• Andrew's TravelsReisenderVietnam
    Fish farm on the Mekong Delta
    Garden at the coffee stop en route to Ho Chi Minh CityHo Chi Minh City; view of the Saigon River from the minibusCentral Post Office; originally built as a train station but never used as suchCentral Post OfficeCentral Post Office; insideCentral Post Office; insideCentral Post Office; old map of the Mekong Delta regionCentral Post Office; old map of the original Saigon CityThe Fall of Saigon in April 1975; the building where the last evacuees left by helicopterThe same building as it is s todayNotre Dame Cathedral; mid renovationEn route to the Home Saigon RestaurantHome Saigon Restaurant; fish curry / restaurant decor3Home Saigon Restaurant; Vietnamese craft beersBui Vien Walking StreetBui Vien Walking StreetBui Vien Walking StreetBui Vien Walking Street; view with the Britexco Financial Tower in the distance

    Ho Chi Minh City; Central iii

    16. November 2024 in Vietnam ⋅ ☀️ 34 °C

    After a leisurely start, we leave Ba Danh homestay by tuk tuk to get to our minibus for the journey back to Ho Chi Minh City.

    Once there, we visit the Central Post Office area and gain more insight into local history from our guide. The Central Post Office was originally built as a railway station (hence its size!) bt the French but it was never used as such due to its proximity to the newly built Notre Dame Cathedral and concerns about disturbing the services! There are two interesting maps on the wall inside, one showing the Mekong Delta, the other the extent of the original Saigon; Saigon is still used by local people to describe the District 1 (Central) area of Ho Chi Minh City.

    Very close to the Central Post Office is the building where the last evacuees left Saigon by helicopter during the Fall of Saigon (30 April 1975); the same building looks very different today! The city's name was changed from Saigon to Ho Chi Minh City to celebrate the memory of Ho Chi Minh, who died in 1969.

    Back at the hotel, we enjoy a swim and relax after a busy couple of days.

    We then walk to the Home Saigon Restaurant for an excellent meal and beer before our group leader takes us to the Bui Vien Walking Street; this is a loud, bustling area filled with bars, eateries, clubs, girlie bars, live music and dance - late at night, it becomes a bit of a "red-light" area.

    It's been a day of contrast!    Weiterlesen

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