Ho Chi Minh City rendezvous for passionate tourists

Even at first glance, Ho Chi Minh City, also known as Saigon has left a deep impression on foreign tourists as the most dynamic and hurly-burly urban in Vietnam with gleaming streets, activities and entertainment lasting till late together with the lines of cars rushing around the streets like never-ending. Ranges of shops with the great deal of colorful and varied products contribute to fame "Saigon - shopping paradise". Numerous bars, stores and restaurants with fascinating menus make the Saigon's culinary become an indispensable cultural characteristic for tourists. However, deeply hidden in the excitement is a liberal life but harmonizes, with the longstanding customs and habits of traditional culture which have adapted to the life for reclaiming the land and early interfered with the culture of the region and the Western.

Ben Thanh Market

Ho Chi Minh City is the gateway to tourism, a major and largest tourist center in Vietnam thanks to the varied system of facilities and services. The climate in the city is fairly pleasant creating the tourist season year-round and facilitating to much stronger develop Saigon tourism. Saigon nowadays retains hundreds of pagodas, temples worshiping thousands of national heroes, the remnants of the liberation of the city and country, which are respectfully preserved. They are also the alluring tourist attractions in any Vietnam tour packages to Ho Chi Minh City. Over 1,000 temples, temples and shrines built over time has been the wealth property on culture, art and architecture. Tourists will find here the largest and most beautiful pagodas in the country which skillfully combined between modern style and traditional pagoda architecture. Owning the diverse and abundant architecture, numerous pagodas have been recognized as historical - cultural relics of the city and the country.

Ho Chi Minh City

The architecture of Saigon - ancient Pearl of the Far East has been preserved and embellished, becoming the exciting sights in Ho Chi Minh City. The French have left a large number of various and wonderful architectural works. It can be said that there are not numerous metropolises in Southeast Asia possessing as many architectural forms and Western art style as in Saigon - Ho Chi Minh City. Typically, the headquarters of Municipal People's Council built under Third Republic France architecture, State Bank under the influence of Art Nouveau, Children's House with Neoclassic style, Nha Rong Wharf under Indochinese style, Central Post Office under Chiet Trung architecture, Saigon Notre-Dame Basilica with Roman style, Huyen Sy Church under New Gothic architectural style... Besides, there are numerous contemporary works inspired from the Vietnam traditional architecture. In the crowed city, tourists will be surprised with boulevards shaded hundred years old trees, the greenery parks, and tranquil villas. Beside the new skyscrapers in the city center, tourists will have the chance to visit Cholon (Chinatown) with the bustling ancient towns, commercial activity and production bustling over day and night.

reunification palace

As a tourist center and the largest tourism gateway in the country, Ho Chi Minh City has retained the relatively developed system of infrastructure and tourist services, from the entertainment centers, transit systems to museums, hotels and restaurants. Tan Son Nhat International Airport, one of the primary international airports in Vietnam located in Ho Chi Minh City is always ready to meet tourists' demands of movement. Vietnam Visa service here is also extremely convenient facilitating tourists' trips much easier and faster. Thanks to the diverse museum system, Ho Chi Minh City maintains more museums than other provinces in the country. The exhibit contents of the museum are fairly bountiful not only on the local history and culture, but the whole South, the country and Southeast Asia as well, offering huge interesting knowledge. However, the most attractive tourist spot in the city remains Cu Chi Tunnels, a unique works in world military history, a symbol of the iron will and the intelligence of citizens in American resistance. Equally illustrious is the Can Gio mangrove forest with ship breaking battles on the Saigon estuary, which today is a great eco-tourism with the endless green mangroves.

Gate to post office

Taking part in HoChi Minh City tour, tourists could hardly escape to be overwhelmed by the system of the markets, supermarkets and commercial centers of the city. The abundant, diverse and colorful goods full species from the common to the famous deli's all over the country, from domestic products to the international brands globally reputing. Most of stores here often beautifully decorated, especially the stores of handicraft and fashion, each looks like a tiny work of art. Ben Thanh Market, a symbol of Saigon, is considered the largest retail market in the city. Tourists can find all sorts of items here, from budget to luxury, especially food products which are most selective. The friendly and open-minded citizens are always looking forward to welcoming tourists from all parts of the earth to the city.

Notre Dame Cathedral

As the center of the fertile lands of the South, the convergence of people from all over the country and the gateway to external world, Ho Chi Minh City is one of the most attractive destinations in Vietnam travel. Ho Chi Minh City tourism has played an important role to promote the image of a beautiful Vietnam country to international friends.

Cu Chi Tunnels Wonderful maze underground

The desire of visiting one of the primary works in Vietnam War constantly urges me. Cu Chi Tunnels is where I chose to discover in my holiday in Ho Chi Minh City. I had a chance to know more about the hardest lifetime in war of Vietnamese.

Meeting Space

The Vietnam War is always there in my mind, even before I decided to travel Vietnam. Like other visitors, I was captivated by the wonderful beauty of such destinations as Mui Ne beaches, I also have a dip in the cool water in Cat Ba Island, was traveling through the road from Hanoi to Lao border. However, the idea to visit one of the greatest works in the Vietnam War was always inspire me. I do not know how, but I was very interested in a war that it began and ended even before I was born.

With this attention, I traveled to Cu Chi Tunnels. Tunnels of this relic were built in 1940s as a camouflage protecting Vietnamese soldiers in the struggles against French colonists. Local people and soldiers together gradually extended the tunnels. They just used simple tools and bare hands to create the maze of tunnels. This work is particularly significant in the period of Vietnam War and the escalation of the United States in 1960s. Cu Chi Tunnels is not simply an underground tunnel system. It looks like a complicated maze existing under Cu Chi ground, or a town with a strong vitality. I believe that Chu Chi Tunnels is not just important for its role in Vietnam War, but it is also a great symbol of Vietnamese volition to live and to fight. 

Field Hospital

As being one of the unique Ho Chi Minh City attractions, Cu Chi Tunnels is about 70 km to the northwest of the city. I travelled to this place by bus, which is favored by most of tourists as its cheap price. With only US$4, I entered Cu Chi Tunnels. I was so astonished at the system of three floors with nooks and crannies like a cobweb. The first floor is able to against tanks and artillery. While, the second floor of five-meter depth can avoid small bombs. The last floor, the deepest one (from 8 to 10 meters), can withstand bombs with a large-scale destruction. In the tunnel, there are areas for living, meeting, and fighting with a total length of over 200 kilometers. Interestingly, there was no support of machines in constructing this tunnel, with simple tools as hoes and spades for exception. It is an important work of Vietnamese soldiers in 30-year fierce resistance to regain independence.

Cu Chi Tunnels

I spent nearly all of time touring around the tunnel and taking photos. However, I did not dare go further for that fear of meeting traps unexplored. Though I had no chance to visit all around the tunnel, but the image from it is beyond my imagination. Only by moving down a shorter distance in this tunnel do I understand the true reason for the victory of Vietnam, a little country that defeated a strong country. Apart from visiting the actual tunnel, I also tasted local tapioca in the natives. This dish has been popular considering that the wartime. In addition, I had time to see documentary films about the actual tunnel. I collected a wide range of interesting information about history, which allows you clarify my questions about Vietnam in the war. I was so pleased, as finally I reached essentially the most stunning defensive system in the entire world, witnessed an underground city however existing, and understand more in regards to the patriotism of Vietnamese.

Thu Thiem New Urban Area opens more roads

Along with four main boulevards being constructed, two main roads will be opened in Thu Thiem New Urban Area to attract more investors. The authorities of HCMC proposed the Central Government for investment project of constructing new routes.

Thu Thiem New Urban Area is a highlight in the new appearance of Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon). It belongs to wards of Anh Khanh, Thu Thiem, An Loi Dong, and parts of Binh An, Binh Khanh wards and is divided into eight functional areas. Each region has its own characteristics of mixed use, density private building, public spaces and landmark buildings.
According to the proposal of Ho Chi Minh City People’s Committee, there are two new projects of roads conducted in the northern residential area (the functional areas no.3 and no. 4). They are projects on construction of North-South transport hub from Thu Thiem Bridge 1 to Mai Chi Tho Road, and a bridge connecting the North-South axis to functional area no.6. Simultaneously, the committee hoped to specify investors implementing these projects itself.

Thu Thiem New Urban Area in construction - Source: Image from Panoramio

The local authority assessed that the investment in construction and infrastructure development, especially in infrastructure of northern residential area, is an essential requirement for attracting investors, contributing to the development and formation the Thu Thiem New Urban Area in accordance with the approved plans. In the early year, four main boulevards of Thu Thiem New Urban Area (Arc Avenue, Lakeside Avenue, Riverside Avenue, and a subway connecting eight functional areas in Thu Thiem), the four main transport hubs of the urban area, started being constructed with a total capital of VND12,000 billion. The project of these four roads is expected to complete by 2017.
Relating to the construction of infrastructure in District 2, one of the most important Ho Chi Minh districts, the People's Committee of this city has approved the project of upgrading and expanding Tran Nao Street. The street will have the width of 30 meters. At the same time, the whole technique and infrastructure system will be constructed under the ground. For sidewalks of over 5 meters, the construction of public works such as trees and bus shelters will be taken into consideration.

Whole view Thu Thiem Bridge - Source: Image from Flickr

Besides, this city also asked the Department of Transportation to upgrade Luong Dinh Cua Street in this August, and to finish projects of Tran Nao and Luong Dinh Cua streets in 2015. Luong Dinh Cua is an important route in District 2. This street links east-west road to Thu Thiem Bridge to enter the city center. At the same time, the department was required to break ground to construct a route connecting Nguyen Van Huong Street to Hanoi Highway in this April. This project is predicted to finish in 2015. Apart from constructing new routes in Thu Thiem New Urban Area, many projects are being implemented in Thu Thiem such as projects of residential area, 6200 resettlement apartments, multi-functional tower, and international convention center. These projects are seen as highlight points to stimulate real estate market to recover, and change the appearance of the city toward civilization and modernism.
The system of roads and infrastructure in Thu Thiem New Urban Area is planned according to an open orientation with four main boulevards. These four main boulevards construction with a total investment of over VND10, 000 billion in the form of build – transfer (BT), expected to be completed in 2016, is considered a prerequisite for construction and development of Thu Thiem Peninsula.