Day 11 (final day) - Sight seeing in Saigon

Upon returning to Saigon, finally I had the opportunity to visit some of the tourist attractions in the city. Because they were all situated very close in the heart of the area, walking between each site saved spending money on taxi fares.

First we visited the Saigon Central Post Office (Buu Dien), which was built between 1886 and 1891. Locals and tourists flock here to either admire the architectural design, purchase souvenirs, make phone calls or send off postcards, letters and packages.

[Clockwise from top left: main hallway, map of telegraphic lines in South Vietnam and Cambodia (1892), letter box, map of Saigon (1892), telephone boxes, booths to send and collect letters/packages]

Just next to the post office is a Catholic Cathedral, Saigon Notre-Dame Basilica, built earlier in the 1860s by French colonists.

Arriving in Saigon, no tourist can ever miss going to Cho Ben Thanh. a huge market where you can buy souvenirs, local produce, clothes, shoes and dried food. In one section there are several food stands where you can sit down and enjoy local street food.

[The iconic Ben Thanh statue on a round-about island]

The Reunification palace is full of history about the Vietnam War. Once accommodated by the President of South Vietnam during the Vietnam War, it is now used as a museum, for events, meeting, receptions and even accommodation at the Guest House. Just outside are 2 replica tanks of the first 2 tanks that drove down the gates of the palace in 1975 where the resistors captured the President. You can access 4 levels where preserved rooms such as the banquet hall, President's office, guest rooms and stage hall are all open for view. Located on the roof of the building is a helicopter replica of what the President used to tour the city before 1975. Finally there's an underground basement of old war rooms and a kitchen. I'm not a history buff, but those that are interested in the Vietnam War would love to visit this place, for a fee of 30 000.

Day 10 - Another Zen monastery and some food galour

On our way back to Saigon, we visited a temple that has a similar name to the well known Truc Lam monastery in Dalat, however this one was outside the city and I've given up trying to find it on the net. Situated in the mountains, this Zen monastery covered a wide area of beautiful forestry and lakes that makes it ideal for meditation. It also acts as a peaceful and tranquil resort for visitors to stay in, and at the center of the monastery is a temple that sits behind a huge lake full of huge koi fish. It's actually quite a spectacle when the fish sense people coming towards the water and they go CRAZY as if they're expecting to be fed. You can buy a small packet of pellets to feed the fish for 5000 don, which can also be used to feed the white pigeons kept around the park. They also won't hesitate to fly up onto your arm to feed from your hands! 

Ok so the trip back to Saigon wasn't really exciting, so I'll just mention some of the dishes we tried in the city. 

One evening we went to Quan Nyon, which was highly recommended by travel books like Lonely Planet. The restaurant was quite a big building, however because it gets busy later in the evening from tourists, it pays to go earlier to get a free table. There were hundreds of different types of Viet cuisines to choose from, not just the typical Pho and rice. We ordered rice with pork chops, viet vermecilli and soup, and club sodas which were given with a small lime and spoons of sugar in a glass (viet people love adding sugar to almost anything). As usual we were given fish sauce to pour over the rice, but personally I find the flavour surprisingly not as strong as the ones from home. I remember being told by a local friend that major restaurants (aka those found in tourist areas) have been making fish sauce with less of the pungent smell to avoid drawing foreigners (and perhaps some locals) who didn't like or weren't used to it away, and hence the flavour has been lost somewhat. The pork chops were otherwise well cooked, and the noodles I was told were "ok".
 For dessert we had 3 bowls of Che Dau Trang (Coconut, sticky rice and bean pudding).

 [First 3 photos from Nyon Restaurant, last 3 from Viet Chay Vegetarian Restaurant]

Viet Chay is a chain and highly recommended vegan restaurant, and the one we went to was located in Cholon. It gets really busy during certain festivals and special days, otherwise on normal days it's actually quite easy to find a table. As a small complimentary drink we were given a cup of cocoa mixed with a dash of tea upon arrival – on a 38 degrees day this was definitely very nice and refreshing.

Because we arrived at the beginning of the Christmas season, we were able to enjoy some of the festive season night lights set up by large and fancy shopping malls.

Day 9 - Church of Mary, a flower paradise, and Dalat's train station

Like many of the attractions here, Domaine de Marie is situated in the hills surrounded by nature and beautiful gardens grown by the nuns. The church was built during the French rule and is now also an orphanage.

[shops across the church]

The Flower Park is the best place to see Dalat's collection of their beautiful home-grown flowers. The area spans across a very wide area (7000 m²) with a nice lake at the back. Other than a popular tourist area and a great attraction for photographers both professional and amateur alike, it also seems to be an enjoyable and peaceful place for families and young couples to visit.

Dalat's old train station designed by 2 French architects in the 1930's may look unused but it actually does run from time to time as seen in the time table (bottom photo). On display was a steam train and 2 diesel locomotives.

[Interior]

 

 

Day 7+8 - From Saigon to Da Lat

We joined a tour in Saigon to go up to Da Lat, a countryside where families from wealthier backgrounds would spend their summer vacation in. The bus ride went over 12 hours, mostly due to the poorly laid roads and the track up the mountains. It was a very bumpy ride so I can't imagine anyone with car sickness to survive the whole trip. On the way we visited Dasara Falls, where visitors either walk down or take the lift for under 20 000 dong.

 [Geckos are quite a common sight in Vietnam (left). The litter of sleeping puppies under a restaurant table was too hard to resist taking a snap(right)]

[2 pictures (above and below) from a restaurant we stopped on the way, the backyard was huge!]

Finally upon arrival in Da Lat, we stayed at the Rum Vang Hotel. According to reviews it's one of the best 3 star hotels here. The rooms are squeaky clean, and the bathroom was almost just as big as the bedroom. 3 water bottles were provided, with typical bathroom facilities. Because we were on level 7 (top level), the Wifi signal was very weak though enough to check emails.

Da Lat is a small town so it doesn't take that long to explore the central market. I immediately understood why people would come up here during the dry season, the weather was just marvelous. The average temperature ranged from low to mid 20s, so it's very cool and relaxing compared to Saigon. Here the locals dress in thick jackets, which is fair enough for those riding on motorcycles, but even upon arrival the tour guide told us to bring warmer clothing. However because I'm from Melbourne, the weather was perfect with the warm sunshine and gentle wind throughout the day, whilst the evenings were just slightly cooler. So if you're not overly sensitive about the weather, having a t-shirt underneath a jacket should be fine. 

The street markets were just bustling with people, with the smell of fresh (literally fresh and live) seafood hanging in the air, fresh vegetables and fruits lined up on shelves and in baskets ready for purchase, and Da Lat's bright and colorful flowers arranged in neat tiny pots. The roads were bumpy and rocky, and everyone had to walk with the motorcycles close at their shoulders so you have to keep your eyes sharp. The locals also allowed their poultry to roam freely outside their shops, whereas there are many tiny singing birds sold as pets in wooden cages.
In the meat section, most of the butchers were women and they spent the morning chopping and arranging fresh meat for sell. Fish was the most popular and cheapest, with seafood, chicken, pork and finally beef as the most expensive. People rarely eat beef here, even if they do the quality isn't as great as the ones in Australia.

As I mentioned before, Dalat used to be a place where the rich would go on holiday to due to the cooler weather and its beautiful scenery allocated in the hills. The area is heavily influenced by French culture, obviously due to the French rule before the unification. This can be seen by the style of the houses and the numerous cafes around. A lot of the locals love drinking coffee, in particular ice coffee and drip coffee.

 

 

 [Drip coffee]

Public toilets can be quite filthy, although it does vary (likely to be cleaner in restaurants and hotels). The newer ones would be seaters, whilst you could also spot the 'good ol'' drop toilet from time to time.

Moving on to more tourist attractions, we visited the summer palace that used to belong to the last king of Vietnam, Bao Dai (Bao Dai's Palace).

 [office and meeting room]

 Datania waterfall was another scenery destination, where similar to Dasara falls, you can choose to walk down or take a 'rollar coaster ride' down for 30 000 dong.

[Pathway down to the waterfall]

[Ride down to waterfall]

The last destination we visited was a Zen Buddhist temple, Truc Lam, situated higher in the mountains in a serene and peaceful landscape.