Vietnam North to South – Day 14: Ho Chi Minh City

We spent the whole day today in Ho Chi Minh City, and I have to say it is quite different from Hanoi. Hanoi feels smaller, calmer, and more rigid, whereas Ho Chi Minh City is – as my dad put it – “what Bangkok was twenty years ago.” It feels distinctly more southeast Asian: the roads are busier and crazier, and the streets seem much more alive. Ho Chi Minh City is to Hanoi what New York is to Washington D.C. or what Hong Kong is to Beijing.

Of course, the two cities are still more similar than different. Hanoi may be more fiercely patriotic, but there are still flags on every corner in Ho Chi Minh City – sometimes Vietnamese flags, sometimes a golden hammer and sickle on a red background. Despite these outward displays of loyalty to communism, the citizens of both cities love expensive cars and luxury brands, which are heavily advertised in the streets. Small businesses and roadside stalls thrive in both cities, though it is quite clear that Ho Chi Minh is more geared towards wringing tourists dry of all their money.

In the morning, we rode the tour bus to the Independence Palace, the erewhile residence and workplace of the president of South Vietnam. Initiated by Ngô Đình Diệm, it was only completed under the rule of the military junta that ousted him from power and assassinated him. In 1975, a tank bulldozed its gates, completing the fall of Saigon and heralding the end of the Vietnam War.

From thence, we continued to the Central Post Office, completed in 1891 under French rule and built in French style. Just across the road from this building stands the equally European Notre Dame Cathedral of Saigon. Unfortunately, during the time of our visit, its impressive front façade was covered in scaffolding, which I believe has been there for several years. It is overgrown with plants and very few people seem to actually work on the site.

The most impressive area in Saigon is Nguyễn Huệ Boulevard, which begins at the People’s Committee of Ho Chi Minh City (originally the French colonial city hall) and offers views of several major attractions like the Ho Chi Minh Opera House and Bitexco Tower. On the boulevard itself stands a statue of Ho Chi Minh, and farther down an installation of two giant dragons. I am not sure whether the latter is a permanent feature or was merely installed there for the year of the dragon.

My dad and I split from the group on the boulevard and ascended to the top of Bitexco Tower, which offers impressive views of the whole city. After traversing the Bến Thành Market and making a stop by the Hindu Mariamman Temple, we broke for lunch. It was interesting to see the great number of local Vietnamese praying at the very Indian-looking temple; I understand that superstition and unclear religious boundaries have made it quite normal for Vietnamese people to worship in Hindu temples and pray to Hindu gods even if they don’t see themselves as Hindu.

Leaving our purchases at the hotel, we spent the rest of the day touring pagodas and other places of worship. We started by taking the taxi to the Jade Emperor Pagoda, and then took another taxi to Cholon, a neighbourhood west of the city centre. There, we visited a number of temples: the Chinese-style Ba Thien Hau Temple with its detailed depictions of Chinese legends, the swarming Ông Temple with prayers dangling from its incense spirals, the sleepy Cholon Mosque, the red and black Tam Sơn Hội Quán Pagoda, and the richly decorated Quan Âm Temple dedicated to Guanyin. Each of the Buddhist (and Taoist) establishments was packed with visitors in a display of religiousness I have not seen in a long time.

In the evening, my dad and I managed to make bookings for trips to undertake in the next few days: we will be heading to Vũng Tàu and the Mekong River Delta.