5 Days in Ho Chi Min CIty

Vietnam

2010-01-01T14:50:00.004+08:00

The "Red Mother" that was the Mekong River - Awesome!

The markets - everywhere!

Motorcycles - the lifeblood of the cities.The developing city - historical, colonial, modern.

The War Remnants Museum - Feel the sadness and see the wastage of human lives on both sides.
Trees grow tall in HCM City.
Leave the cities and see how the rest of the Vietnamese people go about their daily lives.
Vietnamese noodles - healthy food.

Ben Than Market

2009-12-09T18:13:00.003+08:00

From the roof top restaurant of the Tan Hai Long Hotel, we got a panoramic view of a small part of HCM City. The flow of motorcyles in continuous flux gives the impression that they are the lifeblood of the city. When they stop, that is when the heart of the city takes a rest.

Motocycle Entertainment

2009-12-09T17:45:00.001+08:00

My friend and I stood by the side of this traffic madness glad that we made it across the road and glad that we would soon be back at our hotel, away from the noise and confusion.

Motor cycle entertainment

2009-12-09T16:48:00.003+08:00

The motocycle traffic can be pure entertainment especially when we found ourselves in an open space in front of the Ben Thanh market after managing to avoid getting knocked down by the never-ending flow of motocycle traffic at around 6.30pm.

Motocycle Entertainment

2009-12-09T16:38:00.000+08:00

The buses may be big and cars are not many. In this city, the motocycles rule.

Aerobics in the Park

2009-12-09T16:36:00.004+08:00

Ho Chi Minh City is like a city that gets by with only a few hours of sleep. The energy never ebbs and people, in particular women of all ages, find it invigorating to do mass aerobics in the parks after working hours.

Buildings

2009-12-06T17:06:00.000+08:00

I had once considered becoming an architect but I never seriously pursued this career option . However, the love for buildings have not desserted me and I can never resist photographing buildings of any type as long as they are interesting.

In HCM city, I took several photos of buildings from the taxis as they took us along the main roads between the airport and our hotel near Ben Thanh Market. The buildings in this slide also belong to other districts - the Chinatown or Cholon area and the more spacious and tranquil part of HCM city around the Notre Dame Cathedral.

Unlike Singapore, it would appear from the photos I took that there was no central town planning body to ensure that buildings conform to certain standards relating to height and design. It is like a random sowing of seeds. Just scatter some around and scatter different types and then see what happens. The result may be appealing to tourists from developed countries who want to see something not seen in their own country. I find it rather disturbing that there is no concerted effort to build in a more organised manner. Another concern is that there are beautiful old buildings and houses that will disappear from the face of this bustling city because of the hurry to progress economically. See for yourself what I mean.

Favourite Shots

2009-12-04T16:23:00.000+08:00

Why these are my favourite shots:

A historical structure that I passed by from the airport taxi on the way to our hotel near the Ben Thanh Market. Lucky to have taken this shot for we did not thave the time to visit this centuries old pagoda during our stay.

I found out two days after this shot was taken that the people in Vietnam get their water from the rain, hence the importance of these water tanks in residential areas.

I remember being so awed by the height of these trees in the city. The ultra-violet protective film on the taxi's window gave me this interesting shot.

Chikus (brown colour fruits)are one of my favourite fruits. They are not easy to come by in Singapore and those that are occasionally sold in our markets are about half this size. The texture of these chikus in HCM city that we bought from the Ben Thanh market was rather rough.

Motor-cyclists in HCM city protect themselves very well from the daily pollution by wearing masks over their noses and mouths. Some of these masks are like fashion items with colourful and eye-catching designs. This lady also protected herself from the sun very well because she had a wide-brimmed hat over her helmet and she was wearing gloves that extended right up to her upper arms. I stole this shot from inside a bakery.

A fantastic guava juice for just over a dollar (SGD). Value for money. The drinks took a long time to come but that was because care was taken to extract all the goodness in the guavas that went into each glass. Thick and creamy texture. Never had guava juice like this ever!

I turned to my right conveniently and shot these fruits that were part of our buffet breakfast at the Tan Hai Long Hotel. We stayed at another hotel on the last night in HCM city and sad to say the breakfast provided did not come close to this standard in terms of variety, display and quality.

Years ago I met some Vietnamese gentlemen who told me that they had no email and they could not access internet freely. Since then, things have changed very much judging by this photo of a young man with his laptop in a park.

I love the parks and it brings so much happiness to just see young people enjoying life in nature's shade instead of leading isolated lives within shopping malls, games arcades and internet cafes.
A pavillion fit for princesses. I just like the way it looks.
Momentarily you might think it was Ho Chi Minh playing the violin. No, he wasn't a busker. I think he just wanted to live life enjoying his music and sharing his love with others for free.
I like this market because you don't see grandeur like this anymore that cannot be replicated with glass and steel.
The Fine Arts Museum. It was a building forgotten and yet it was still a beauty. No photographs allowed and I presumed that as long as I did not take any of the exhibits, there was no harm in capturing the lovely design of the interior of the building.
My friend and I saw this vendor selling glutinous rice and tapioca a few times and finally we gave in to temptation and bought some tapioca from her. I asked to take a photo of the food and she thought I had no intention to buy anything from her. Only when I assured her that I would buy the tapioca from her did she allow me to take this shot.
Again, I just love the trees that are 3 - 4 storeys high. I got a feel that I was in the fifties looking at this shot.
Their shophouses remind me of the houses in Amsterdam - tall and narrow.
I took a few shots of these two singers at Can Tho. I like this particular shot because I took the trouble to wait till they looked good before I snapped.
Water from heaven need receptables and these were just so modern and clean. Probaby are heaters as well.
Lunch break and a game that looked like dominoes kept these men in deep concentration. I like the postures and muscular arms showing that these are men worked instead of sitting around.
Taken on the boat ride on the Mekong Delta. The tourist and the guide looking ahead - will things be different 5 years from now?
The neatness of this house - I was so impressed.
Our guide helping us to get what we wanted. Dried seafood only Asians appreciate.
The vendor was smiling broadly because even though we had a bargain, her profit margin must have been a lot better than usual.
Love the colours and the architecture of the church.
What will it take to stop someone in HCM city from working? Certainly not the load. The Vietnamese are really hardworking people.
In a developed country the kitchen would be nothing like this. It would be more spacious and chic and I suspect most times only for show. This kitchen, on the other hand, is also the bathroom and is more well used than ours in our modern setting.
I like this shot because of the lighting and also I waited for the exact moment before pressing the shutter. The only thing I dislike is the chopped off head of the guy behind. Wish he wasn't there.
An angry chicken.
Lotus ponds and banana trees - useful produce. Country scene.
Remembering the sampling of the various furits, this shot helps in recall.
Maximising my ultra zoom lens - meatballs!
I like reflections and the glass table gave the effect I like.
When the plane lifted up and climbed up the clouds, a beautiful sunset presented itself - end of a memorable holiday!

Coach Journey from Can Tho back to HCM city

2009-12-04T00:28:00.000+08:00

I like these shots taken through the window of the coach we were travelling in. It must be the time of day when people were heading home from work and from school. It must be the glow of the setting sun but it was also the buildings we passed by - a famous Can Tho temple, houses that were new or in mid-construction stage. It was also my determination to capture beautiful Vietnamese girls in flowing white Ao dais riding bicycles on their way home - high school girls. There were so many images that went fleetingly by that my Canon IXUS could not capture successfully. No matter, images do not need to be super sharp to make an impression. These are my favourite shots for they were spontaneous, unpremeditated and most importantly I connected with them at those moments in time.

Mekong Delta Tour - Life on the water channels

2009-11-30T23:18:00.000+08:00

This was the most enjoyable part of the Mekong Delta Tour. Cruising along the narrow waterways on a long boat that seats about 12 people and stopping to visit a rice-husking mill and a Fruit Farm along the way, we enjoyed life at a leisurely pace.

Passing scenery

2009-11-30T22:10:00.000+08:00

En-route to Cai Be and Cantho, we got a glimpse of the rural scenery. Surprising Vietnam.

Modern apartments and bridges.

Rice fields and shops.

Old house and old bridge.

New house and old.

The river and progress on its banks.

People are industrious.

New suspension bridge and car ferry in the foreground.

A Vietnamese home in the back portion of a shophouse - so much pride in so little worldly possession.

Blue skies and fine weather all the way.

The motorcycles are well-loved machinery.

Signs of prosperity.

Farm animals

2009-11-30T21:26:00.000+08:00

On the Fruit Farm that we stopped by during our Cai Rang floating market tour, we got to see more than the local fruits. It was so refreshing to see farm animals for a change instead of the chilled versions in the supermarkets. They look like they truly belong to the farm not reared as livestock but as being part of the natural environment of country living.

Not chicken soup.

Not Thanks Giving Turkey

Not roasted geese.

Not prize fighter or was it one?

The only time I saw an imprisoned chicken.

Sharks? Nope, just tank cleaners.

Cai Rang floating market

2009-11-29T00:23:00.000+08:00

Day Two of the 2 days and one night Mekong Delta Tour. It was close to ten when we arrived at the Cai Rang floating market having spent one night in Can Tho city. The day's programme started with the ferry ride across a river and after that, a boat ride to the Cai Rang floating market after which visited a rice-husking mill. From there the boat took us through narrow waterways where we observed life on the river. The tour closed with a visit to an Orchard where we sampled various local fruits. This set of slides feature the Cai Rang floating market.

Transportation

2009-11-27T23:46:00.000+08:00

Cholon (Chinatown)

2009-11-26T01:45:00.000+08:00

We took a taxi from the Notre Dame Cathedral to the Binh Tay Market in Cholon (Chinatown). The taxi fare was about 90,000 VND by meter and took about 25 minutes because of the traffic jams. Here, the motorcycle and people population seemed to be three times that of the Ben Tanh market area. We went into the Binh Tay market that was a wholesale market selling clothes and cloth. There was nothing much that we wanted to buy except socks. We got those and because the crowded streets were too much for us, we went to a KFC on the second storey of a building across the road from the market. What a great decision that was because we had the best lookout point for observing a part of life in Cholon. This set of photos were my personal best. Using my Olympus C750U I capitalised on the zoom feature and got shots of people going about their daily lives.

Tall, tall trees

2009-11-26T01:27:00.000+08:00

I love these trees, these stately tall trees that line the streets of HCM City and populate their parks. Without these trees, the city would be unbearable given the noise and the pollution from the motocycle traffic.

Street Vendors

2009-11-26T01:14:00.000+08:00

HCM City is a photographer's paradise. Even as an Asian, I found that there were so many fascinating aspects of life that I would like to capture. I carried two cameras - my Canon IXUS 970 that I alternated with the slightly bulky Olympus C750U. When I was in crowded areas, on the streets, I would use the IXUS but when I was away from the crowds I used the Olympus and made full use of the 10x zoom to reach subjects far away. With the IXUS, I adopted a point-and-shoot mentality and a few times even took shots at waist level hoping that the shots were focused.

Pho (Transluscent rice noodles)

2009-11-26T00:00:00.000+08:00

Lunch at Ben Thanh Market on the first day. Rice noodles and spring rolls. We were obviously tourists, easy targets for vendors out to make a quick buck. This meal comprising two plates of noodles with fish cakes and meat balls and the two spring rolls cost us 80,0000 VND. Over the next 4 days we realised that a meal like this was at most 100,000 VND at the noodle shops where we got to enjoy friendly service and a comfortable environment.

Part of the buffet breakfast at the the Tan Hai Long Hotel. The rice noodles always come with a plate of fresh greens comprising mint and basil leaves and fresh lime as well. The soups were tasty and free from MSG. I know because MSG laden soups always cause me to feel extremely thirsty.

This was the first bowl of Pho we had at a noodle shop near the De Tham area. It was absolutely delicious and on top of that we had the whole place to ourselves.

We had lunch at a noodle shop near the War Remnants Museum. The sticky rice noodle on the left was an interesting variation to the soup version that we have been having so far. The crab soup on the right was a rip-off because it was mostly starch and very little crab meat.

We had this meal at a Broken Rice Restaurant near our Hotel. It was an interesting self-contained meal except that broken rice is really poor quality rice and that sort of spoiled the idea of a good meal.

At the restaurant on the way back from Can Tho where we completed our Mekong Delta tour, we ordered this meal - Beef with fried noodles and mudfish with gourd.

Pork chop and wanton noodles at a busy noodle shop in De Tham. We had come back from the Mekong Delta Tour on the fourth day and had checked into the Xuan Loc Hotel that was round the corner from the Tan Hai Long Hotel where we stayed for the first two nights. De Tham area is filled with bars and tourists and we did not fancy the kind of food served there. So we walked a little further and stumbled upon this shop selling Pork Chop noodles and the most yummy meatballs.

This noodle was included in the buffet breakfast at Tan Hai Long Hotel.

Our last meal in HCM city was at the Eleven Cafe that was round the corner from the Xuan Loc Hotel. We had ham and bacon pasta and spaghetti and two cups of Vietnamese coffee. The bill was around Singapore $13, a fantastic price.

Motorcycles, motocycles

2009-11-25T23:22:00.000+08:00

I have never seen so many motorcycles in my life. This being the first time, I was naturally felt overwhelmed by the numbers and the noise. I wondered how I was going to survive 5 days in a city where motorcycles rule the earth. The foremost concern was how to cross the roads that were half filled with these two-wheelers. Being thrown into the deep end with no lessons given on how to cross the roads and live through the ordeal, we managed to work out srategies on our toes. With practice, we soon got better at developing strategies based solely on the need to get from place to place on foot. Each time we made it to the opposite side of a road, we gave ourselves an imaginery medal for our feat. At the end of our trip, we qualified as instructors.

Notre Dame Cathedral

2009-11-25T22:58:00.000+08:00

We walked to this famous landmark in Ho Chi Minh City from the War Remnants Museum and it took us twenty minutes of walking in the sweltering heat to find this beautiful cathedral. Unfortunately, it was closed and we were not able to see the interior which I am sure must be equally impressive.

Buildings near the cathedral.

Parks in Ho Chi Minh City

2009-11-25T21:54:00.000+08:00

There are numerous pockets of greenery around Ben Thanh Market area where we stayed. The parks are saviours in the heat of the day. The minute we stepped into a park, the din from the traffic instantly dropped several decibels. I love the tall, tall trees with their straight trunks and generous foliage protecting me from the harsh rays of the sun. The parks were certainly an unexpected bonus in our trip.

The parks in Ho Chi Minh City are very unlike those in Singapore. They are alive with activities day and night. Many young people make use of the park to enjoy each others' company engaging in actitivities like dancing, playing games, playing badminton, rehearsing plays, sketching or just having tea or coffee in a relaxed and cool atmosphere.

Coffee and birdsongs.

Young people playing getting-to-know you games.
Coffee joint next to park near Notre Dame Cathedral.
Students painting in the park near the Notre Dame Cathedral.
Photo-taking near the Notre Dame Cathedral.
Children's playground by day... ...and by night.

Vietnamese Coffee

2009-11-24T11:38:00.000+08:00

It was only on the second day that we were able to enjoy a coffee break in between our exploration of the city. The weather was fine on the first two days of our trip. In fact, it was very hot and humid. After visiting the War Remnants Museum, we walked towards the Notre Dame Cathedral and after that the heat got too much for us but fortunately there was a cafe nearby, next to a park. It had very loud music in the air-conditioned interior and we opted to sit outside on the verandah that had fans instead. We each ordered a latte and the bill came up to nearly 100,000 VND which was around SGD $13, not much different from what we pay for back home.

We did not mind the price for afterall we were tourists and we should pamper ourselves while the price was still affordable. We had a good rest at this cafe and enjoyed our coffee next to a park with lots of tall trees.

Now for the real thing! Vietnamese coffee served in a unique way at a cafe opposite the Vinh Long Market costing a fraction of the price we paid for the two lattes.

Refreshing! Vietnamese coffee is really superb!Vietnamese coffee again at Cafe Eleven near our hotel.

Delightful Desserts

2009-11-24T11:31:00.000+08:00

I have a sweet tooth and I find desserts of all forms absolutely irresistable. It is not just the taste but also the presentation of the desserts that are fascinating.

People and places

2009-11-24T10:55:00.000+08:00

I wish I had more time to take photos of people in the places I visited in and outside Ho Chi Minh City. Of all the photos only two pretty young ladies had posed for me after I asked them to. The rest of the shots were candid and were taken quickly, some were shot as I was walking along the street. I like the photos taken at the Mekong Delta cruise for I had used my Olympus camera with the 10X optical zoom to capture my subjects from a distance.

Benh Thanh Market

2009-11-23T19:25:00.000+08:00

Our hotel (Tan Hai Long Hotel on Le Lai street) was a stone's throw away from this fabulous market. We had arrived at the hotel two hours before check-in time and after depositing our luggage we went over to this market to have lunch. Everything looked delicious even though on hindsight, we should have avoided eating like locals in case we did not have strong enough stomachs for these market fares. But we got too carried away especially by the alluring display of colourful and mouth-watering desserts and threw caution to the wind. We survived with no regrets and had planned to return for more.

The next morning, we had breakfast at the hotel's restaurant which was on the tenth floor and had a bird's eye view of the Benh Thanh Market and its surroundings.

The Bus Station is in the top right-hand corner of the two photos below. We took Bus #1 from Cholon (Chinatown) back to the hotel. We could have taken Bus #152 to the Airport for 3000 VND but chose to take a taxi (Vinasun Taxi) that cost 75,000VND only because we had heavier luggage.

Ben Thanh Market from the 10th floor of the Tan Hai Long Hotel.

Free and Easy in Ho Chi Minh City

2009-11-23T00:04:00.000+08:00

Day 1 - Arrived in Ho Chi Minh City in the morning. Ben Thanh Market between arrival at hotel and check-in at noon. Had lunch at Ben Thanh Market. Walked to Sindh Cafe at De Tham road to book a Mekong River tour for Day 3 and Day 4. Walked around the area and had dinner there at a small noodle shop. Walked back to Ben Tanh Market area and from there took a walk further away to locate the Water Puppet Theatre but did not manage to locate it.

Day 2 - Had breakfast at the hotel. Visited the War Remnants Museum and the Notre Dame Cathedral. Had lunch at a noodle shop situated between the museum and the cathedral. Took a taxi to Cholon (Chinatown) from Notre Dame Cathedral, visited the Binh Tay Market briefly and took a bus back to Ben Thanh Market. Had dinner near the hotel at the Broken Rice Restaurant.

Day 3 - Mekong Delta Tour.

Day 4 - Mekong Delta Tour.

Day 5 - Breakfast at hotel (Xuan Loc Hotel) and shopped at Ben Thanh Market. Left for the airport at 2.30pm.