Back to Vietnam (Part 2)

Ho Chi Minh City, formerly known as Saigon, is a colourful and vibrant city with about 7.5 million people..

I stayed at the Sheraton Saigon hotel, which is located in the city centre in  what is known as District 1. The street is called Dong Khoi.. Here's a picture of the front entrance area.

Fig 1: Sheraton Saigon

A walking tour of District 1 will bring one to the Saigon Opera House, City Hall, the Post Office, the Reunification Palace and Ben Thanh Market. There are also lots of shops, cafes and restaurants around.

Fig 2: Pho Bo for breakfast ... mmmmmm

When in Vietnam, one should miss out on the Pho Bo or Beef Pho. It's a little bit like our "Gu Bak Mee" in Sarawak,   but the soup is simply heavenly, especially when you add the different vegetables, leaves and dips that go with the dish. If you do not take beef, there's also the chicken version (Pho Ga).

Fig 3: Vietnamese musicians at the lobby of Sheraton Saigon

Outside on the streets of District 1, it is common to find branded name shops co-existing with street vendors such as the one in the photo below.

Fig 4: Street Vendor in Saigon

I've often heard people liken the city pair of Hanoi and HCMC, to Beijing and Shanghai. I think this comparison is quite apt in many ways. For instance, I've been told that Hanoians don't particularly like the people from HCMC, and vice versa. In a similar manner, there has always been this tension between Beijing dwellers and Shanghainese.

Well, that's it for today, folks..

Hope to see some comments from you ...