Three days in Ho Chi Minh City

Even though I have only a short time of less than two months at home, I still manage to spend a week and a half at the Planetary Science conference at Quy Nhon, Vietnam. Of course, I will definitely find some time to travel in Vietnam. This time, I decide to visit Ho Chi Minh city for the first time before flying to Quy Nhon for the conference. 

Fortunately, I know a Vietnamese person (Chau) from University of Chicago (a bonus from going to school with lots of international students). She took me around the city for these two days that I spent here. I am so thankful that I had someone to show me around and help me communicate with local people. First thing that surprises me about Saigon (the previous name for Ho Chi Minh City) is how similar it is to Bangkok. The city is similar while the cost of living is also exactly the same. There are more cars in Bangkok while there are more motorcycle in Ho Chi Minh. One explanation that I heard from this difference is that there is a large amount of taxes for buying a car in Vietnam as the government is trying to control the number of cars on the street, leading an increase in the number of motorcycles instead. 

Starlight Bridge, Phu My Hung

The first place that I visited in Ho Chi Minh is Starlight Bridge which is in a neighborhood of Phu My Hung. The bridge is very similar to Banpo Bridge in Seoul, South Korea which I visited two years ago. However, it was much less crowded here as most people here are only local and I did not see any other tourists around. The bridge is a good place for hanging out at night with lots of restaurants and street food around the area. 

Saigon Cathedral of Notre Dame with Chau

We started my first morning in Vietnam by visiting the Saigon Cathedral of Notre Dame and other landmarks around the area such as Central Post Office and Opera House. The cathedral is strikingly similar to the one in Paris but might be a bit smaller. I read that there are still lots of people who come to worship here even though there are only few percents of people in Vietnam who are Christianity.

War Remnants Museum

After lunch at some local restaurant, we visited War Remnants Museum. I think this is the most famous tourist attraction in Ho Chi Minh. The museum itself is surprisingly sad as I thought that by winning the Vietnam War (American War according to Vietnamese people), the museum would be more cheerful. However, most of the museum is about how devastating the war is for Vietnamese people from all the bombs and biochemical weapons. The most interesting exhibition at the museum, in my opinion, is the photos of many countries around the world protested about the US attacking Vietnam, including countries like France, Canada, and Argentina. Laos, Cambodia and Myanmar also protest for the war, but surprisingly I did not see Thailand in the exhibition. War museum is still my favorite spot for traveling as I learned a lot about the country by looking in the past war for each country.

Fine Arts Museum, Ho Chi Minh 

The next day, we visited Fine Arts Museum and Independence Palace. I was amazed by how much paintings are painted by the Vietnamese at the art museum. These paintings above are also from a Vietnamese painter. The paintings are so awesome that I can't wait and take photo with them. Lastly, we also went to the Independence Palace which used to be the parliament for the Southern Vietnam during the Vietnam War and the last target for the Northern Vietnam. After the people came to the palace, the war is basically over and the whole Vietnam is reunited again. Now, it becomes a place for welcoming guests from other countries with the prime minister. The most exciting part about the palace is the bunker at the basement of the palace. It demonstrates how the palace have been through different wars over the history of Vietnam.

There are many more places that I visited during my time there, including Bitexco Financial Tower, Museum of Ho Chi Minh City, Dong Khoi street, and Ben Thanh market (where you can buy almost everything that you need). If you are interested in Ho Chi Minh city and Vietnam, I am encourage you to visit Migrationology for more information, such as 23 Things To Do In Saigon (Ho Chi Minh City): Top Attractions!

Red Dragon Carpet at the Independence Palace.