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| Ben Thanh Market Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam |
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| Saigon Opera House Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam |
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| Saigon General Post Office HCM City, Vietnam |
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| Independence Palace, HCM City, Vietnam |
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| War Remnants Museum HCM City, Vietnam |
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| Ho Chi Minh City of History Museum Vietnam |
Day 6 Friday Jan 23 2026 (Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam) - my 2nd night stay in HCM City, today I have only one mission, just explore this vibrant city by day & night in District 1 & nearby touristy places (via Metro & free & easy walking) trying to see the best of HCM City using my six sense (sight, sound, smell, taste, touch & perception) !
1) My owned made breakfast - sliced fresh apples, noodles & roasted sesame sauce eating in the comfort of my hotel room !
2) Morning walk (familiarisation visit) with my travel buddy nearby Spring House Hotel along the Phan Ngu Lao Street, Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam
3) Cho Ben Thanh Market, Ho Chi Minh City. Vietnam - my last visit was in Jan 2014, the market is one of the earliest surviving structures in the city & an important symbol of the city, a famous tourist destination for locals & foreign tourists, operates all year round from 06.00 > 18.00, nearby is the Ben Thanh Metro station (350m).
4) Ben Thanh Metro Station, Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam - HCM City's Metro Line 1 (Ben Thanh > Suoi Tien) is the city's first rapid transit line, officially opened in Dec 2024 connecting District 1 with Thu Duc City, bought a single Metro card ticket (7K VND = Rm1.10) using cash from the ticketing machine for my first Metro train ride from Ben Thanh station > Opera House (1 stop) !
5) Saigon Opera House, District 1, Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam - built in 1897, a municipal opera house in District 1, Ho Chi Minh City; like other French built opera houses during the French colonial period are Hanoi Opera House & Haiphong Opera House, a fine example of French colonial architecture in Vietnam.
6) Hotel Continental Saigon, District 1, Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam - established in 1880, the oldest hotel in Vietnam, a true symbol of heritage, located in the heart of HCM City & opposite the Saigon Opera House.
7) Hotel Caravelle, District 1, Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam - started operation in 1959, named after the Sud Aviation Caravelle, a jet airliner operated by the hotel's owner Air France at that time; in the 1960s it was home to the Australian embassy, the New Zealand embassy, the Saigon bureaus of NBC, ABC & CBS.
8) The Ho Chi Minh City Hall, District 1, Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam - built in 1902, a People's Committee Building located at the top of Nguyen Hue Walking Street, renowned for its grand architecture, evening illuminations & statute of Ho Chi Minh, a premier Instagram spot & most visited by locals & foreign tourists.
9) Vincom Center, District 1, Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam - a twin building consiting of a shopping mall, office space & apartment.& penthouse.
10) Notre Dame Cathedral Basilica of Saigon, Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam - constructed in 1877, established by French administration originally named as the Church of Saigon, the name Notre-Dame has been used since 1959 when the statute of Our Lady of Peace was installed in its facecourt, it has 2 bell towers (58m high), renovation in progress at the time of my visit !
11) Saigon Central Post Office, District 1, Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam - built in 1891, a post office in Paris Commune Square, Saigon ward next to the Notre Dame Cathedral, a popular tourist place, praised for its stunning French colonial architecture; free admission.
12) KM style of stray walking, pop in pop out of historic buildings & iconic landmarks for photos taking in District 1, Ho Chi Minh City instead of taking a HCM City Tour Hop On - Hop Off bus - your choice of seeing the best of HCM City.
13) Independence Palace, District 1, Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam - built in 1962, publicly & officially known as the Reunification Convention Hall, a landmark in HCM City, designed by architect Ngo Viet Thu & it was home & workplace of the President of the Republic of Vietnam; visited the palace interior in Jan 2014 hence just an external visit this time for me ! Entrance fee 60K VND = Rm9.50 for palace & exhibition.
14) How about a trishaw fun ride within 2-3 km radius in District 1, HCM City - try one if you have not been on a trishaw ride for a long long time since your childhood days ! My last trishaw tour ride was in Dhaka, capital city of Bangladesh in Dec 2017 !
15) War Remnants Museum, Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam - a war museum opened in 1975, it contains exhibits relating to the First Indochina War & the Vietnam War; the museum specialises in researching, collecting, preserving & displaying evidence of crimes & consequences of the war of aggression against Vietnam, thereby calling for awareness against unjust wars, protecting peace & promoting solidarity between nations ! I had been here & done that during my last visit to HCM City in Jan 2014 hence an external visit this time only ! Entrance fee 40K VHD = Rm6.40.
16) Continuing my walkabout in District 1, HCM City - no dull moment if you are a sightseeing junkie !
17) Chua Phouc Hai (The Jade Emperor Pagoda), District 1, Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam - opened in 1909, a Taoist Buddhist Confucian pagoda founded by a Chinese merchant, Liu Daoyuan, a Cantonese migrant.
18) The Ho Chi Minh City Museum of History, Nguyen Binh Khiemm Ben Nghe Ward District 1 Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam - built in 1829, located next to the Botanical Garden Park, features a large collection of cultural & ethnological artifacts from different dynasties & Asian countries, many dioramas of figurines & historical objects (some are replicas), Buddha statutes & a good collections from the Kingdom of Champa; entrance fee 30K VND = Rm4.80), an interesting & educational visit !
19) Saigon Zoo & Botanical Garden, District 1, HCM City, Vietnam - photos taking & external visit only !
20) Walkabout from Zoo & Botanical Garden to Ba Son Bridge / Saigon Marina area.
21) Ba Son Metro Station, District 1, HCM City, Vietnam - near the Ba Son Bridge, Japan town area - good for a stroll !
22) Flower Garden in front of Ba Son Metro Station, HCM City, Vietnam - an Instagram spot !
23) Ba Son Bridge & the surronding, District 1, HCM City, Vietnam - an iconic landmark over the Saigon River.
24) Publicity & promotional materials by travel agencies in Ho Chi Minh City on major touristy cities in Vietnam. For this trip, I am glad that both my travel buddy & myself had the opportunity to do a free & easy visit covering all these cities ie Phu Quoc, Ho Chi Minh City, Cu Chi Tunnels, Da Lat & Nha Trang
25) Beer Street, Phan Ngu Lao, Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam - a lively area with many bars & restaurants where you can enjoy a drink outdoors.
26) The city limelight & a starry starry HCM City by Night !
27) Cho Benh Thanh (Market) by Night, Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam - this central market has 4 main gates & 12 entrances, a popular tourist destination with over 1,500 booths trading wholesale & retail items ranging from food & apparel to fabric, cosmetics, souvenir items etc
28) Cityscape of Ho Chi Minh City by Night nearby Ben Thanh Market & Metro Station. Colourful neon light brightened up the surrounding area making it an attractive touristy place !
29) Saigon Centre, Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam - an upmarket shopping mall selling branded goods & a food court
30) Thank God Is Friday (TGIF) today, celebrating the end of work week, it's happy hours time in the evening so most main roads in HCM City are jam packed with motorists .......
31) Central Market, Taka Plaza, Ho Chi Minh City - 300m from Spring House Hotel.
32) My 5 days 4 nights wonderful stay in this vibrant & fascinating Ho Chi Minh City - a lapse of 12 years since my last visit to this old capital city of South Vietnam !
33) If you have roamed Ho Chi Minh City walking like a "mud crab" in every nook & corner, day & night of this Vietnamese city once upon a time called Saigon, you will probably have transformed yourself into a Saigon Mania or Saigonia, never mind if you have to face a madding fleet of motor bikers zooming pass you each time you cross a main road ! Not to worry, motor bikers in Vietnam are a highly qualified & skilful lot of bikers since their teenage years, they have mastered the art of biking around the big cities of Vietnam, free & easy like eating their favourite breakfast, Banh Mi (Vietnamese sandwiches) !
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