Vietnam: Nguyen Hue Street and Saigon Riverwalk

Date: 27 October 2019

I began my day checking out the Notre-Dame Cathedral Basilica and Ho Chi Minh City Central Post Office, then post lunch, the nearby Book Street and Opera House. I continued my walk around the city.

Ganges Indian restaurant Ho Chi Minh City Vietnam — I walked past an Indian restaurant called Ganges

Walking to Riverside Saigon Vietnam — I was heading towards the Riverside Walk

Vietcombank TMCP tower — The is the Vietcombank tower — at 206 metres tall, it’s the 7th tallest building in Vietnam

Riverside walk marina pier Saigon — The walk is by Saigon River, which is the main river passing through the city

Saigon river is a crucial trade route for south Vietnam’s industrial belt and the main water source Ho Chi Minh City. It’s location and views also make it a prime land bank for real estate development.

Landmark 81 apartment buildings HCMC Vietnam — The soaring tower over in the distance is Landmark 81. At 461.15 metres high, it is currently the tallest building in Vietnam.

Empire City construction Saigon Vietnam — Across the river is Empire City, a mega real estate project by Singapore’s Keppel Land

There’s another skyscraper proposed to be built at Empire city and its design is very interesting!

Riverside walk Ho Chi Minh City — I walked alongside the river

Riverside Hotel Ho Chi Minh city — This is the Riverside Hotel, a 3-star hotel

ASEAN flags Bitexco tower Vietnam — Flags of ASEAN members line the riverside walk (ASEAN = Association of South East Asian Nations)

Nguyen Hue Ho Chi Minh City — Across the riverside walk is Nguyen Hue street

Nguyen Hue street is a pedestrian-only promenade that is now one of the largest public open spaces in the city. Flanked by old colonial style buildings and modern constructions on either side. This article has photos that show what it used to look like before its current shape and form.

Nguyen Hue walk Saigon Vietnam — Anyway, despite the moniker of being a pedestrian-only public space, you will still find several bikes whizz across to get to the other side of the road

Posing the café apartment Saigon — One of the most photographed spots at Nguyen Hue is The Café Apartment building

The Café Apartment building Saigon Vietnam — Called so because it houses several cafes and eateries on each floor

I set up my camera to shoot a bunch of timelapse sequences from Nguyen Hue, which you can see in the video at the end of this post.

Monkey god cosplay Vietnam — There was a whole lot of cosplaying going on while I was here

Vietnamese cosplaying Ho Chi Minh city — These youths were filming something

Uniqlo Ho Chi Minh City Vietnam — Uniqlo’s flagship Saigon store is coming up at Nguyen Hue

Peoples committee building Saigon evening — I finished my shooting by sunset and continued exploring the area. This is the People’s Committee building — which is ironically not open to the ‘people’

Vincom center Zara h&m Ho Chi Minh City — I walked to Vincom Center, which houses H&M and ZARA outlets

Zara jacket price Vietnam — Prices at both retailers were higher than in India, which was weird since many of the clothes were made in Vietnam

Vietnam does have high taxes, so that’s probably why. Even electronics cost much more in Vietnam than in India.

Nguyen hue at night Vietnam — After soaking up some air conditioning at the mall, I stepped back out to see how Nguyen Hue looks at night

Elisa boat Saigon river Vietnam — Over by the riverside, you have such boats which take you on cruise tours on Saigon River

Saigon river cruise Ho Chi Minh city — Dinner cruises tours are also popular

Bach dang speed ferry terminal Saigon — You can get your tickets from terminals like these

Saigon river cruise tours Vietnam — This is how much some river cruise tours cost

After much walking around today, I felt I had seen enough and took a Grab taxi back to my hotel. I had to wake up early tomorrow to catch a bus to the coastal town of Mui Ne. For now, I would have to bid adieu to Ho Chi Minh City.

Check out my vlog from this day: