We woke up early at 7.30am because it was our last full day in Ho Chi Minh City, we wanted to make full use of today to compensate the places we missed out yesterday and make the best out of it.
We were blessed with beautiful weather today. After raining for an entire day, the sun has finally came out.
In stripes today, a style that will never go outdated. I got this top from Padini, one of my favourite brands and regular in my wardrobes. Whenever I visit Malaysia, Padini is always a place I will check out for shopping on work wear and causal wear.
We were finally done with preparation. Time was 8.30am, we proceeded down to hotel lobby for our daily breakfast.
We noted some new variety of food was added to the daily buffet spread, this allows the guests to try out different variety of food without get bored.
I ordered scrambled egg daily without fail, it was a satisfying breakfast to kickstart our day. We enjoyed the freshly prepared orange juice that immediately quenched our thirst after a hearty breakfast.
After the breakfast, I sent Linda over to the nail parlour, a few shops away from our hotel, for her gel manicure session. I then headed back to hotel to rest and continued the movie marathon at 9.15am. The television has resumed working.
I made a right choice choosing this hotel, it is easily accessible with many shops located within the proximity. Even staying in the room to just relax felt so great, it made me forget about the stress facing in city life. I still have one last day to enjoy.
Shortly after Linda returned, we began our excursion and made our way to our first location, War Remnants Museum, which was 15 minutes walk away from our hotel. We reached the museum at about 11am. Be sure to check the timing before heading down because the museum ticket counter will be closed from 12pm to 1.30pm, so you will need to be in by 12pm.
War Remnants Museum is a war museum that reminded us of the long and brutal Vietnam War and the first Indochina War involving the French colonialists. The museum comprises of a series of themed rooms in several buildings, with period military equipment placed outside the building.
If you only have time to visit one museum, I highly recommend War Remnants Museum because this museum tells the history of Vietnam and there are many lessons that we can learn from it so that the history will not repeat itself.
Taking a look at the collection of American military equipment on display which includes helicopter, tank, fighter plane and single-seater attack aircraft.
Spotted a vintage looking trishaw outside a cafe.
The number of tanks and war planes on display was fascinating, there were so many of them.
The exhibition exposed war crime from the French and Americans. The museum showed a guillotine brought in by the French government where they used it to execute their prisoners until 1960. War is the most cruel act towards mankind, it took away many lives in such a brutal way that we can't imagine. It was heart wrenching as I read up the stories of the war, it gave me a history lesson about the tragic past of Vietnam and how they fought their way to independence.
This was the famous ‘tiger cages' where the South Vietnamese government kept their political prisoners in these small area. It was said that up to 14 people can be imprisoned in this cage at a time.
The outdoor exhibits showcased more on the different equipment and vehicles while the indoor exhibits captured the graphic photographs of the war.
I didn't took much photos inside the museum because throughout my time inside, my heart was heavily sank looking at all the devastating stories. Even the aftermath of war has left the people suffering from the effect of ‘Agent Orange’. Million of people were exposed to strong pesticide and chemical spray, resulting in 500,000 children were born with birth defects.
Visiting War Remnants Museum has been the most educational and enriching experience among all the museums I visited in Ho Chi Minh City. I have learned a lot about Vietnam history and culture, a memory that remained deep in all the local's heart. It was an eye opening experience but not advisable for children's visit.
We spent 2 hours in the museum, we need to cool ourselves down. We have no mood or appetite to do anything at the moment now.
War Remnants Museum
28 Vo Van Tan, District 3, Ho Chi Minh City
Operating hours: 7.30am to 12pm, 1.30 to 5pm
Entrance fee: 40,000VND (or S$2.38)
Nice weather allowed us to walk around and explored the city. We walked another 15 minutes to the street of monumental structures, Saigon Notre Dame Cathedral. A little pity that the cathedral was closed for renovation and parts of the cathedral was covered up by renovation works.
We chanced upon Công xã Paris street, a street with stretch of quaint bookstores selling handcraft and notebooks as well as book cafes. We also spotted McDonald at the entrance of the street. We walked down the street to check out the book stores and see if there is any stores selling anything filling for lunch. However, most of the book cafes are for drinks and cakes.
This street is home to many handcraft and souvenirs with price that is slightly on a high side. We checked out some of the beautiful artworks.
We found an interesting bus with interesting decorations in it.
The street is a good example where vintage meets modern. One side was the modern cafe while the other side was the vintage looking stores, and in between was this cute bus providing photo opportunity for us.
It was nearly 2pm and we were hungry to walk anymore, so we settled down at McDonald for lunch. I always like to try out fastfood chain from other countries to find out what's the different in their menu.
We ordered a 2 piece Fried Chicken meal and Value Pork Rice at 129,000VND (or S$7.68) for sharing. The pork rice was nothing special, the pork tasted like the Sausage Muffin patty. The fried chicken on the other hand, was juicy on the inside and crispy on the outside. The batter was fried till golden brown and extremely tasty, it was finger licking good.
Enjoying our lunch with a lovely view.
Ho Chi Minh City is a nice country, I love the French architecture, museum hopping and food exploring. It was also safe for traveling with female companion, just need to be careful and alert about the surrounding. Everything was good except for shopping, I didn't find a lot of things that I like.
We reached Central Post Office in just a minute walk from McDonald. Preserved from French colonial times, Central Post Office in Ho Chi Minh City is the grandest post office in all of Southeast Asia.
Other than the main post office, the two corners of the building was selling souvenirs and postcards.
The laid back vibe and colonial architecture made us feel like we have travel back in time.
Central Post Office is one of the tourist attractions in Ho Chi Minh City with its historical structure, it is also a functioning post office encouraging everyone to send a letter or postcard from here. It was packed with tourists in the post office.
Central Post Office
2 Cong Xa Paris, Ben Nghe, District 1, Ho Chi Minh City
Operating hours: 7am to 7pm
Located across the street of Central Post Office is Saigon Notre Dame Cathedral. Since the cathedral was closed for renovation, we can only view from the outside. The architecture of the building will definitely capture your attention when you walk by, it used all-red brick façade and two bell towers set in a peaceful garden located Ho Chi Minh City District 1. It was a replica of the Notre Dame in Paris.
A Virgin Mary statue stands in front of Saigon Notre Dame Cathedral, the cathedral serves as a religious institution for the local population. We observed a phenomenon where a swarm of birds hovering in circles around the cathedral.
Saigon Notre Dame Cathedral
1 Cong Xa Paris, Ben Nghe, District 1, Ho Chi Minh City
It was 3pm, we went back to Ben Thanh Market which was 12 minutes walk away for shopping again. I got bookmark for my friends and a Polo Ralph Lauren polo shirt for my father. After which, we headed back to our hotel room to drop our shopping bag and toilet break before heading for massage. I preferred to use hotel toilet than public toilet.
We went for The Spa located few shops away from our hotel at 5.20pm.
We did lots of walking today, hence I opt for a 35 minutes foot massage at 180,000VND (or S$10.71) to relief my tired and aching feet. I don't fancy a body massage because the pressure point was either too painful or too ticklish for me to enjoy. Hence, I always go for foot massage.
Before our massage session, we were given a cup of ginger tea which has a relieving effect on tired muscles.
Linda and I parted our way as we were brought to different room. I was doing foot massage while she was doing body massage.
Actually I was kinda of afraid to try out the massage because the last massage that I did was in Johor Bahru so painful and my legs ended up with bruises and big patch of blue back. Thankfully, this massage was nothing like the bad experience. Though some parts was still painful but it was bearable, my pain threshold was low. I did have a good rest during the massage.
As I finished my massage earlier, I went back to hotel and rest while waiting for Linda. At the same time, I was also in charge of choosing dinner location. Time to do some homework.
After Linda was back, we prepared to head out for dinner. We passed by a pastry shop located besides Circle K on our way. We went in deciding to purchase some snacks back to Singapore for distribution to home and office. We left our purchase at the hotel lobby and make our way to the restaurant which was 4 minutes from our hotel.
Bảo Hiên Rồng Vàng (Bao Vang Golden Dragon)
167, Ly Tu Trong, Ben Thanh Ward, District 1, Ho Chi Minh
Operating hours: 7am to 12pm, 1.30pm to 7pm
The place that I was recommending was Nam Giao Restaurant. The restaurant was located behind a back alley near Ben Thanh Market. do keep a lookout for it. It was already 8pm when we reached the place.
We ordered a Ice Tea and Crab Paste Pie Ball for sharing, and Fried rice in lotus leaf. A glass of refreshing Ice Tea to ease our thirst. The cost of ice tea was so shocking for me, it was only 3,000VND (or S$0.18). So unbelievable. One of the things we love about Ho Chi Minh City is their affordable and delicious Vietnamese food, which is also known for their healthy and fresh ingredients used in their food.
The fried rice was wrapped in lotus leaf which carried an aromatic scent of the lotus leaf. The fried rice was accompanied with lotus seeds which was healthy and flavourful. Both Linda and I enjoyed the dinner, we were absorbed in our chatting until we forget the time. It was 9pm and we were the last customer leaving the restaurant. Our dinner was 161,000VND (or S$9.58).
Nam Giao Restaurant
136/15 Le Thanh Ton P. Ben Thanh Q.1 TP Ho Chi Minh
Operating hours: 7.30am to 10pm
After the dinner, we went over to Ben Thanh Night Market for last night of shopping. We bought the stuff that we were considering purchasing during our first night as it was our last chance before we fly back. I bought a handbag for my mummy, snacks, socks and pouch for my friends.
We reached hotel at nearly 11pm. Time for a shower, I brought along d'skin cleanser along for this trip.
Today was the first time I saw Linda still alert after we were resting in bed, she was the first to knock off normally. Perhaps it was the massage that made her feel rejuvenated, we chatted until 1am before dozing off to sleep.
