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Mithun Divakaran

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Ho Chi Minh City book street

Vietnam: Ho Chi Minh City’s Book Street, Opera House

Date: 27 October 2019

I was continuing my sightseeing around Ho Chi Minh City after stopping by the Notre-Dame Cathedral Basilica and Ho Chi Minh City Central Post Office. Right beside the Post Office building is Ho Chi Minh City’s Book Street (Đường sách Thành phố Hồ Chí Minh).

Duong sach thanh pho book street
It was just a few steps away from the Saigon Central Post Office
Ho Chi Minh City book street
It’s famous for being a trendy spot lined with book stores and cafes
Duong Sach book street Ho Chi Minh City
The book street isn’t very big, just a 100 metres long
Nha Nam Publishing Saigon book street
Some book stores seem to be operated by publishers themselves
Saigon book street Vietnam
I didn’t see as many people inside the book stores buying books
Saigon girls book street Vietnam
Saw a lot of girls posing for the Gram though (translation: posing for photos to later upload to Instagram)
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Saigon Central Post Office Vietnam

Vietnam: Notre-Dame Cathedral Basilica, Ho Chi Minh City Central Post Office

Date: 27 October 2019

Yesterday was spent on a full day tour that included stops at the Cao Dai temple and then the famous Cu Chi Tunnels. I was done with the day tours I had planned from Ho Chi Minh City so today was just going to be dedicated to exploring the other sights of this bustling city.

Ho Chi Minh city graffiti road
I hired a Grab bike taxi to take me from my hotel to the Notre Dame Cathedral. The short ride would cost me 13,000 VND (₹41/$0.57/€0.47)
Notre Dame cathedral basilica Saigon
This is the Notre-Dame Cathedral Basilica of Saigon

Unfortunately, the Notre-Dame Cathedral was under-going renovation works and was closed off to the public.

Mary statue Notre Dame cathedral Saigon
A statue of Mother Mary

The church was initially named the Church of Saigon at the time of its construction by French colonists between 1863 and 1880. It was renamed in 1959 as the church looked similar to the Notre-Dame in Paris.

Notre Dame cathedral basilica Ho Chi Minh City
The church has two bell towers, reaching a height of 58 meters (190 feet)
Notre dame cathedral under renovation
Gates prevent people from entering the church

Which sucked, as I saw photos online that showed the church’s interiors and it did look quite nice. So it would have made for good photography.

Outside Notre Dame cathedral Saigon
There wasn’t much else to do here so I left after spending just 10 minutes
Ho Chi Minh City post office Vietnam
Close by the cathedral is the Saigon Central Post Office
Saigon Central Post Office Vietnam
Although it’s still called the Central Post Office, in today’s day and age, it’s mostly a tourist attraction
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Going down narrow hole Cu Chi tunnels Vietnam

Vietnam: Cu Chi Tunnels, a must do attraction from Ho Chi Minh City

Date: 26 October 2019

After starting my tour at a handicrafts workshop and then the Cao Dai temple, post lunch we were driven to our final stop on the tour — the famed Cu Chi Tunnels.

Green fields Vietnam
We drove past many rice fields
Entry shooting range Saigon Cu Chi Tunnels
Our tour van dropped us off first at a shooting gallery
Shooting range counter Cu Chi tunnels
You can pay for the rounds here
Shooting range prices Cu Chi tunnels
Here are the prices
Cu Chi tunnels shooting range
I merely watched some other guy shoot a gun. It was loud! (Watch it in the video below)
Welcome Cu Chi tunnels Vietnam
After that, our tour van took us inside the compound from where our tour of Cu Chi Tunnels would begin
US army tanks Vietnam Cu Chi tunnels
At the entrance were some old US military vehicles used during the Vietnam War
Old C130 Vietnam Cu Chi tunnels
An old Lockheed C-130 Hercules. All of these were abandoned after US forces fled Vietnam after defeat.
Map of Cu Chi tunnels Ben Duoc
A map of Ben Duoc area.

It’s a large area and some tours include a stop at Ben Duoc Memorial Temple, the large swimming pool, and there’s even a paintball shooting arena.

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