Teacher Trekker

Getting Lost 

I decided to spend my first full day wandering the streets of Saigon combining a recommended walking tour route with a few additional sites I wanted to visit. I decided to take a cab to drive me to the furthest site, and then my plan was to walk back from there to the hotel. I jumped into a cab that the hotel got me from Mai Linh, one of the more trusted taxi services in HCMC.

What should have been a quick 5 minute cab ride slowly became longer and longer. I knew what was going on right away, and I called him on it after another 5 minutes. At first I thought to myself that I’m in a new city and am just unfamiliar with the driving routes and traffic patterns. Once I checked my GPS, which for most people should be a free service that does not use your data plan, it was clear he was trying to pad the bill with extra travelling. (Don’t quote me on the availability of this service with your individual phone plan. You should inquire with your cellular provider before it costs you exorbitant amounts of money.) “Dude! Pull over! Now!” I barked at him. Suddenly he understood every word that I said. Then I proceeded to get into a verbal screaming match with the cab driver who eventually admitted he was trying to take advantage of me. He even had the audacity to laugh as I caught him. Well the joke was on him as I refused to pay. Interestingly he did not complain when I walked away. Wait maybe the joke was on me. Where was I?

After buying a soda at a Kentucky Fried Chicken so I could get wifi service and an address of my location, it was clear I was in the middle of nowhere. Suddenly, I was lost and alone in a nameless district that ended up being close to the northeast city limits near the airport. Now paranoid about getting into another taxi that would drive me further away from reality, I decided to walk back. Besides the cab ride was only a couple minutes or so it felt. So much for using one of the two best taxi services. So much for the hotel concierge being a trustworthy and reliable source of information and services. It was now time to hoof it, something apparently, I should have done right from the start.

Something seemed to be going on, and I truly was outside any tourist zone. I was the only Westerner that I saw for over two hours, and the locals were giving me strange looks or maybe I was just lost & paranoid at that point. It was one of the few times in the entire trip that I was actually nervous and felt lost. Fortunately, I know how to navigate a map and my GPS slowly guided me back to the edge of District 1. This was taking forever. Even after a few stops at various stores for wifi service & drink breaks plus a couple of unnecessary miles worth of walking, I was still a few miles from where I wanted to be. What should have been a 10 minute cab ride at the most or a roughly 30 minute walk depending on your pace, ended up being 4 hours of physical and mental perspiration. I finally broke down and hailed a cab who for around $2 dropped me off in the general area of where I wanted to start. That took way too long!

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Walking Tour

It was 2:55 p.m. and there was good news. At 3 p.m. the doors of the Saigon Notre-Dame Cathedral would reopen. Built by French colonists The Basilica of Our Lady of The Immaculate Conception was completed between 1863 and 1880. It was built in order to replace an older church. The construction materials were all imported from France including the exterior facade which is covered with red bricks that still retain their color today. Outside the cathedral stands a statue of the Virgin Mary that some worshippers believed shed tears in 2005, but the Catholic Church denied this claim. The two towers stand 190 feet tall with bells that continue to ring for the entire area to hear. The 56 stained glass windows that line the walls of the building only add to the beauty of the many religious sculptures and friezes as you walk around the interior of the cathedral. Today the cathedral continues to serve as a symbol of the former French colonial period and the Roman Catholic Church. The church is one of the most popular tourist destinations in HCMC and is centrally located to a number of other major sites in the surrounding area.

Just next door, in an area that some refer to as Paris Square, is the Saigon Central Post Office. What I found interesting was the identity of the architect. The building was designed by Gustave Eiffel, yes of the Eiffel Tower, and was constructed between 1886 and 1891. The interior has a vaulted roof that looks similar in design to early European railway stations. The building still functions as an active post office and is the largest in Vietnam. Following my time at the Saigon Central Post Office, it was too late to try and get to any of the museums so instead I decided to go on a brief walking tour to hit a number of other sites as I slowly made my way back to my hotel. For a silly story and pictures from my time at the post office see my Saigon Central Post Office article.

I left Paris Square as the weather began to change. A sprinkle became steady rain that eventually became a torrential downpour, and the weather changed my plans as I walked back. Steadily, the weather worsened over the course of a half an hour. My intention was to use the Bitexco Financial Tower as a reference point.

Basically it was the half way point between the post office and my hotel. I first passed Ho Chi Minh City Hall which can only be viewed from its exterior as it is closed to the public. Outside there was a sculpture park with a Ho Chi Minh statue amongst many more modern pieces. In close proximity was the Saigon Opera House, which I also only viewed from the exterior. There were no shows of interest going on so I proceeded on my way. I then walked towards the river passing the posh boutiques. You will also pass the Saigon Tax Trade Center as you get closer to the Bitexco Financial Tower. There you can observe the city from a premium vantage point. I chose not to spend the money and take the tour up to the observation deck. Besides it was raining, and people I spoke with along my travels had mixed reviews.

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Dinner Time

It was just after rush hour, and I was getting hungry and the weather was now at its worst. I stopped for dinner at a restaurant/bakery that was full of locals. The beef pho was cheap, plentiful and tasty, but the best part of the dinner was the dragon fruit smoothie. It was so good that I ended up ordering a second one to go after my meal.

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Hindu Temple in HCMC

After dinner I noticed on my map that Mariamman Temple was along my walking route. Dedicated to the Hindu Goddess of fertility and rain, Mariamman was constructed by immigrants from southern India in the late nineteenth century. Although the temple only serves a small population of Tamils, the site is respected and considered sacred by many other local ethnic groups. Outside I negotiated with a vendor selling packages of offerings in a variety of sizes. Once inside I proceeded to unwrap the contents of my purchase and made my offering once inside the temple. The building’s interior bright blue tiled walls are lined with statues of deities. Despite the fact that it is considered to be a small temple, it was quite active both inside the temple and outside on the surrounding block while I was there. As of July 2014, the temple looked to be in the middle of a partial restoration project, but it did not significantly obstruct any visitors ability to worship and visit the site.

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Finishing Up

Afterwards, I proceeded back towards the hotel only to stop for another cup of coffee first. Despite the start of my day, I think I rebounded from a horrible start. I managed to navigate the city and made the best of the situation. However, I was tired, walked over 10 miles, and there was much more of the city still left to see. I would leave that for another day.