That was very last minute when my mum asked me to plan for a short trip for DeepaRaya holidays. The reasons for choosing HCM city were very simple, (1) I always want to go Vietnam, (2) there were still air tickets left for HCM city. =) So I quickly booked the air tickets, confirmed with Eric, made reservation at guesthouse, borrowed guidebooks from library, etc. -- All within 1 week.
We spent 6 days there which is considered rather long, so we were very relaxed. We spent 1.5 days in walking around the city area, visited many colonial buildings. About half day at Ben Thanh Market. 1 Day at Cu Chi tunnel/Cao Dai temple. Another day at Mekong Delta. Another half day at War Remnants Museum. And most of the evenings we strolled to a park nearby to watch the locals playing 毽子.
I enjoyed the trip very much. My mum too, she used to can't understand why I like Indochina (Cambodia, Laos, Vietnam) so much. But now she understands me and I believe she likes (and will like) the places as much as I do. What is it that we like in Indochina? You have to find out by yourselves.
The next time I go Vietnam I will concentrate in North and Central Vietnam. =)
 grrrreat flight
in funky color
cute departure
very spacious
preparing 扁担
traffic
always packed with motorbytes
local vietnamese crossing road
traffic police
branded electronics
little tea stall
Ben Thanh Market
roundabout
a vietnamese obasan
fruit stall
cobra
dried shrimps @ salted fish
pig organs and intestines
a big collection
fresh and beautiful roses
making bouquet
wet market
woodcraft
lady selling vege
hawker stalls @ Ben Thanh
colorful desserts
girls selling shirts
souvenir stall
wooden figurines
vietnamese drawings
on the street
Saigon City Hall
Municipal Theatre
selling coconut
coconut at US$4??
Hotel Continental
springroll feast
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rolled in rice paper
popiah
statue of a general
in between modern buildings
Saigon river
uniforms catching fishes
the fish that was caught
hot waffle
couple on trishaw
trishaw
Notre Dame Cathedral & Diamond Plaza
Notre Dame Cathedral
Notre Dame Cathedral
Buu Dien = Post Office
Post Office -- my fav in HCM city
Inside Buu Dien
inside Buu Dien
old map of Indochina
lovely boxes for making phone calls
can't resist making call ...
busy writing postcards
posting postcard
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a sweet girl selling bananas
always smile
Reunification Palace
Quan An Ngon
noodles and pancake
beef pho
small coffee stall (full house!!)
Cao Dai temple, Tay Ninh
a Cao Dai disciple in white
the eye can be seen everywhere
the eye
dragon pillar
not sure what's this
9 seats
the divine eye
door handle
on the wall
some 法器
not sure who is this
in Cao Dai temple
floor pattern
floor pattern
worshipping
an elder in yellow robe
elders in yellow and blue
noon service
Cao Dai temple
musicians for the service
worshippers
map for Cu Chi tunnels
"hole" to the tunnels
enlarged entrance
American's tank
trap
another trap
somemore trap
all kind of trap
making local bomb
Ho Chi Minh sandals
going to tunnel
going deeper to another level of tunnel
finally see the sunlight
eric coming back to ground
water from bamboo pipe
with two female warriors
tea break -- tapioca and tea
bombs
miniature tunnels
lotus rice
street view - coconut bicycle
street view - 鸡毛帚
street view - bananas
street view - trishaw
street view - bicycle
street view - baguette stall
street view - trishaw
another trishaw
petrol station on Mekong river
on one of the islands at Mekong Delta
a short walk on the island
unknown tropical flower
making straw mat
bees
fresh preserved tropical fruits
honey juice
unknown fruit
pink and big buah ciku
coconut toy, so cute!!
old monkeys
nice vietnamese tunes
taking boat again
Mekong river
Mekong
coconut factory
making coconut candy
making coconut candy
coconut candy
coconut candy
a shy pony
a ride on horse carriage
the pony ran quite fast
mummy on the horse carriage
on the sampan
taking sampan
little boy rowing sampan
cute boy
cool sampan journey
another boat with ang mohs
excited ang mohs
she tried to row the boat
Mekong
Mekong
Mekong
another boat
Mekong
Mekong
preparing elephant ear fish with the springroll
and this is the elephant ear fish
after!!!
Mekong
Mekong
sands
Mekong
Mekong
little cute boat
in a bonzai garden
fishing net at Mekong
fishing net
coffee stall
"Nice!!" he said
in the evening
snacks stall
artist
dry pho
踢毽子
7-storey Phoenix Hotel
sweet potatos and corns
popiah at market
king size prawn
popiah stall
colorful desserts
cooling desserts
lotsa motorbytes
ingredients
pho stall @ Quan An Ngon
another type of beef pho
pork pho
fruits shake
cherry
taking nap
promoting his brush for cleaning shoes
mum not too interested about it
kept pestering
in the end my mum gave up and let him do
very happy after cleaning shoes
the clean shoes boy
War Remnants Museum
tank
map of vietnam during war
picture
prize-winning photo
photographer and the women/children in his photo
souvenirs
another tank
dunno what's this
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tiger cage
tiger cage
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single-eyed fish??
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inside helicopter
little girl ...
many years after, the same girl...
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big-size mango
very big dragon fruits
big buah cikus
丧事 early in the morning
our daily breakfast
school kids at the park
girl selling little things
small coffee pot
checking out from Phoenix Hotel
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the lady at Phoenix Hotel
taxis
washing feet ...
... at the statue
eric - vietnamese lady
eric - street view
eric - from our window
eric - street view
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eric - street view
eric - street view
eric - street view
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eric - Mekong
eric - Mekong
eric - Mekong tour
eric - Mekong
eric - Mekong boat tour
eric - Mekong
eric - Mekong
eric - Mekong
eric - Mekong
eric - Mekong
eric - Mekong
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eric - street view
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eric - Quan An Ngon
eric - cutlery
eric - Quan An Ngon
eric - red beans
eric - very red chilli
eric - Quan An Ngon
eric - Quan An Ngon
eric - unknown dessert
eric - pho
eric - fruit shakes
eric - cherry
经过战火洗礼的 camera
eric - tank
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a japanese photographer's camera
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school activity
eric - giant durian
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