Vietnam Trip Part 3

Paris Of The Orient ( Saigon )

This is the place I want to share. This place is called “ The Little Paris “. Along the way, we can see French syles’ buildings. It is a very nice place and an antique place. You can also see the traditional buildings along the roadside. When Vietnam was ruled by French, they built these buildings. So, there is a very famous church named Notre Dame Cathedral. It is a very old church. People still going there to pray now and it is still using by the locals. I’m not a Christian, so I’m not very sure about the name of the statue in front of the church. While in the church, it is just very simple where people go there to pray like usual. So, the visitors can just only visit half way, but you can still see the very in side of the church. I mean the back of the church. Here are some of the photos I took. 

Saigon Central Post Office

Opposite the church, there is a very old building which is their Central Post Office.  You can buy a lot of different post stamps there. They do sell their local stamps as a collection. From what I heard from the tour guide, he said that a lot of tourists will buy at there. [ for those stamps collectors ]

[WIKI]:

Saigon Central Post Office (Vietnamese: Bưu điện Trung tâm Sài Gòn,French: Poste centrale de Saïgon) is a post office in the downtown Ho Chi Minh City, near Saigon Notre-Dame Basilica, the city's main church. The building was constructed when Vietnam was part of French Indochinain the early 20th century. It has a neoclassical architectural style. It was designed and constructed by the famous architect Gustave Eiffel in harmony with the surrounding area. Today, the building is a tourist attraction.

Inside the Saigon Central Post office of special note are two painted maps that were created just after the post office was first 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′ which translates to ‘Telegraphic lines of Southern Vietnam and Cambodia 1892” The second map of greater Saigon is titled ‘Saigon et ses environs 1892′ translating to ‘Sai Gon and its environment 1892′^[1]

Here are the photos. Enjoy.

Along the stairs, you can see a lot of souvenirs selling there. They are all very nice and traditional.

Century Opera House

http://www.vietnamesefood.com.vn/vietnam-attractions/vietnam-popular-destinations/city-opera-house-saigon-opera-house.html

You can view more information at here. They provide the details of the buildings and the interior of it.

Visitors are not allowed to enter for visit unless there is a show. 

Here is the neighborhood of the opera house. These streets have branded stuffs like Chanel, Burberry, Louis Vuitton etc. it can be said that here is their city central. The view from this place is like you’re at European country. It really doesn't look like an Asian country.

The End of Part 3

Good Luck,

Blueyjerene

Vietnam Trip Part 2

In this second part of the trip, I would like to introduce you the shopping paradise and the local dishes. Throughout the whole trip, we just have only one chance to taste the local food. I don’t know why they didn’t arrange us to taste the local foods. No freaking idea. Although just once, I love their foods! Vietnamese cuisine is really delicious. Their foods taste good and their dishes are not very oily; very healthy. Even though you eat a lot, you won’t feel fattening. It’s true. I didn’t take many photos of dishes because I’m too hungry. My mum did take them. The environment of this restaurant is fantastically tradition. It likes the past time where their homes are all decorated with bamboo and water fountain. They do have a pond which inside it has a lot of fishes. So, let me show you some photos I took.

Dinosaur Egg ( It is made from flour and don't know what, taste good!) Miss it!

The shopping paradise that I want to introduce is The Mekong River.

From Wiki:

The Mekong is a trans-boundary river in Southeast Asia. It is the world's 12th-longest river[2] and the 7th-longest in Asia. Its estimated length is 4,350 km (2,703 mi),[2] and it drains an area of 795,000 km2 (307,000 sq mi), discharging 457 km3 (110 cu mi) of water annually.[3]

From the Tibetan Plateau this river runs through China's Yunnan province, Burma (Myanmar), Laos, Thailand, Cambodia and Vietnam. In 1995, Laos, Thailand, Cambodia and Vietnam established the Mekong River Commission to assist in the management and coordinated use of the Mekong's resources. In 1996 China and Burma (Myanmar) became "dialogue partners" of the MRC and the six countries now work together within a cooperative framework.

The extreme seasonal variations in flow and the presence of rapids and waterfalls in this river have made navigation difficult. The river is a major trading route linking China’s southwestern province of Yunnan to Laos, Burma (Myanmar) and Thailand to the south, an important trade route between western China and Southeast Asia.

We also visited Coconut Sweets Factory located at Mekong River. They show us how to produce the sweets and the whole process of making it. They use the whole part of coconuts without wasting them. For example, soap (good for allergic skin-typed) and sweets.

Besides, the place is famous with their Traditional Folk Music and Vietnam Tropical Local Fruit Village (Mytho). You can sit down listen music while tasting their local fruits which are very sweet and fresh. If you have chance to visit this beautiful country, you must go to Mekong River. You can get a lot of cheap stuffs here such as souvenirs and clothes. I regret I didn’t buy their pants because we never turn back. One thing you must remember. Once you see, you must buy it. Don’t wait! You will able to taste their local product which is the honey. They will let you try and it is really good! Taste really good! It is a must to try.

Then, we went to boat riding. People who send you from the start to the end is the old folks who staying nearby. So, when you ride it, you must remember to give them tips (some money). It is a good ride because you will able to see the nature beauty and the local villages while you are riding the boat. Love it so much! We will also get a free coconut from them! One person one.

I highly recommend you to visit here. Thumbs Up!

Part 2 ended.

Good Luck,

Blueyjerene