Our first stop was the Notre Dame Cathedral.
We took a cab to get there as walking several blocks might take out precious time from our shopping spree. Wrong. Ho Chi Minh City is very much like Makati with a lot of one-way streets and heavy traffic. Well, at least, we didn't consume our energy from walking (reserving more for the shopping spree part 2, hehehe).
Notre Dame Cathedral isn't anything new to us. Ooops! Don't get us wrong. The building is architecturally spectacular and if you're a Catholic, a first-time tourist in Vietnam, or an architectural or historical buff, this cathedral is a must-see. But what awed us more were the flocks of birds in front of the cathedral. Europe ba ito?! The birds against the cathedral was such a sight! And the child in us came out... We startled the birds a lot so they would all fly out of panic and then... CLICK! Picture perfect... Hehehe!
We also went to the Central Post Office, which was just adjacent to the Notre Dame Cathedral. The exterior of the building is a testimony to Vietnam's French colonial past. But wait 'til you see the interiors! Based on later research, the building was based on the design specifications of French architect, Gustave Eiffel (yup, same name as the one who built the Eiffel Tower in Paris and our very own San Sebastian Church in the heart of Manila).
After writing and sending photographs to friends in Manila, we walked towards where we thought the Opera House might be. Armed with the sketch that a friend of ours made, we strolled along the Vietnam streets again. This time, though, the sight was different. We were in the central business district, at Dong Khoi Street to be exact, where most of the high-end shops, boutiques and hotel are situated.
The Ho Chi Minh Municipal Theater, popularly known as the Opera House, again, is reminiscent of the French influences in Vietnam. Unfortunately, the theater is closed so we simply delighted ourselves with photos of the theater's entrance area and the Lam Son Square in front of it.
After this... Shopping time! We took a cab going to Ben Tanh Market, choosing the same type of vehicle that we had early in the morning. This way, it'll be cheaper for all of us... But lo and behold! This driver wants to charge us at a higher price! Kontratahin ba kami?! Sya, sya... We're in a hurry to shop, so, sige na nga! Kainis!
We we're shopping like crazy at Ben Tanh Market, constantly checking our watches to make sure we have enough time to squeeze our newly bought whatever into our luggages and make last-minute preparations before we head to the airport.
First to finish the shopping spree were Barok with Francis, Os and Roselle. To get to the hotel faster, we decided to take the cyclo (3-wheeled bicycle-richskaw) as the the two men said that the trip to De Tham Street would only cost us 15,000 dong (almost US $ 1).
The cyclo ride was both exciting and scary. Imagine, sitting in front of the "driver" on a transport so open one can easily fall out in the middle of the crazy traffic of Vietnam! We were left off a block away from De Tham Street. According to our "driver", cyclos were not allowed in there. Worse, he's asking us to pay 150,000 dong!!! WHAT???!!! Eh, psycho pala 'tong driver ng cyclo eh... Obviously, we've been swindled (again!). Instead of wasting the time to argue with our "drivers", we paid whatever money we have left, 100,000 dong (around USD 6). We left them and prayed under our breaths: Makakarma din kayo!
As soon as we all got back at our hotel, everything was rushed. We had so little time to buy lunch and re-pack our things. By 12nn, our taxi cabs were already there to bring us to the airport, which we earlier arranged with our hotel for US $ 2 per person.
At the Tan Son Nhut Airport, our taxi cab drivers asked for our payments. Ha? Ano na naman 'to?! Grrr... After a few minutes of argument, we called the hotel again. It turned out, the misunderstanding was between the hotel and the drivers. SIGH... Wala na kaming pera 'noh! Even if they stripped down our clothes, they won't find any more money from us... We already bought our North Face, Roxy, Kipling, and Quiksilver bags! Hehehe!
Click here for more of our Vietnam photos in Multiply!
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