my dinner. It's on the same alley as my hostel.
Arranged to meet Thao at 6.30pm, but we got lost and arrived only at 7pm with the heavy traffic. If you'd thought Singapore is crowded, just look at this photo! It's like the least crowded there already.
Fortunately, Thao waited for me!
My BFF during the ISP.
Last photo, before she hurried away to catch the bus to the train station back to her hometown! Really awesome to see her, I'll definitely visit her and made our planned trip to Hanoi come true!
Outside Diamond Plaza. Paris Square, on Christmas eve, is crazy. All the Vietnamese drive their motorbikes to this area to meet their friends, chill (I must say, not a very tranquil place for chilling), take photos or simply to get a sense of the Christmas partying spirit! That's why Diamond Plaza closes its doors on Christmas eve.
We parked somewhere a little far from Paris Square because all the parking lots nearby were full.
We took a little walk back to Paris Square, where we had a drink inside Coffee Bean. Bought this cute little wand for myself for 10,000 VND. Gave it away to a random kid on the streets after that, though.
Toan enjoying a cup of coffee, on me. It was way, way overpriced, man. But hell, I really needed that seat and respite from the crowd. And truth be told, aircon in Vietnam is non-existent. They turn it down really low, and you can't really feel anything.
After a short break, we're back on the streets. Got stuck in a jam for almost 1-2 hours, as it got later in the night. The jam was endless!
Passed by Toan's home, which was upstairs of this building.
Pretty night view. Pity I didn't have a chance to visit the tallest building in Vietnam, as you can see in this photo.
On the way back to my hostel, picked up supper at ABC Bakery. It's bad... The bread was dry and hard, but later I found out all bakeries offered bread like that, only their baguettes are nice and soft inside.
Back to my hostel. Saw a cockroach near my door, but didn't bother until it came into my room! What the hell! I killed it with a single smack. Too bad. Picking it up and throwing it away was difficult though.

25th December 2011 - Day 2
Breakfast.
Something a little like our chee cheong fun.
The fried "cupcakes". Much more delicious than the ones we had in Dong Thap Province.
The fillings of the rice rolls. Tasted like peppered radish.

Went back to the hostel after breakfast to get dressed. I was all alone today, because Toan had to be home for Christmas!

On the way to Saigon Square, my first stop.
Walk, walk, walk.
Finally arrived after a 20-30 minute walk. It was really hot, so I was glad to have arrived.
Offerings include brand-name knock-offs, and brand-name factory rejects. Spotted Forever21 clothings, but didn't get them because F21 is originally already quite cheap, and prices quoted are really close to the retail prices. No point, right!
Loads and loads of stuff. In general, it's better to shop here than in Ben Thanh. It's not so overpriced here, and the quality is really good. I didn't buy much though, had thought it would be cheap and after the loss of my pouch, I brought only about 50SGD worth of VND. It was gone in a flash, after like a few items.
Camwhoring after shopping completion. I didn't manage to see everything because no point seeing, if you have no money right?
Making my way back to the hostel to get some money before heading to the Notre Dame Cathedral.
Unfortunately I got lost, and took a huge detour to get back to my place. It was a nice walk though, saw more places and people.
Am I ever going to get back there?

I think it's nice to walk. During my first solo trip in Bangkok (unforgettable), I walked all day long. Sometimes, you really had to rely on your instinct as to whether to turn into that corner now, or walk straight. Most of the time I'm right, I'm lucky!

At this point, I was regretting spending every single cent of my money on shopping, without leaving some for cabbing. Haha...
Oooo and I finally found the alley where my hostel is, albeit from the other end! So happy!
Back! Charged my borrow phone using this unique contraception. Toan lost his charger so he got this thing, which works like a charger. Pretty cool eh, from China. LOL.
Changed out of my clothes to more comfortable tee and shorts and went for lunch. This is at a restaurant a few steps away from my hostel. I ordered Seafood Chow Mien. It's instant noodles, but it's pretty good! Enjoyed with a bottle of Coke.
After my satisfying lunch, I changed back into my going-out clothes, and cabbed to Notre Dame Cathedral.

"The Notre Dame Cathedral is the grandest expression of French Catholic architecture in the country. Its façade boasts 2 matching bell towers that rise 187 feet above Paris Square (Cong Xa Pari). Visible from afar, these landmarks have defined the skyline for decades.

French architect Jules Bourard designed the cathedral in the mid 1870s and a French cleric laid the cornerstone in 1877. It opened to worshippers 3 years later, with bricks imported from Marseilles, granite from nearby Bien Hoa, and a construction tab of nearly 2.5 million francs. Its 6 bells weigh nearly 30 tons.

As in the Vatican’s basilica, Notre Dame’s nave is divided by a double colonnade and centered on a semicircular apse. The design departs from form with a vaulted thick ceiling. A series of niches along either side of the sanctuary houses the Stations of the Cross and statues of the patron saints. While the statuary is not especially satisfying, commemorative stones cemented to the walls are deeply evocative of the church’s colonial past.

Stained glass from the Lorin Company of Chartres originally lit the niches. Replacement glass from Grenoble in the 1940s and ‘50s delivered such motifs as St. Theresa before a map of Indochina and St. George slaying the dragon.

In 1962, the Vatican elevated the Notre Dame to basilica status, though its exalted designation didn’t spare the structure from wartime scarring. "
- National Geographic Traveller

I read that the Notre Dame Cathedral was closed on weekends (it was a Sunday), so I just took a few pictures and left for the Main Post Office.

"Designed by Gustav Eiffel’s firm and built between 1886 and 1891, the post office’s vaulted interior and skylights echo the railway stations of 19th century Europe. Symmetrical wings flank a grand pavilion and arched entryway with a marquee. The escutcheons on the first floor piers bear the names of Benjamin Franklin, Alesandro Volta, Andre-Marie Ampere, and other notables who made their mark in electricity."
- National Geographic Traveller
A 1936 map details the colonial telegraph lines.
A map from 1892 depicts an era where marshland separated Saigon and Cholon. Postcards for those who wanted it, and for my friends!
Passed by Paris Square on my way to my next stop, so I stopped to take a picture with the Virgin Mother statue.

In late 2005, it was said that the statue was shedding miraculous tears, so many people flocked to the statue of the Virgin Mother in Paris Square. On my way... Then I heard the church bells.
Turns out that the Cathedral opens its doors to the public on Christmas for service.
Beginning around WWI, parishioners began placarding the walls around a favorite saint with expressions of gratitude such as Merci and Reconnaissance. After the colonials departed and the Vietnamese assumed command of the congregation, the gesture continued, albeit in Vietnamese.
The Vietnamese have gradually infused the staid Catholic décor with fanciful modern touches. Blue neon halos one niched saint, white neon beyond the apse spells out Ave Maria, and fluorescent tubes hang vertically from columns in the nave.
I went in and joined their service for a while. It was all in Vietnamese, I'm not Catholic, and I didn't understand the significance of it all, but the "feel" was there. The choir was singing, the Cathedral was lighted up, oh so holy.
Preaching.

It was really beautiful. I was videoing the Choir singing, when they suddenly lighted up the entire Cathedral. I felt so damn lucky! After what seems like a few hours, I left.

164 Dong Khoi. No building name, but this was built in 1917 to house the colonial Surete.
22 Ly Tu Trong. This housed the CIA staff during the war, but I guess it's just apartments now?
Passed by Vincom Centre.
And then I arrived at the City Hall, otherwise known as the People's Committee Building.
This building served as the French colonial Cityhall. It's inaccesible to the public, so I could only take photos from the outside. It's pretty enough though.

Took a picture with a cute brown-haired Santa! Vietnamese kids are all so adorable!

Rex Hotel, one of the must-sees too. It served as the American Bachelor Officers' Quarters during the war. It's also where many press briefings were held early in the war.

You can go up to the rooftop terrace for a drink, but I was running out of time (way behind schedule), so I skipped that and moved on to my next stop!

The Municipal Theatre.

"The Municipal Theatre, with its broken mansard roofs and arched facade, has reigned over the square since its debut as the Saigon Opera House on 1 January 1900. It once housed the legislature of outh Vietnam. Restored for its 100th anniversary, the 800 seat hall again serves as a performnig arts centre."

- National Geographic Traveller

As good as it gets. The best photo I could get from the Tourist Security guard, haha. Never mind... There was a show that day, so it's doors were closed to the public.
Passed by Caravelle Hotel.
Ran out of money, so exchange some.
Built in 1935, Jamia Mosque is one of the several active mosques in the city.
Stopped by for dinner at Dragon Noodles, opposite the mosque, on Dong Du Street.
It was not cheap, probably the same as in Singapore. But it was so much more fragrant, and had thicker cuts of meat. The meat was cooked until soft and tender too.
Went to Annam Gourmet Market.
I kind of got a little excited and crazy in there. 2 whole levels of gourmet food! Loved the chocolate section. Did I mention I went a little crazy there?
Oooo..
Bakery section. I got a chocolate fudge cake and a muffin! I didn't eat the muffin in the end though, it was left sitting in my fridge the whole time.
After Annam, I decided to walk back to my hostel. Took a wrong turn, so had to walk back all the way to the Municipal Theatre, then get on Le Loi to go back. I think I finally got back after like 2 hours? My loots from Annam Gourmet Market.
It was a long walk back to my hostel, so I stopped by Trung Nguyen Cafe, their local "Starbucks" for an iced coffee.
Camwhoring. Rested and checked the map to see which way I should go.
Passed by the night market on my way back to the hostel.
Shoes, shoes, shoes!
Got back to the hostel, chilled and watched Disney Channel until I fell asleep!