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Vietnam tour before pandemic!!!

Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam Went to Ho Chi Minh last week and it was a good experience for me. It was my first time in Vietnam so I did what any diligent traveler would do - research about the place, talk to friends who have been there, check great tourist spots and so on and so forth. I’m thankful for this group because a big chunk of my knowledge came from here. So I would like to share my experience and give out some tips as well. I was aware of the stories about scammers and snatchers and of how crazy the motorcycles can be. Extra challenge because I was touring the city with my mom (a senior citizen). All in all it was a smooth trip. Places we visited: Book Street Ho Chi Minh - this is just beside Saigon Central Post office. They have a mixture of old and new english books and Vietnamese ones as well. You’ll find books that are not usually sold here in Manila. Bought Haruki Murakami books! Books are relatively cheaper. Pho Tay Bui Vien Walking Street - food are a bit pricier than what you can usually buy from food stalls all over Ho Chi Minh. We booked a half day city tourfor Php518 each. This includes: 📍Cathedrale Notre Dame De Saigon 📍Saigon Central Post Office 📍Independence Palace 📍War Remnants Museum You can opt to end the half day tour with lunch, but my mom and I decided to eat somewhere else. What I like about this tour is you wouldn’t have to worry about anything, you’d be riding a bus from point one to another. Entrance fees are inclusive. Kudos to Gordon who was our Tour Guide! Then we booked another tour, Mekong Delta Tour via Klook as well for Php823 each. This is a whole day tour which includes: 📍Fruits and Honey Tea at Ben Tre (While sipping hot tea yes in such a hot weather lol, locals will serenade you with folk songs) 📍Boat cruise in Mekong Delta (give tip to the bangkeros/bangkeras) 📍Watch how to make coconut candies 📍Turtle Islet/Pomelo Farm for free lunch 📍Chua Vin Trang (Happy Buddha) Lucky Plaza and Saigon Center (parang Greenhills) Ho CHi Minh City Hall and walking street, this is where Cafe Apartment is. Lively at night! Takashimaya (parang Rustans) Lotte Mart, where we had Samgyup at King BBQ Buffet for around P450. Bun Cha Anh Hong - this I think was what Barack Obama and Anthony Bourdain ate at Hanoi. (This place is a bit hard to find) Soooo good. I would definitely come back for this! Try the shrimp cake too! Artbook - a novelty/book store cooped up between establishments. This is right across Takashimaya Mall. They sell all the cute things! Tan Dinh Parish Church - It is the famour pink church. Be mindful of the time to visit. It’s closed 12nn-2PM and 4PM-6PM Tips: 👍🏻Opt for rides are cheap. Usually on your first ride of the day it is only.Successive rides are only. #staycation #themepark

When in Vietnam

Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon), Vietnam Solo Travel: 6 Days 6 Nights Travel Guide I've read a lot of negative comments about their Saigon experience but thanks to those heads up, it made my stay such a breeze. I could have gone to another city or country but I chose to have a laid back vacation. Sobra na ang 6 full days sa HCMC. But I enjoyed this city. It is surprisingly cheap and the food is sooo goood. Day 1: Manila to Saigon (Late night flight) Day 2: - 1 AM arrival - Booked a Grab going to the hostel (+10k for airport toll fee) - Free Pho breakfast at the hostel - DIY Walking Tour Ben Thanh Market • Independence Palace • War Remnants Museum • Notre Dame, Buu Dien • - Grab Bike going back to the hostel Day 3: - Free Pho breakfast at the hostel - Mekong Delta Full Day Tour Day 4: - Free Pho breakfast at the hostel - Fine Arts Museum of HCMC • - Bitexco Tower • - The World of Heineken - Nguyen Hue Day 5: - Book Street • - People's Committee of HCM - Nguyen Hue Day 6: - Free Pho breakfast at the hostel - Free day (Met a Russian girl in the hostel, so we just walked around Ben Thanh, Notre Dame, alongside the river, etc) - Bui Vien Walking Street Day 7: - Free Pho breakfast at the hostel - Free day (The 1985 Cafe, Snob Coffee) - Late night departure Tips: • Buy a Vietnam sim card or order one in Lazada • Book a Grab Car or Bike (+10k fee airport) • If you want to ride a taxi, use vinasun or metered taxi to avoid getting scammed • Stay at District 1 (if you wanna party) • Book a hostel or hotel with breakfast already • Change currency from PHP to USD. Change small amount at the airport. • Be careful with their currency if you are confuse take your time • Cash is still king in HCMC • Avail the Skydeck with Heineken Tour • Book tickets online beforehand • Mekong Delta is worth is • Haggle in markets • Put your backpack/bag in front of you. Hold it tightly. • There are a lot of motorcycle robbers/snatchers, do nof use your phone in a busy street • Weather is hot and hotter. • City tour can be DIYed • Be careful when crossing the pedestrian. Zebra lines and traffic lights are usually ignored. • Before going to the airport, buy or eat food. Airport food is VERY EXPENSIVE! ##urbanexplorer #staycation #naturalwonders #wintergetaway #nationalpark #awesomepic #skiadventure

This museum in Vietnam, half Chinese civilization, half Indian civilization

If you want to understand a country, a city, then the best way is to go to the museum. Although there are not many good museums in Vietnam, this Vietnam National History Museum is definitely a must-visit place in Hanoi, and it is less than 1 kilometer away from the Sword Lake. Before entering the museum, be sure to take a good look at the museum building itself. It is one of the most majestic buildings in Hanoi city, designed by French architect Ernest Hebrard, blending French colonial architecture and traditional Vietnamese architecture, with the style of Indochina architecture. The main body is a three-story yellow building with an octagonal spire, imitation wood structure brackets and tile eaves, and protruding European balconies. The building started construction in 1926 and opened in 1932. It was originally the site of the Louis Finot Museum of the French Far East Institute during the French colonial period, exhibiting oriental art. In 1958, the government of the Democratic Republic of Vietnam (North Vietnam) took over the museum and changed the exhibition theme to national history. The museum introduces the history of Vietnam from prehistoric times to modern times in chronological order. Although the museum is not as big as imagined, it takes 2-3 hours to walk around seriously. After a round, you can still feel that Vietnam's historical narrative is quite complete and continuous. He has his own solid historical narrative system, which should be the result and continuation of the early and systematic scientific work in this area during the French rule. But at the same time, there is a more intuitive feeling that the historical division of Vietnam, half is the ubiquitous Chinese civilization, and half is the Cham civilization deeply influenced by India. This is like the history of Vietnam is mostly inherited by Chinese characters, but unfortunately, most of today's Vietnamese can't understand their historical artifacts and documents. The most impressive thing in the museum is the Dongshan Bronze Drum, which is also one of the treasures of the town. The basic shape of the bronze drum is small on the top and large on the bottom, with a protruding body. The decoration includes flying herons, feathered people, racing, deer, cattle, etc. According to the introduction, it was first discovered in Dongshan Village, Qinghua Province, Vietnam, and was named after it. The age is determined to be from the 3rd century BC to the 1st century AD. This Dongshan bronze drum is very similar to the bronze drum patterns seen in the museums of Yunnan and Guangxi before, and should belong to the same ancient Dian culture circle. Then there are a series of imperial objects related to the Nguyen Dynasty, including the Anmin Bao Sword and the Jialong Ta'a Sword symbolizing the imperial power, the gold book and the gold treasure made for the enthronement of the kings of the Nguyen Dynasty and the canonization of the queen and the prince. What impressed me most was the Nine Dragon Tongtian Crown. It is said that it was the first crown worn by the emperor of the Nguyen Dynasty. It is very similar to the Ming Dynasty crown I saw in China before. According to the introduction, this crown was to inherit the Wing Shan crown given to the later Li monarch in the Ming Dynasty. There is a pair of "golden rulers" pointing to the sky behind the crown, so it is also called the sky crown. Finally, there are the statues of the Cham period on the second floor, which have a sense of time travel back to the Angkor National Museum. These Hindu gods are also old friends, such as Shiva, Elephant God, Vishnu, etc., and even the unspeakable Linga. I have seen similar ones in India, Angkor Wat, and Bali before, but when I see it here, I will still be shocked by these exquisite statues. The unparalleled sense of sacredness will not fade with the passage of time. 🏞️Name | Vietnam National History Museum 🎫Ticket | 40000 Vietnamese Dong ⛳Address | 216 Đ. Trần Quang Khải, Tràng Tiền, Hoàn Kiếm, Hà Nội

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