The is the Vietcombank tower — at 206 metres tall, it’s the 7th tallest building in Vietnam
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.
The soaring tower over in the distance is Landmark 81. At 461.15 metres high, it is currently the tallest building in 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!
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.
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)
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.
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.
The church has two bell towers, reaching a height of 58 meters (190 feet)
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.
There wasn’t much else to do here so I left after spending just 10 minutes
Close by the cathedral is the Saigon Central Post Office
Although it’s still called the Central Post Office, in today’s day and age, it’s mostly a tourist attraction
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.
We drove past many rice fields
Our tour van dropped us off first at a shooting gallery
You can pay for the rounds here
Here are the prices
I merely watched some other guy shoot a gun. It was loud! (Watch it in the video below)
After that, our tour van took us inside the compound from where our tour of Cu Chi Tunnels would begin
At the entrance were some old US military vehicles used during the Vietnam War
An old Lockheed C-130 Hercules. All of these were abandoned after US forces fled Vietnam after defeat.
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.
