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Vietnam

Vietnam: Nguyen Hue Street and Saigon Riverwalk

By Mithun Divakaran
/
Apr 16, 2021
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Travel, Vietnam

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!

Continue reading “Vietnam: Nguyen Hue Street and Saigon Riverwalk” »

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

By Mithun Divakaran
/
Mar 24, 2021
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Travel, Vietnam

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

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)

Continue reading “Vietnam: Ho Chi Minh City’s Book Street, Opera House” »

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

By Mithun Divakaran
/
Mar 16, 2021
/
Travel, Vietnam

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.