My first visit to Vietnam concentrated on the north. This time, I focused on the south, landing first in Ho Chi Minh City. It's a large city, full of energy and motorbikes.
I spent three nights in the beginning. I met up with a friend, and at the same time familiarised myself with how this city ticks. It's crowded, it's hot, and it's pulsing with urban energy. I just stationed myself in the city centre, and there were a few interesting things to check out.
Somehow I started at the Central Post Office. It was a charming building with historical artefacts and a large mosaic of Uncle Ho right at the back. Now it's filled with souvenir shops selling postcards, trinkets, and other shiny items.
Across the street is the Ho Chi Minh City Cathedral. The outside was covered with scaffolding, and I thought it wasn't worth taking pictures. I took a quick peek inside, as there was a mass that was about to wrap up.
One day I also ventured into the Cho Lon District, where the large market was. I explored this area on foot, and checked out a few interesting landmarks, such as this interesting Chinese Church. There are also a few pagodas and temples that I visited nearby, but I just didn't take photos of those.
And somehow I also found out The Venerable Thich Quảng Đức Monument: this is a monument commemorating the death of Thich Quảng Đức, a Buddhist monk who died by self-immolation in 1963, as a protest against the persecution of Buddhists in South Vietnam. This was a very powerful monument, located near the intersection where this event happened.
I saw several other things in Ho Chi Minh City, and some of these were large enough that I am devoting an entire post for these places, so stay tuned.
