Before I start on Saigon part 2, I would like to take a moment to remember our founding father Mr Lee Kuan Yew.
Happy things aside, I would like to remember MM Lee on my humble space. It is Singapore's greatest pleasure to have you as our founding father, the rock of our nation. Without you, a big part of Singapore wouldn't be what she is today. Thank you for giving your whole life to build a home for many generations to come. May your legacy live on and never be forgotten. If I may, in any position to thank you on behalf of all fellow Singaporeans and generations to come, thank you, Mr Lee Kuan Yew for all that you've done for us and for the unborn generations. It's because of you, that generations after generations can enjoy the fruit of your labour, can so proudly call Singapore our home. Your work is unparalleled, and I know there'll never be another like you. May you rest in peace and join your beloved wife in utmost happiness. Thank you, from the bottom of my heart.
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This entry I'll be covering day 2,3 and 4 so enjoy the visuals!
Big breakfast at Cafe L'usine was pretty disappointing. Was expecting it to be really dope since the reviews online are really good :/
Boutique below the cafe
So on the first day when I saw Vietnamese policemen, I already knew I'm gonna take a photo with them. Woohoo!! Don't you love the green uniform and cap? And they were so nice to oblige to the pose.
Just look at these french balconies! Ahhhhh, such a sucker for French-looking apartments/hotels.
Saigon Opera House
Notre Dame Cathedral which was quite...meh.
Central Post Office!
Most of the tourist attractions in District 1 can be covered within one day since it's all within walking distance but do note that some of them close pretty early like The War Remnant Museum so we had to go back another day.
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Lunch at this famous roadside stall called The Lunch Lady. What makes it so special from other roadside stalls is that they don't have a fixed menu so they sell whatever they can find at the market daily. Unfortunately, they were selling chicken noodles with chicken blood that day and I don't take blood so I couldn't really eat it :/ wish i could try their other dishes though cos they have very good reviews!
Headed to The Deck for a riverside restaurant experience! Not really a wow since the river wasn't the nicest of all but it was still a pretty nice waterside restaurant.
The War Remnants Museum. A war museum which primarily contains exhibits from the Vietnam War. I love visiting war museums or anything related to war, guess that's the boyish side of me. It's always an eye-opener to see what people of the past did and saddening to know and see exactly how innocent lives were destroyed because of war.
The best french food I've eaten! Soooooo glad we made the trip to Trois Gourmands cos it's the most value for money and nicest french food I've eaten. In fact, it's even better than those I had in Paris! We had a 5 course meal for only 45USD. Ahhhh how I wish they had a branch in Singapore, I'll definitely make it a monthly affair.
The restaurant has a very nice ambience too! It's in a nice and big french house where the restaurant's owner live in, and he converted the front part of the house and garden into a restaurant! What a cool idea!
This is my first time to Vietnam and I have mixed feelings about HCMC. I like that the city is rich in history and much of it is preserved till modern days. I love the french influence in the city and the buildings reminds me of my time in Paris. However, other than that, there's nothing else that I really like very particularly though. The food isn't very suited to my tastebuds and there isn't much to do except for cafe-hopping and visiting tourist attractions which can be completed in a span of 2 days if you plan your time properly there. I don't think I'd go back to HCMC in the near future but I would love to check out other parts of Vietnam like Hanoi, Nha Trang and Danang soon! Please drink A LOT of water and maybe get a face mask cos the weather there is insanely hot and the air pollution is really bad. Came back with a very bad fever and throat infection that I had to postpone my Maldives flight :/
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Sophia
Instagram and Twitter : @sophiachong
