Today (Wednesday) we headed east, towards a main shopping area and the famous Bến Thành Market (above). It’s about a 40 minute walk from our hotel (but a lot longer when you’re stopping to look at stuff on the way.
Because it was early in the morning and a bit cooler – around 26 degrees – locals were taking the opportunity to keep fit. In the parks we saw people exercising, doing Tai Chi, and my favourite, which seemed to be using fans as an offensive weapon:
It was quite hypnotic to see the group taking different poses in perfect synchronisation.
Ho Chi Min has many beautiful buildings with tree-lined boulevards which makes walking pleasant, even when it’s hot, because beneath the trees’ canopies it’s significantly cooler. On the other hand, if you spend your time looking up, you’re going to come unstuck underfoot. You take your life in your hands when you cross the road – there are two kinds of people crossing the road, the quick and the dead, and truly, he who hesitates is lost. But the paving has become quite broken – possibly because cars and motorbikes park and drive on the pavements. So you really do have to watch where you’re putting your feet.
Also – mind the wildlife. There are frogs, squirrels and geckos sharing the city with you. The little guy pictured here nonchalantly hopped across the road in front of us, quite at home in the city surroundings.
And so we finally arrived at the market itself. Established in 1914 and rebuilt by the French in 1952, the market features distinctive architecture with a prominent clock tower and four main entrances, each leading to bustling streets filled with diverse goods. With nearly 1,500 stalls and over 6,000 vendors, Bến Thành Market offers a wide array of products, including textiles, handicrafts, fresh produce, spices, and local delicacies. As you walk round, vendors cheerfully ask you where you’re from and engage you in conversation in a bid to get you to buy their goods.
And there are so many things to choose from – from the fish market where the crabs are so fish they’ll still nip your fingers, to the colourful crafts and souvenirs available. And the food! Visitors can indulge in authentic Vietnamese cuisine, such as bánh xèo (Vietnamese pancakes), grilled pork noodles, and avocado ice cream.
And Annette had one particular item in mind – a hat with a sunflower . And there is was, which she bargain down to 20,000 VND (which is about AU$14).
On the way back to the hotel we pass more remnants of Ho Chi Minh’s colonial past, when it was still known as Saigon. The Opera House was built in 1898 and inaugurated in 1900, designed by French architect Félix Olivier in the flamboyant style of the French Third Republic, resembling the Petit Palais in Paris.
Also on the way home was the city’s main post office, one of the city’s most beloved historical buildings. Constructed between 1886 and 1891 during French colonial rule, the building was designed by Alfred Foulhoux, though it is often mistakenly attributed to Gustave Eiffel of Tower fame. Its grand façade, arched windows, and intricate ironwork reflect European influences, while the interior features a beautifully vaulted ceiling and detailed maps of Saigon from the late 19th century.
Inside there is actually a post office, overlooked by a huge picture of Ho Chi Minh himself (‘Uncle Ho’)
But there’s also plenty more souvenirs on offer – and some old fashioned phone booths with a reminder f home:
Another busy morning – 9km covered, so we’d earned an afternoon basking in the hotel pool. See, I TOLD you we were chilling.
