Wrap up of Saigon

I am currently really psyched because it is finally sinking into the depths of my blood cells that I am flying on Friday! Holiday! Yay!!!

I've been pretty nose-deep in work lately so I haven't had much time to think about this trip. Hence here I am at home looking up things to eat in.. Taiwan! 

We'll be spending Christmas and New Year's in Taiwan this year. It'll be our first time in Taiwan :D

I still have plenty to blog about my last trip to Saigon, but I guess I will let the pictures do most of the talking now :)

On our trip, we visited a lot of historic and religious buildings and sites (exactly my kinda itinerary!)

Ho Chi Minh Central Post Office

Normally, you wouldn't expect a Post Office to be a tourist site.. But in Saigon, that is exactly what the Ho Chi Minh Central Post Office is! Beautifully preserved from the French colonial era, the Post Office has been around since the 19th century. The post office is a functioning one- meaning you can send letters or parcels there. I bought a couple of post cards there and had them mailed to some friends!

I was paranoid that the baby-doll dress made me look pregnant.. Hahaha

 Such beautiful, intricate details! For many a split seconds in Saigon, I felt like I wasn't in Asia.. But here, the large portrait of Ho Chi Minh made sure that I don't even for a split second think I wasn't in Vietnam!

Notre Dame Cathedral, Saigon

Conveniently right opposite the Central Post Office is the Notre Dame Cathedrals. If you know me or follow my blog (which I would be so surprised but so honored to know such a person exists, say hi!), you would know that I am a HUGE cathedral/ temple enthusiast because I LOVE the details and I always feel a sort of calamity and a washing-machine kind of whirl that I cannot explain when I am in a place of worship. It is a kind of rush that I am still trying to figure out.

Anyway.

The Cathedral was unfortunately under renovation when we were there, meaning that we could not enter the premises. /cries 

We could only admire the cathedral from the outside and view the statue of Virgin Mary, which is infamous for apparently shedding tears back in 2005.

Does make me look pregnant doesn't it?!

OK random photos now I took while walking. Here is the Saigon Opera House, built in 1897 and still functions as a theatre showcasing cultural performances, bamboo cirque, contemporary dance, orchestra concerts and government events to up to 800 people at a time:

 Broken rice :9

A cuppa latte before we hit the road early in the morning

On our last full day in Saigon, we had no plans so I suggested we leave District 1 for District 5, where Chinatown (Cho Lon) was. We took a Grab and it was a 15 minute ride.

We got dropped at the Binh Tay Market.. At least that's where I think it was. We never really found out because it was quite hectic and crowded in District 5 and we got slightly flustered.

We learned that District 5 was not exactly a tourist spot and it was more of a local area, and the Binh Tay Market catered mostly to locals.

I remember Cho Lon particularly (fondly) well because a random man walked pass, did a double take and exclaimed "wah, hou leng ah!!" (wow, so pretty!!) I have repeated this incident multiple times and I think I will pass on this story to my grand kids one day.. Hahaha

We visited 2 temples and a cathedral in District 5:

The St. Francis Xavier's Catholic Church

 One thing that particularly struck me was that it was right where I sat (pic above), was where the South Vietnam President Ngo Din Diem and his brother were captured by the North. They were later executed and Vietnam was "unified".

Shot in the heads and stabbed 15-20 times, while being tied up.

I wonder what were their last thoughts while they were seated there at the pew.

Random stall for Pho! It was good! My BF was anticipating a tummy ache but he was FINE! lol nobody could speak any English so we just kept pointing at the "PHO" and nodding. Our food came with only beef balls and no beef slices, oh well :(

This last cathedral was nearer to our hotel but I cannot remember the name.. Still such a gorgeous place..

The Old Compass Cafe, Saigon

Whenever we travel, my BF and I like looking for interesting and hipster (isn't it weird how it isn't hipster to use the word "hipster" anymore?!) cafes. We found this one called The Old Compass in District 1 in Saigon. We managed to make our way there on foot, with help from Google Maps.

Found it! It wasn't easy to spot. Look for this sign on the wall that opens to a dark, deserted alley....

Not exactly what you thought would lead you to a hipster breakfast eh? We were there before 8:30AM, I made the mistake of not checking when the cafe opened for operation and we got there a little too early.

Another cool and not-your-ordinary cafe trait was that the cafe was on the 3rd floor, so we took the narrow flight of stairs up and passed by some locals who lived there in the flat.. It was super random.

Almost there!! When we reached the cafe entrance, we realised it was still closed! Just as we were about to walk back down, an Australian man came up and turned out to be the owner of the cafe! He told us that we could have a seat first while we wait for the barista to come in and make our coffee :-)

 The window overlooking the busy and gloomy streets of Saigon

 Absolutely adored the vintage feel of the place!

so pretty!

Our barista came! The man in white was the owner and a very hospitable one he was!

They were a great pair of cuppas!

 Our pimped up Banh Mi Hoa Ma, which came with a baguette, egg and pate. Food was OK, but it definitely costs more here than on the street :-)

They have other food like Western too.

The Old Compass maintains as one of the best gems we found while traveling, not only because it was such a gorgeous little place but it also had such excellent coffee and friendly hosts! I definitely recommend a visit there whenever you're in Saigon!

Address here:

Floor 3, St,, 63/11 Pasteur, Bến Nghé, Quận 1, Hồ Chí Minh, Vietnam