DESTINATION : Ho Chi Minh, Vietnam
Travel period : 30.01-03.02.2014
excluding my study year in Glasgow, this is perhaps my first new year spent somewhere not in Malaysia, with Confidence Travel Agency at a travel package of RM2400+ for 5D4N.
i) Flower Street Market, Nguyen Hue Street.
Nguyen Hue Street was a former main spring flower market in Ho Chi Minh City. to commemorate de traditional market, de Nguyen Hue Flower Street Festival will be held annually in Vietnamese New Year or Tet Nguyen Dan (or Tet in short). during this time, de street will be decorated with flowers of all kinds according to each year’s theme.
welcome de year of horse, chuc mung nam moi!
we'd got a wheel barrel full of gold!
ii) City stroll.
Saigon was officiallly renamed as Ho Chi Minh city in year 1976 as a token of honour to Ho Chi Minh, de independence father of Vietnam. however, some will still call it Saigon for historical, and cultural reasons. today, Ho Chi Minh is regarded as one of de wealthiest cities in Vietnam, far above from its capital, Hanoi.
#1 Ho Chi Minh Square.
Hoa mai- yellow apricot flower for de South Vietnamese during Tet.
de blossom of these bright and shinning flowers during Tet is a symbolic of wealth and luck. on de other hand, de yellow chrysanthemum is another favourite used by Vietnamese to decorate houses and streets. according to my tour guide, those who use chrysanthemums are perceived as de poorer families, is this true?
#2 Saigon Notre-Dame Basilica.
#3 Saigon Central Post Office.
this is another tourist attraction located near to Saigon Notre-Dame Basilica.
#4 Vietnam skinny buildings.
pretty much like houses you can see in Amsterdam, de reason for this is people are taxed on property by de width of their building fronts. these buildings although built to be thin but they are deep enough to allow plenty of space.
#5 Vietnam traffic.
motorists are in abundance on de roads of Vietnam.
iii) Mekong Delta Cruise.
upon arrival at My Tho, we took a private long tail boat ride across Mekong Delta to an island to see de coconut candy production process. after that, we were taken to a local bee farm for some demonstration on Vietnamese honey tea tasting served with local tidbits. de trip was ended with a sampan ride passing through de narrow canals under de green canopy of water coconuts trees. it was kinda adventurous and we loved it!
everyone with their 'Non la' 斗笠 (Vietnamese conical hat).
trying de tropical fruit- "breast milk fruit" (Vu Sua).
according to de natives, I'm supposed to squeeze it gently to release de juice before eating it. however, I would prefer to scoop de flesh out with a spoon. it has a bit of de sour soup texture but de taste was more to milky and sweet.
tropical fruits to taste with traditional music (tipping for singer).
this is definitely not how a papaya tree should look like.
de adventurous sampan ride (tipping is mandatory).
passing through de narrow canals with beautiful mangroves. seriously, I salute these ladies because it is not easy to paddle.
lunch at Diem Phuong Restaurant.
trying out some Vietnamese delicacies. how to not gain weight?
iv) Vinh Trang Temple.
I believed this place is part of de journey included from Ho Chi Minh to Mekong Delta. throughout de trip, we visited some other temples too, including Thien Hau Temple and Lang Ong Nam Hai Whale Temple (located at Vung Tau) but I find this as de most interesting temple.
de gigantic laughing buddha.
sleeping buddhas.
v) Saigon river dinner cruise: Tau Ben Nghe Restaurant.
this restaurant ship was equipped with three levels, with each level serving a unique menu including steamboat. it was again something that mimics a 10 course meal and to my disappointment they weren't really fantastic. de atmosphere was kinda chaotic as everyone was seated together, and especially with de live performance going on. it didn't have a beautiful night view either, except for freighters and barges.
vi) Reunification Palace.
formerly known as Independence Palace, de building used to serve as a home and workplace for de president. de basement labyrinth here kinda reminded me of Cu Chi Tunnel, but more spacious (check out my next Vietnam blog on Cu Chi Tunnel).
helipad on de roof.
de two red circles mark de spot where bombs were landed. it was an unsuccessful attempt to kill de president by his own air force.
vii) Pho | Vietnamese Beef Noodle Soup.
de signature Vietnamese beef noodle soup.
alternatively, you can choose chicken pho if beef isn't your thing.
but it gave an oily aftertaste. typical garnishes for pho including chillies, bean sprouts, culantro, lime, and Thai basil.
END
Comments
Post a Comment