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Mithun Divakaran

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Vietnam: Ben Thanh Market and Mariamman Hindu Temple, Ho Chi Minh City

By Mithun Divakaran
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Apr 22, 2020
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Travel, Vietnam

Date: 24 October 2019

After arriving in Ho Chi Minh City from Phuket yesterday afternoon, I was going to begin my sightseeing today.

Dinh Phat hotel lobby Saigon — I went down to the lobby (of the hotel I was staying at) for my breakfast

Breakfast options were from a set menu list. It was pretty much a choice of Vietnamese breakfast options (noodles, noodle soup, fried rice) or Bánh Mì (Vietnamese for bread). But what bread is to Vietnamese is essentially their take on the French baguette.

Bánh Mì egg fry breakfast — Since I don’t like Asian fare for my breakfast, I stuck to Bánh Mì with omelette and sausage.

On the way out, close by was a tour agency. I inquired about a few tours and their prices were lower than what I saw quoted online.

Day tours from Ho Chi Minh costs — I booked the Mekong Delta 1 day tour. To get picked up for the tour, I merely have to step out of my hotel and just walk a few steps to this tour office.

I then walked a few metres from the hotel to Ben Thanh market, my first stop for the day.

Ben Thanh market entrance Saigon — Ben Thanh market is one of the oldest surviving markets in Sai Gon and is open daily from 6am to 6pm

Ho Chi Minh city Ben Thanh area — The Ben Thanh market junction is very busy and sees heavy traffic flow. The blue walls you see in the photo is part of the construction of Ho Chi Minh City’s metro.

After 6pm until 10pm, the Ben Thanh market area all around the building turns into a night market with plenty of street vendors selling wares and food.

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Flying from Phuket to Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam

By Mithun Divakaran
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Apr 01, 2020
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Travel, Vietnam

Date: 23 October 2019

After spending just two nights and one full day (where I saw Rang Hill viewpoint and Old Town), it was time for me to leave Phuket.

The Village island resort villa kitchen — Goodbye kitchen… I barely used

The Village Island resort villa pool — Goodbye pool… I could not even dip into

I had a sumptuous breakfast, checked out of The Village, Coconut Island and reserved a spot on the transfer boat to leave the resort.

I was so lucky that I got a bright and sunny day yesterday and I could make the most of it

I hired a taxi (cost me 600 Thai baht) to take me to Phuket International Airport.

Phuket airport boarding terminal — From Phuket, I would be flying to Ho Chi Minh City in Vietnam

Vietjet Phuket airport Thailand — This would be my first VietJet flight. VietJet is Vietnam’s largest airline company, a budget airline that too

Flying out of Phuket island — Goodbye beautiful waters of Phuket

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Walking around Phuket’s Old Town

By Mithun Divakaran
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Mar 07, 2020
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Phuket, Thailand, Travel

Date: 22 October 2019

I began my day with a visit to Rang Hill viewpoint and once I was done with that, I decided to walk down the hill.

Leaving Rang Hill viewpoint Phuket — But not before I bought a cold mango shake to cool off (it was very sunny!)

How I got down and walked to Old Town is in my vlog* (video blog), which you can watch at the end of this blog post. But it is possible to walk from Rang Hill viewpoint to Old Town in around 30 minutes.

Sino-Portuguese houses Old Phuket — The Sino-Portuguese architecture is present in almost all the houses here, many of which have now been painted in a variety of colours

Phuket island used to have a rich history in tin-mining and many who came to work in the mines in the 18th century were from China, Malaysia and India. Then the Europeans came and the result of all these influences is what you see in Old Town’s architecture.

Teal corridor Old Town Phuket Thailand — Although the buildings are not very big, many of them have now been converted to cafes, restaurants, shops and hostels

Thalang road Old Town Phuket Thailand — Much of the activity in Old Town is by Thalang Road

China Inn Old Town Phuket — I had lunch at this restaurant. China Inn is an old house renovated and now primarily serves as a restaurant.

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