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TOURIST ATTRACTION IN HO CHI MINH CITY
Located in the center of Ho Chi Minh City, Hotel Windsor Plaza provides convenience to travelers with access to major tourist attractions such as museums, historical buildings, street markets, and shopping malls.
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Cholon |
Cholon - Binh Tay Market & An Dong Market in district 5 – Ho Chi Minh City, referred to as Cho Lon (Cho is market and Lon is big in Vietnamese) or better known as Saigon's Chinatown, you can find one of the biggest markets in town.
Not as central as the famous Ben Thanh Market in district 1, but still brimming with exotic goods and smells for western nostrils. Bargains can be made, the price is generally at a lower level, but don't come without your Vietnamese phrasebook. Unlike other markets, Cholon Market hasn't changed since the days of the Viet Nam War. Derelict shells of empty old French style houses are still surrounding the market and set you back in time.
Best time to travel to Cholon will be just after the main morning rush, giving you most of the day at your disposal. If the traffic scares you and you do not want to spend half an hour on the back of a motorbike (known as Honda-Om) then going by taxi is a sensible choice. |
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Ben Thanh market |
Ben Thanh market has long been one of Saigon's most famous landmarks. The market has been in existence since the French occupation. The original market was located on the shores of Ben Nghe River by old fort Gia Dinh. Its proximity to the fort and the river where merchants and soldiers would land was reason for its name (Ben meaning pier or port and Thanh meaning fort). In 1859, when the French invaded Saigon and overtook fort Gia Dinh, Ben Thanh Market was destroyed. It was rebuilt shortly thereafter and remained standing until it was moved to its present location in 1899. |
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Ho Chi Minh Museum |
Ho Chi Minh Museum used to be an old customs house and it is also said to be the place where Ho Chi Minh left for France in 1911. Positioned along the waterfront it is a beautiful display at night amongst all the neon advertising boards and floating restaurants. The museum is open on Tuesday, Wednesday, Thursday, Saturday from 08:00-11.30 and 14:00- 18:00, Sundays to 20:00.
The waterfront with all its colourful neon lights attracts tourists as well as locals. Enjoy a romantic dinner on one of the floating restaurants, go on a small dinner cruise on the river, or do as the locals, stop by one of the vendors and drink some beer, soda or coffee while you eat dried fish with hot chilli sauce. Sit back, enjoy the view and feel the pulse of Saigon at night. Watch the endless stream of couples on motorbikes passing by.
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Notre Dame Cathedral |
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In the heart of district 1, next to the main post office, you find the Notre Dame Cathedral accompanied by the statue of Virgin Mary. If you are interested in attending a mass, Sunday's at 09:30 am can be recommended. The cathedral is a popular photography spot, and the local street vendors offer colourful postcards of the cathedral as well as other popular city sights such as the nearby post office. The post office was built between 1886-1891 and is a beautiful French style building (designed by Gustave Effel) and is still the largest post office in Viet Nam .
The cathedral was built between 1877 and 1883 and has two 40-metre towers that used to dominate Saigon 's skyline, but today the Diamond Plaza , Caravelle Hotel and the Prudential building are more prominent. For a great view of the city, try the bar (34th floor) at the Prudential building, be early as it is a frequented spot for young romantic couples. |
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Den Ngoc Hoang - Emperor of Jade Temple |
| Located in Dakao, first district, the temple was built by Cantonese Buddhists who settled in Saigon in the 19th century. The architectural style is heavily influenced by the Chinese of southern China. |
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Tan Dinh Church |
Tan Dinh Church on Hai Ba Trung Street is not easy to miss being a pink landmark on the border between district 1 and 3. Next to the church you find the largest outlet of Jesus posters and other religious artefacts, well worth a visit.
Mass is held every Sunday and religious holidays attract more people than usual and small traffic jams are to be expected. Around the Tet festival, Hai Ba Trung Street is filled with small vendors selling mostly clothes and accessories to a fairly reasonable price, bargaining skills needed. Not far from the church you find the local market, the Tan Dinh Market. It's an indoor market housing many small stalls and as all other markets, you can find everything here.
Few people speak English, but being in district 3, quite a few of the older generation speak French. Outside, alongside the building, you find a wide selection of food-stalls and they are open until late evening. (The market opens everyday at 06:00 and closes at 17:30 .) Just opposite, at the famous Trung Nguyen coffee bar, Vietnam 's equivalent to Starbucks Coffee, you can sit back and relax. Tom & Jerry fan's might want to take a seat downstairs and for those who like to watch life go past should go upstairs and enjoy the view made available by large, ceiling height windows. No matter the time of day, there is always an endless stream of motorbikes going past outside. |
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Windsor Plaza Hotel Saigon
18 An Duong Vuong Street, District 5, Ho Chi Minh City - Vietnam
Tel: (+84.8) 833 6688 - 884 8079 Fax: (+84.8) 833 688
E-mail: services@windsorplazahotel.com |
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