HCMC by daylight walking tour
Type: Walking tour
Date: 29 June 2019
Mode: by foot, conversation with locals
Distance: >5 km
Distance: >5 km
Duration: 3 hours (3:10pm to 6:10pm)
Fare: Free
Difficulty: Backpack getting heavy, language barrier
Highlight:
Famous places passed by, government buildings and universities, Notre Dame
Cathedral and Saigon Central Post Office
Lesson: It is easier to
have money exchange in Siem Reap, Exchange rate at HCM city center is low, they
don’t usually change Cambodian riel to Vietnamese dong, grab ride is available
in HCM, public bus transport ends at 10pm
Mobility can be a bit difficult in Ho Chi Minh (HCM). Like other Southeast Asian cities, I think that HCM lacks interconnectivity of transportation modes. It also prioritises mobility of private cars than public transport. HCM is the old Saigon by name. It reminds me of the Miss Saigon theatrical play that I watched back in 2001.
Since I am on a tight budget and I want to set a "walking along the cities" as one of themes of my travels, I did a walking tour again. That time, it was from the terminal of Capitol Tours at
Google map shows that the distance is more than 5 kilometres and walkable within 1 hour and 3 minutes but my walking is also mixed with touring around, picture taking, stops for rests and observations, etc. It took me 3 hours to reach Notre Dame Cathedral with the combination of those activities. The Saigon Central Post Office are just adjacent to each other like friends rubbing elbows.
With the walking tour, I noticed that HCM struggles to keep the city green as many trees can be seen planted along the sides of the streets and roads. However, those cannot just remind the vehicle owners to be more disciplined in keeping their cars minimise emitted pollution.
HCM is also a city that thrives in between rivers. It is a picture of an old city that struggles to cope up with modernity. It is fast growing yet never equal the cleanliness and urban landscape that is expected of a modern city (i.e. Manila, Pasig, Makati in the Philippines, Kuala Lumpur, Singapore)
In spite of those initial impressions, HCM is a promising city. With infrastructures going on at all sides of the city both underground and towards the sky including public transport and international connectivity, HCM is a promising city. It promises a bright, clean and sustainable city in the future. It struggles to take care of tourists. Free internet connections are available everywhere especially near the malls and tourist centres. I remember when I needed to ride a grab and needed to connect to the internet, the nearby tourist kiosk gave me access to it.
Midway through my walking tour, I entered an old mall in order to look for a money changer. Fortunately, there was one inside. It is nearby wet market stalls at the first floor of the mall. The teller only changed my USD. 460,000 dong for my 20 USD. She said she does not change Cambodian riel. This surprises me because Cambodia is just relatively a stone away from Ho Chi Minh, let alone a member of ASEAN. The following day, I found a money changer accepting Cambodian riel but the rate is half the value seen in Google and the ones in Siem Reap and Phnom Penh. So I decided to keep my riel hoping that I could visit again in the future.
Like Phnom Penh, HCM has a lot of motorbikes. Along the roads, they form an image of a flowing river. Public transport mode are available but still needed to be interconnected and developed. Tan So Nhat Airport is obviously new and peaceful. It lacks the life and consistency of flow of people unlike in the Philippines' Manila International Airport. It is not a wonder though because the real tourism charm of Vietnam is in the rural areas like the floating market it Can Tho or perhaps in Hanoi which I plan to visit in the future.
But the city itself also has its own charm. It houses the ancient and historical buildings like the Cathedral and the post office. It also houses the grand government buildings. In fact, HCM holds the other half of Vietnam's history. The ravages of the Vietnam war is no longer seen. What emerges is a city struggling to be modern. Yet at its heart are the people living in slums surrounded by modern development of malls, transportation infrastructures, and the busy river - my home for a night.
Mobility can be a bit difficult in Ho Chi Minh (HCM). Like other Southeast Asian cities, I think that HCM lacks interconnectivity of transportation modes. It also prioritises mobility of private cars than public transport. HCM is the old Saigon by name. It reminds me of the Miss Saigon theatrical play that I watched back in 2001.
Since I am on a tight budget and I want to set a "walking along the cities" as one of themes of my travels, I did a walking tour again. That time, it was from the terminal of Capitol Tours at
11, 13 Mạc Thiên Tích, phường 11, Quận 5, HCM to Saigon Central Post Office and Notre Dame Cathedral.
Google map shows that the distance is more than 5 kilometres and walkable within 1 hour and 3 minutes but my walking is also mixed with touring around, picture taking, stops for rests and observations, etc. It took me 3 hours to reach Notre Dame Cathedral with the combination of those activities. The Saigon Central Post Office are just adjacent to each other like friends rubbing elbows.
With the walking tour, I noticed that HCM struggles to keep the city green as many trees can be seen planted along the sides of the streets and roads. However, those cannot just remind the vehicle owners to be more disciplined in keeping their cars minimise emitted pollution.
The first impression with the facades and forms of buildings show that business placards,
markers and signage compete for their big sizes. The sizes of business signage
cover the most parts of the façade of buildings that it destroys the aesthetics
of the place.
HCM is also a city that thrives in between rivers. It is a picture of an old city that struggles to cope up with modernity. It is fast growing yet never equal the cleanliness and urban landscape that is expected of a modern city (i.e. Manila, Pasig, Makati in the Philippines, Kuala Lumpur, Singapore)
In spite of those initial impressions, HCM is a promising city. With infrastructures going on at all sides of the city both underground and towards the sky including public transport and international connectivity, HCM is a promising city. It promises a bright, clean and sustainable city in the future. It struggles to take care of tourists. Free internet connections are available everywhere especially near the malls and tourist centres. I remember when I needed to ride a grab and needed to connect to the internet, the nearby tourist kiosk gave me access to it.
Midway through my walking tour, I entered an old mall in order to look for a money changer. Fortunately, there was one inside. It is nearby wet market stalls at the first floor of the mall. The teller only changed my USD. 460,000 dong for my 20 USD. She said she does not change Cambodian riel. This surprises me because Cambodia is just relatively a stone away from Ho Chi Minh, let alone a member of ASEAN. The following day, I found a money changer accepting Cambodian riel but the rate is half the value seen in Google and the ones in Siem Reap and Phnom Penh. So I decided to keep my riel hoping that I could visit again in the future.
Like Phnom Penh, HCM has a lot of motorbikes. Along the roads, they form an image of a flowing river. Public transport mode are available but still needed to be interconnected and developed. Tan So Nhat Airport is obviously new and peaceful. It lacks the life and consistency of flow of people unlike in the Philippines' Manila International Airport. It is not a wonder though because the real tourism charm of Vietnam is in the rural areas like the floating market it Can Tho or perhaps in Hanoi which I plan to visit in the future.
But the city itself also has its own charm. It houses the ancient and historical buildings like the Cathedral and the post office. It also houses the grand government buildings. In fact, HCM holds the other half of Vietnam's history. The ravages of the Vietnam war is no longer seen. What emerges is a city struggling to be modern. Yet at its heart are the people living in slums surrounded by modern development of malls, transportation infrastructures, and the busy river - my home for a night.
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