Vibrant Vietnam (Part 1): Icons of Saigon

- December 20-21, 2024, Friday to Saturday.

- Ah Vietnam! One of the Philippines' neighbors that I had longed to re-visit, especially after its recent tourism boom due to the now-available direct flights to central Vietnam (via Danang) from Manila. Known for its cheap-but-good food and shopping, rich cultural heritage (a blend of native, Chinese, and French cultures), and for those interested - its breathtaking natural wonders, what is not to like about Vietnam?

- Since this Christmas break the first one in a while when I could honestly breathe and rest a little, I decided to go ahead of my family by a couple of days and went back to Ho Chi Minh City (HCMC), also known by its former name, Saigon. The last time (and my first time) in HCMC was in 2012. I was there for a few days, and because my family was part of a tour, we didn't get to explore the city too much. That's why I wanted to experience the city by myself.

- After I arrived Friday evening, I went to my hotel (Adventure Hotel), which has an amazing location as it is beside the Ben Thanh Market. It's located inside an alley, but a well-lit residential one (with a few stores and another hotel too), so no worries. I didn't get to do much after checking in, apart from buying some necessities at the nearby 7-Eleven, so I called it a day and rested for my fully-packed adventure the next day.

The Heat is on in.... (if you get this reference we can be friends. If you sing along with me we can be super friends.)

Saigon's Tan Son Nhat International Airport reminds me so much of Manila's own NAIA.

My room. I love how cozy it is!

- Armed with excitement and a luggage full of aodais (the Vietnamese traditional clothing), I woke up really early and took photos with the city hall, completed in 1908. It's not often open to visitors as it is a government building. It does have a square in front with the statue of Ho Chi Minh, who was the first president of North Vietnam (when Vietnam was separated into two during the Vietnam War). Saigon was renamed to "Ho Chi Minh City" after the war ended in 1979 to honor Ho Chi Minh, who is seen as the father of the nation.

In front of the City Hall with my white and blue aodai.

Look at its (obviously) French influence.

Closer this time.

- In front of the city hall the long Nguyen Hue Pedestrian Plaza. It acts as a park of sorts, where people can stroll or do recreational activities. Apart from the City Hall, one of the most well-known buildings along the plaza is the Cafe Apartments. The Cafe Apartments, as the name says, used to be a residential building built in the 1960s, but now the all units have been converted to cafes and restaurants. For this day, I just took a photo in front of it (more about the Cafe Apartments in a future blog).

Cafe Apartments.

It looks nice at night too, but I didn't go to the plaza at night.

Interesting sight at the plaza: Left: uncles and aunties doing zumba, right: the youth doing some dance for Tiktok. 

- From the Cafe Apartments, I walked north, passing by 22 Ly Tu Truong Street (formerly known as the Pittman Apartments), was the residence and CIA office of US government officials during the Vietnam War. There was a famous photo taken by photographer Hubert van Es showing American officials lining up to board a helicopter at the roof to evacuate Saigon. (The building in the photo has often been mislabeled as the US Embassy, which it never was.)

Passed by the Pittman Apartments. This big label at the roofdeck makes it easier to identify. I wasn't able to check if the rooftop cafe was open, I could've had breakfast there.

- A couple of blocks further north are two of the buildings that Saigon is most known for: the Saigon Central Post Office, and the Notre Dame Cathedral. Both buildings, located right in front of each other, were built in the late 1800s with European influences. The cathedral is currently under restoration works, and will be having its much needed facelift for a couple of years. Fortunately, the post office is is still open so at least I was able to go around it. Apart from a functioning post office, it also has a number of souvenir stores inside. There were also cafes around the post office (where I had breakfast).

Outside the post office with another aodai.

There were many Santas that day I don't know why. (But yes I do realize that it was Christmas season, though not sure if they had an event or something.)

Inside the post office.

The side transept of the Notre Dame Cathedral, since the cathedral's facade was covered.

See I told you.

- Though unintentional, I found out that the Nguyen Van Binh Book Street was located right beside the post office. Named as such since 2000, this small street is lined with bookstores and cafes. Though mostly Vietnamese books, there are also many English books available. The stores may also sell some unique souvenirs as well.

I love how these quaint bookstores look.

I actually did end up buying a book!

I bought the Ayurveda book. Almost bought the Hanuman cardboard book but didn't as it was pretty much a book for toddlers.

- Capping my eventual morning was a visit to the Independence Palace. Built in the 1960s as the residence, office, and function halls for the president of South Vietnam. After the North Vietnamese forces destroyed its gates in 1975 that ended the Vietnam War, the building gradually ceased being used as a government building and now functions as a museum. It shows various rooms such as function halls, living quarters, entertainment rooms, and my personal favorite - the underground bunkers (which I didn't get to photograph due to the crowds.)

At the Independence Palace.

Banquet Chamber.

Conference Hall.

President's Office.

Thank you random tourists for taking amazing photos of me.

This was from their other camera. Hoping there are more tourists like them: very nice, and can take amazing photos. HAHA.

Car used by the president.

- I went back to my hotel after going around the Independence Palace, freshened up, changed, and had a less-than-desirable banh mi for lunch. Afterwards, I headed to the War Remnants Museum to understand the effects of the Vietnam War more. The museum, opened right after the war in 1975, presents how war affects not just the political level, but also the civilian level. This museum was probably the one that really made me lose all motivation to sing all the Miss Saigon songs in Saigon (which, if you don't know much about it, shows a romanticized and western-leaning view of the Vietnam War - as catchy as the songs might be.) I actually have been to this museum in 2012 when I first visited Saigon, but I guess visiting it again was a good reminder of how things were like during the war.

Forgot to mention that I had a quick stopover at the Mariamman Temple near my hotel before lunch. It was built in the late 1800s, making it one of the oldest modern Hindu temples in Vietnam.

How the temple looks inside. As the name suggests, the temple's main goddess is called Sri Mariamman.

A few blocks later is the War Remnants Museum, just a block north of the Independence Palace.

The front yard has a grand display of old planes and tanks.

Bombs.

Prison.

Guillotine.

Inside the museum.

- Related to the war, I decided to visit Ca Phe Do Phu, in District 3. I realized upon that I visited the wrong branch of Ca Phe Do Phu: I visited Ca Phe Do Phu - Dai Han (District 3, but to the north of District 1, along Dang Dung Street) instead of Ca Phe Do Phu - Bao Tang Biet Dong Sai Gon (District 3, to the west of District 1, along Nguyen Dinh Chieu Street). However, Ca Phe Do Phu - Dai Han was a good "accidental" discovery. Built in the 1940s, this house eventually became a base of Saigon's secret forces during the Vietnam War in the 1960s. Today, the house/cafe seems to preserve its old-time look. However, it felt very eerie as I was the cafe's only customer when I was there.

The "wrong" Ca Phe Do Phu.

I had coffee and some biscuits as a snack. I didn't want to leave the cafe immediately. I'm glad I stayed.

Brings me back to the Vietnam War.

This "cute" house was a hideout!

Ground level.

- The cafe staff told me that I should find time to visit the other Ca Phe Do Phu, which offers a more immersive experience on how secret forces operated before. (I had to take a Grab bike because there is some distance between the two cafes.) Now this confused me because beside Ca Phe Do Phu is an actual historical house with a secret underground bunker. This one is free of charge. However, to go to the Ca Phe Do Phu bunker, one must pay a small entrance fee. I tried both anyway, because why not?  

Here is the secret weapon bunker beside Ca Phe Do Phu. Can fit in the hole on the floor omg.

That's the caretaker of the bunker.

So many weapons!

A diorama of the house + all the secret rooms.

Weapon stash that can be folded and used (disguised) as a table.

Left: Ca Phe Do Phu house. Right: secret weapon bunker.

Here are the Ca Phe Do Phu bunker.

From the basement level I had to climb this ladder to....

....the second floor sink! Yes I had to crawl out of that omg.

Looks like an ordinary house.

A cabinet that has a narrow passageway to the second floor.

- After a day of so much history, I asked another Grab bike to drop me off at the Ben Thanh Market for some shopping. The market was built in the 1800s, though the area as a marketplace has its roots in the 1600s. If shopping for souvenirs and clothing (especially traditional clothing), I highly encourage going to the outer ring where the government-run stores are (you'll notice that the area looks cleaner, and the staff wear uniforms). These stalls are all fixed price (no haggling!) BUT their prices are way lower than the main market area. However, the main market will definitely have more options. The market also has a dining area, just make sure to eat there during the earlier timers of the day as some of them close or will have limited food available around 6pm. (I found out the hard way, so I ended up having dinner in a restaurant outside the market).

Ben Thanh Market.

This is the main market area. See how crowded it is!

- I never thought my first full day in Vietnam would be a jampacked one since I thought I wanted to ease myself in the city. However, I'm glad I was able to see and do a lot at this point so I could have more time to take it easy or explore other areas of Saigon not originally in my plan - who knows? For sure, this was an amazing start to spending the holidays in Vietnam!  

**** Check out my other adventures from this Vietnam trip:

Part 2 - Cu Chi Tunnels and Evening Food Tour: here

Part 3 - Mekong Delta: here

Part 4 - French Influences in Saigon: here

Part 5 - Hoi An Must Sees: here

Part 6 - Hoi An Coconut Boat and Hoi An Impression: here

Part 7 - Da Nang: here

Part 8 - Hue: here

Part 9 - Bana Hills: here

Part 10 - Marble Mountains and My Son: here

"SIX" in Manila!: Welcome to the Histo-Remix!

- October 8, 2024, Tuesday.

- "Listen up let me tell you a story! A story that you think you've heard before!" And I hope you heard that the musical "Six" is currently in Manila for around a two-week run at Solaire Resort! "Six" is a narration of the lives of King Henry VIII's six (ex-)wives, or should I say the six queens. The musical is in the form of a concert, with the six queens - Catherine of Aragon, Anne Boleyn, Jane Seymour, Anna of Cleves, Katherine Howard, and Catherine Parr - reimagined as modern-day divas.

- I was happy to finally figure out my schedule and get a nice (semi-last-minute) ticket at the orchestra section, as a birthday gift to myself (and other recent achievements in life). On the day of my show, I intentionally went really really early to have the photo spots at the theater lobby all to myself. I was already there around 4pm for for my 8pm show. Because I was very early, some of the photo spots did not have the lights turned on yet, but the lobby was lit enough to not make too much of a difference. But since a nice staff saw me, and perhaps my determination to get nice photos, she offered to turn on the lights for me. (Thank you!)

"Survived."

Dare I say, I can be King Henry VIII. Hahahaha.

Of course I had to wear my royal regalia, brought my own crown too. I wore my ruff (actually a baby's tutu), as a reference to "Haus of Holbein", one of my favorite numbers in the musical.

Six....or Hamilton? HAHA.

- More people started coming maybe an hour after I arrived. I spent the rest of the time going around the lobby and having an early dinner at the Theater Cafe just beside the lobby. I took more photos because by this time, the theater staff had brought out the six color-coded tiaras (based on the costumes of the six wives) which guests can use as a prop for photos.

Taking as many photos as I can because I have so much time to kill before the show.

They finally brought the tiaras out!

Bought my own Six merch!! The tiara might be a bit expensive but this is the only thing I think I'll most likely use haha.

- I thoroughly enjoyed the whole musical, and I wondered how the six queens were able to keep their energy up the whole show, considering it was one act and did not have intermissions. I was mesmerized by the costumes and engrossed in each queen's story, even though I had seen bootleg versions of it online. I've been a fan of the musical for around a year now after discovering it accidentally on Youtube. The thing I was happiest about was when the queens asked the audience to stand up and let us take out our phones to take photos or videos of the "Megasix" number, which serves as the musical's "encore" as in a concert.

Divorced. Beheaded. Died. Divorced. Beheaded. Survived.

Fancy seeing you guys here! -- We didn't just see each other; we're seatmates!!

One of a kind, no category!!

Free to take their crowning glory!!

It really feels like a concert!!

I can listen to them all day! Now if only my history classes were like this!!

Thank you for the show queens!!

I'm super proud of my little crown which I got from Toy Kingdom some years back. It was for ages three and up. HAHA.

- Apart from the whole musical, the best part about the whole experience was seeing good friends - theater friends no less - during the show. I had loads of fun catching up and taking photos with everyone afterwards!

You can tell how much we miss performing!!

I miss you guys very much huhu.

We're Four!!

Fancy seeing you here too!!!!

- Watching "Six" was truly a fantastic way to celebrate my life so far, especially since I wasn't able to do anything "interesting" on the exact day of my birthday. I would've watched "Six" even if it wasn't for my birthday, but the timing just made watching the musical even more special! 

Amerigo Vespucci: "The Most Beautiful Ship"' Docks in Manila!

- September 17, 2024, Wednesday.

- My friends know that I am neither not fond of the sea nor cruises, but one thing that fascinates me is historical ships. There is just an unusual feeling of stepping on to a ship that has braved the waves and the wind for years. One such ship, a true beauty, is the Amerigo Vespucci. It went on a world tour recently, and it had a three-day visit to Manila. Part of the visit was opening its gates to curious Filipinos who could secure a visit through a registration link. I almost did not get my slot because of my schedule, but I finally got to register anyway. It docked in Manila's harbor.

HERE I AM.

It really....is a beauty.

I know it's not practical given that they were docked, but I would have loved to see all the sails wide open!! (I saw photos online and boy did they make the ship look like the ships from centuries ago!!)

Front of the ship.

That golden figurehead is Amerigo Vespucci himself!

- The Amerigo Vespucci is an Italian navy training ship, and was named after the 17th-century Italian explorer, Amerigo Vespucci (and yes, "America" was named after him.) As for the ship, it was built in 1931, and made in the style of 18th-century ships. It was dubbed by the USS Independence (a US navy ship) as "the most beautiful ship in the world" because the Amerigo Vespucci's physical appearance.

- I don't know why I was surprised to see a big group of visitors, when I also knew that all slots (around 600+ per day) were filled up. But I was also happy to see that many people were interested to check out this historical ship. We were all welcomed by navy trainees (is that what you call them), who were Italian. They entertained questions from people about their lives on board, and places that they visited or will visit as part of the ship's world tour. I know it visited countries like Spain, France, the USA, Ecuador, Argentina,  Brazil, Japan, Australia; it will visit more countries in Southeast Asia and West Asia before going back to Italy.

So many stirring wheels!! (And I was told they were operated manually.)

All that exploring-the-new-world feels.

Just to prove that I'm on board.

With some nice navy trainees who welcomed us. Grazie mille!

Again I'm not very good with ship terminology but I sure do like looking at ships.

"It is not who begins, but the one who perseveres."

Buongiorno!

I would like to thank the random kind people who took my photos for me since it was hard to set up my tripod on board.

Of course I had to were my (made-in-China haha) Versace on board.

Thank you random photographer for making me look like the ship's poster boy.

Everrryyyy nightttt in my dreamsssss, I see youuuuu, I feeeel youuuuu....

- I didn't stay long in the ship because we could only go through the more open parts of the ship. Still I saw quite a bit. It would have been nicer to get to talk to more navy trainees but everyone just wanted to talk to all of them! I did try a bit of my Italian on them which of course them off guard. (But yay for me because it is a language I don't use often). I'm really glad I got to have a last minute visit to the Amerigo Vespucci, and it is surprise events like that that keep me going in my everyday life.