Good morning, dear readers. Many of you have heard the saying, "All good things must come to an end." Travel is no different, because when a journey begins, it must eventually come to an end with each trip. Like my trip to southern Vietnam, which lasted only 5 days and 4 nights, the last two days of my mission to explore the capital of the former South Vietnam, known as "Saigon" or "Ho Chi Minh City," have arrived.

Hold on, but seeing the picture on the front page doesn't mean I'm here to review food, haha. 555 Because the food I posted has already been reviewed in the Dalat review, episode 2, and some of it is in the final review of this episode (just to attract guests, haha 555).

P.S. You can follow the previous episodes for the South Vietnam trip at the link below.

Episode 1 Hello >< FIRST TIME @ SOUTH VIETNAM Because life is a journey

Chapter 2 DALAT, the Switzerland of Vietnam, on a gloomy day

The journey from Dalat to Ho Chi Minh City takes almost 8 hours, which is almost half a day. Let's compare the travel maps I made in episodes 1 and 2 to see that the outbound and return routes are different. When the bus arrived in Ho Chi Minh City at the place I was familiar with, it was Pham Ngu Lao, an area full of tour companies and buses to various destinations. One thing to do when I arrived was to go to the accommodation I had booked. The accommodation I booked was near Ben Thanh Market, making it easy to go to the market and take the bus back to the airport.

The accommodation I stayed at was the Town HOUSE 23. To be honest, I walked past my accommodation several times because I couldn't see the sign. The hotel next door had a sign hanging on the side, making it clearly visible, but this place didn't have a sign on the side. Plus, I was too lazy to look up. I checked on Google Maps and it said I had arrived, but I was like, "Where? Where?" I even walked past it, so I decided to ask the security guard at the hotel opposite where I was staying. He pointed to the opposite side of the street, so I looked over. Oh my god, it was right there, directly opposite me. I was so embarrassed in front of the security guard. (If I had a spear in front of me, I would have been blinded.)

After checking in, the staff told me that the dorm room was on the 6th floor. However, I had to press the elevator to the 5th floor and then walk up the stairs. At that time, my brain and listening skills were so good that I was confused until the Canadian man came and spoke English to me again. So I understood (Well, I pretended not to understand what the Vietnamese person said, but I could understand some of what the Canadian said (emphasis on some)).

The accommodation I chose was a dorm, where I shared a room with other people. It was a great way to save money and meet new people. When I first arrived, I was a little surprised to see that the people who had arrived before me had left their belongings unattended, including their phones and wallets. It seemed like they trusted each other a lot.

The dorm room had six beds and could accommodate up to 12 people. Unlike the dorm I stayed in in Dalat, the beds in this dorm were open, so you could see everything that was going on. It felt a bit like being in a panda enclosure. I wish there had been curtains to provide some privacy.

Each bed had a blanket, a pillow, and a locker. The lockers came with locks, so you could keep your valuables safe.

This is the condition of the bathroom and shower, but I didn't take pictures of the bathroom and toilet for you to see. But it's clean. There are 2 bathrooms and 1 toilet. Shampoo and liquid soap are provided. While showering, you can open the window to see the Ben Thanh Market roundabout. It's right next to it (I didn't take a picture, it's so cool).

After packing up, let's go check out the different rooms. Let's walk to the COMMON ROOM. This room is a place to watch TV, relax, chat, and also serves as a breakfast room for guests. By the way, even if you are staying in a dorm or a private room, everyone gets breakfast included, hehe.

The common room was quiet and peaceful. I arrived in Ho Chi Minh City in the evening, and I think the other person is out exploring.

Let me tell you that the atmosphere from Dalat to Ho Chi Minh City was sunny with alternating cloudy skies. It also rained intermittently. When I left my accommodation to go to Ben Thanh Market, the sky was cloudy again. After a while, it started to rain, so I thought to myself, "What should I do? Should I go back to my accommodation or keep going?" My eyes caught a familiar shop, so I decided to take shelter from the rain there first. Haha.

It would be rude to just sit there, so I had to order some food as a formality. Besides, I was very hungry, and the rice I had eaten at noon had already been digested. It was drizzling in the big city, and the unfamiliar place made me feel very lonely. When I finally got to eat, I felt that the taste was strange. The French fries were not like those in Thailand, and the chili sauce was not as good as the Thai one after I tasted it (really). So I thought this was Local food. It's Local food, right? (I went to eat in Vietnam, so it's considered local food. I just thought so myself.) I sat there and ate for a while until the rain started to subside.

After the rain stopped, the darkness of the last night of my visit to Vietnam arrived. After that, I went for a walk at night in the Pham Ngu Lao area and Ben Thanh Market.

The rain has passed, and I have crossed many roads to reach Ben Thanh Market. As I said before, once you cross one, you build up an immunity and it becomes fun. I crossed so many times that I accidentally ended up in Thailand. From there, I walked to Ho Chi Minh City Hall.

Ho Chi Minh City Hall (Ho Chi Minh Square)

It is a place for tourists and Vietnamese people to relax and walk. It is also the location of the statue of former President Ho Chi Minh, which stands out as another important symbol of Ho Chi Minh City.

Across from Ho Chi Minh City Hall is a large square that the Vietnamese call Ho Chi Minh Square. The atmosphere at night is beautiful.

The atmosphere of the city hall at night with the statue of Uncle Ho. If you follow the old reviews, it will be Uncle Ho sitting holding a child, right? Now it will be Uncle Ho standing waving his hand.

The darker the atmosphere, the more people will come. This is the atmosphere before 7pm. Let's see how different the atmosphere is after 7pm.

As I wandered around, my eyes fell to the ground and I saw a picture of the sun shining. What is that? All those colors. Never mind, I'll come back and look at it again later.

After walking for a while, you will come across another important landmark in Ho Chi Minh City, the Opera House. This is a theater that will showcase the arts and culture of the city.

The atmosphere at night in Ho Chi Minh City Square is like a business, finance, and trade district in Thailand. It's like Silom, Siam Square, and Paragon.

As I walked, I came across a performance by a group of Vietnamese children who were singing songs. The performance attracted the attention of both Vietnamese people and tourists, who gathered around to watch and enjoy the entertainment after the rain. I then walked to the area with the sun sculpture that I mentioned earlier. After walking for a while, I heard the sound of a whistle. An officer waved his hand, signaling for people to leave the area. It took a while for the officer to blow the whistle and chase away the people who were walking in that area. I thought there must be something going on, so I sat down and waited. At 7 pm, the truth was revealed before my eyes.

Get ready to watch the light and sound show. There is no sound, but there is the sound of the fountain. It is very beautiful. It makes people in the area walk to this area. Look at the city hall and see how it is.

The nighttime lights in this square make the area look beautiful and attract the attention of passersby.

After soaking up the atmosphere at night around Ho Chi Minh Square, I walked on to Notre Dame Cathedral and the Central Post Office. I found the cathedral to be very dark, so I took a picture of the Central Post Office instead (I'll save it for my morning walk).

After walking for a while, fatigue and exhaustion took over, so I thought it was time to go back to the accommodation for a nap. After all, tomorrow's Saigon walking tour was going to be long. After a good night's sleep, I remember there was only one person in the room, while the other Canadian was sitting in the common room. But when I woke up, I was shocked to see that all the beds were full! When did they all arrive?

After completing the morning mission, it's time to go down and find something to eat. I went down with a shudder. Hey, is this breakfast? Are you going to eat vegetables early in the morning? It's not my style. I thought to myself, what else do you want after this break? So I sat and ate the salad to kill time.

After a while, some fruits were set up. Hey, let's sit and eat slowly. Wait, maybe we woke up too early. After a while, the breakfast staff walked over to me and handed me a menu, asking, "What would you like to eat? What would you like to drink?"

I chose the menu as shown in the picture above, along with iced coffee (Vietnamese iced coffee is very different from Thai coffee, with condensed milk on top, it's sweet and bitter, delicious). After eating for a while, the food started to come out one after another.

This place offers delicious steamed buns and sausages, along with fruit juices and bottled water nearby. I ate until I was full, which was great value for money, as most dorm rooms don't usually offer breakfast (or do they?). After finishing breakfast, it was time to explore Ho Chi Minh City, or Saigon, nicknamed the "Pearl of the Orient". The first mission for the day (which was the last day of my trip to southern Vietnam) was to revisit the same place in the morning to see what the atmosphere was like.

It takes about 5-6 minutes to walk from my hotel to the large bus stop at Ben Thanh Market. This stop is close to the bus stop for route 152, which goes to the airport.

The bus stop for route 152 will be at the very end. Once you have checked the direction of the bus stop (so you don't get lost on your way back), continue to Ho Chi Minh Square. Let's see what it's like in the morning.

This is the Ho Chi Minh City Hall and Uncle Ho statue in the morning. The atmosphere is very quiet even though it's Monday. Maybe because everyone is at work. But in the evening, this place is especially lively.

After that, I walked to the Central Post Office and Notre Dame Cathedral. Before I left, I turned around for a quick photo of the City Hall.

The morning traffic in Ho Chi Minh City on Monday is already congested, but we don't care because we are on vacation. As you can see, it is packed with two-wheeled motorcycles.

Finally, we arrived at the Notre Dame Cathedral, a Roman Catholic church and a major landmark in Ho Chi Minh City.

Don't be surprised by the atmosphere in Ho Chi Minh City today. I didn't use an app to make the image look faded, the colors are really faded. The sky was overcast all day, and I didn't see the sun at all. But I still felt good, like I got to see Ho Chi Minh City in a different way. Most of the time, we only see it with a bright blue sky, right?

This is the interior of Notre Dame Cathedral, but when I went, they hadn't opened the interior to the public yet, and the lights were still off, so I could only get this kind of picture.

Then cross the street to the Ho Chi Minh City Central Post Office, designed by the world-renowned Gustave Eiffel (the designer of the Eiffel Tower, no less).

Ho Chi Minh Central Post Office

- Designed and constructed with Gothic architecture, a blend of Western and Eastern styles. The designer was Gustave Eiffel, who also designed the world-famous Eiffel Tower in France.

The original building of the Ho Chi Minh City Central Post Office was painted pink. Later, it was renovated and repainted yellow instead of pink. (You can compare this with old review posts.)

The interior of the Central Post Office is bustling with tourists and locals using postal services.

Opposite the Central Post Office is the Notre Dame Cathedral. Take a picture with Nok Air's Ho Chi Minh City travel guide. Thank you for this guide, it makes it easy to tour this city (received on board as it was the inaugural flight).

HIGHLAND COFFEE Shop

- This is a high-end Vietnamese coffee shop. In addition to coffee, there are also a variety of pastries and snacks to choose from. It can be found throughout Ho Chi Minh City.

Along the way from Notre Dame Cathedral to the former president's residence, there is a park. It feels like Lumpini Park, which is located near the Silom and Sala Daeng BTS stations.

Independence Palace (Former Presidential Palace)

- The Presidential Palace is located in the heart of Ho Chi Minh City. It is now a museum open to the public. When you walk up to the top floor, you can clearly see the green lawn and fountain, as well as the city outside the fence.

Business Hours: Every day from 8:00 AM - 11:00 AM and 2:00 PM - 4:00 PM.

This is the interior of the former Presidential Palace, which has many rooms, including a reception room, a dining room, and a study.

Stepping out onto the balcony, you'll see the fountain and the street in front of the former Presidential Palace. The sky is overcast, but thankfully it's not raining and the sun isn't out.

This area is an outdoor walkway for viewing the rooms of the former presidents' residence.

On the left side of the building outside the former president's office, there is a cool tank parked for taking pictures. After I finished visiting the place, I went for a walk around the office.

It takes quite a while to cross the street from the Government House building to the other side. Look at the traffic and the number of cars and motorcycles. The road is small, but it's a real sweat to get across (but it's fun).

THE COFFEE FACTORY

- This is a popular coffee shop in Ho Chi Minh City, with a factory-like design. They use gallon drums as coffee tables and are open 24 hours a day with a coffee menu.

(Note: I haven't been there myself, but I'm just giving you a rough idea.)

From The Coffee Factory, walk straight ahead and you will come across the Notre Dame Cathedral. If you walk straight ahead, you will find it. However, I got lost and couldn't find my way to the Government House. When I found this way, I immediately felt sorry for myself.

From the former president's residence, I went straight to Ben Thanh Market and had a lot of fun crossing the street. It was exciting!

The cafe I will stop by before returning is HIGHLAND COFFEE (you can see the store information above). But this branch is located in the Pham Ngu Lao area, near Vietcet and FUTA BUS company.

The menu I ordered was Oreo smoothie and pandan cake. The taste of the drink was good. As for the cake, it was just okay. The purpose of coming here was to charge my phone and take a break. Hehe.

The weather was pleasant at noon, with the sky still overcast, making it comfortable to walk around Ho Chi Minh City. And most importantly, the weather was cool (October 2015). I then stopped by a bakery called TOUS les JOURS .

This bakery offers a unique blend of French and Asian styles, with a name that translates to "Every Day." They use high-quality ingredients sourced from South Korea, and currently have branches all over the world, including Korea, Malaysia, Vietnam, and the United States. I spent a while choosing some treats to take with me to the airport, as I wanted something to keep me from getting hungry. After making my purchase, I headed back to the hostel to grab my bags and hop on the 152 bus to the airport, finally ready to return home.

P.S. I think the bread at this shop is very delicious, the filling is very generous. I bought a chocolate croissant, the chocolate is quite a lot, and the donuts are also delicious.