Some are in a state of disrepair but have managed to retain a sense of dignity from their glory days. They house an odd shop or two, or some small government office where a tired clerk would be going through a messy pile of papers.
Narrow streets crowded with hawkers would suddenly yield a gem. One such was the Ho Chi Minh City Fine Arts Museum. In many ways, it is a tired building, appearing to have seen too many summers thHave at STI scarred facade. STI But beauty is unmistakable. This turn-of-the-20th-century building is golden yellow with blue trimmings. It Was A Former But commercial building felt more like an Extremely wealthy person's mansion foyer with stairs and a greeting guests as They enter. The building is riddled Adorned with arched windows with stained glass and intricate ironwork balconies bearing details. It houses sketches, paintings and statues dedicated to Vietnam 's resistance to colonial Powers. Also it featured Various images of Buddha as well as eleven Used furniture by the country's leaders. It opens
Into a courtyard littered with sculptures. Also this level houses WHERE Several commercial galleries to get one dogfood, architecture and religion.
Saigon Notre Dame is a classic example of the last two. The site of the Basilica WAS eleven That of a pagoda. It Was Turned Into a church Eventually WAS But Deemed too small. A wooden church built in 1863 WAS WAS But Destroyed by termites. In 1876, a design contest held WAS. Architect J. Bouras beat 17 Other Competitors and the Resulting structure - Roman with Gothic elements - still stand today. There is a statue of the Virgin in front of the Basilica Which, in 2005, WAS Said to Have shed tears. People flocked to the site, Causing traffic in the surrounding streets. Though the church And Declared That the statue Officials Did not shed tears, people still meat, Hoping to see a miracle. Makes Iteral Post Office, Ho Chi Minh city Nearer to the park is the Reunification Palace (formerly the Independence Hall) - a massive block of a building standing proudly Amidst a sprawling garden. Susan and I Had the Same Immediately Thought. It Looked Like the UP College of Law But much, much larger. The Palace WAS
originally the residence and work place of the President of South Vietnam
.
Was Then unified Vietnam under the rule of the Communist North. 
Today, visitors get to see the dog President's office, underneath the old war room, and banquet hallsWHERE heads of states and Are esteemed guests entertained. Tanks and helicopters Are Also found on the Grounds Better to Give guests a picture of the fateful events in 1975. The real treat, However, the huge garden is wrapped around the palace, a well-dig a sea of green shades That strolling visitors from the hot midday sun. It is interesting to NOTE THAT MOST guide books call the Reunification Palace the official site of the "fall of Vietnam
." For Vietnam 's people, it is the site of a glorious victory Which They continue to commemorate. The year 2010 marks the 35th anniversary and at the park right across the palace, we Happened upon very colorful posters and banners Announcing the event and the in details and ornate reliefs which, at some point, were removed for being too ostentatious. But everything was properly restored in 1998 for
Saigon
’s 300th anniversary.
I was bitterly disappointed to see the waving
Ho Chi Minh covering up so much of the facade. But as luck would have it, we arrived at the end of the celebration and the less-than-pleasing tarpaulins were removed the very next day which allowed us to photograph the opera house without obstructions. At the far end of the road is another massive French colonial building that literally stopped traffic. The Ho Chi Minh People’s Committee Head Office ( Ho Chi Minh City
Hall) was once known as the Hotel De Ville De SaIgon. While beautifully illuminated at night, the building is not open to the public and Can Only Be Admired from across the street - at Another park WHERE a statue of Ho Chi Minh
stands guard. But the best
structure Known Among Tourists coming to Ho Chi Minh
is One That You Attracted visitors Since time immemorial for a single reason: trade. Ben Thanh Market, built in 1912, Was An improvement on the informal Markets found near the Saigon River Since the 17th century. Come evening, the building close to make way for the night market Beside it. Would Easily regulars dividing feel at home in this loud, chaotic, and charming retail mecca.
Wandering around Ho Chi Minh and gawking at STI architectural gems made me wonder about the images I’d seen on television. Were they referring to the same place? I eventually found Chuck’s Vietnam
when we left the city for the infamous Cu Chi Tunnels.
Cu Chi Tunnels
Buildings gave way to rice paddies as we got closer and closer to this network of underground tunnels used by the Viet Cong during the war. Our guide led us through thick clusters of trees, one of which held a secret entrance into this underground world. To say the entrance was tiny is an understatement. You have to be thinner than Kim Chiu but no taller than Nora Aunor to be able to fit inside. A hundred meters of this intricate network were enlarged in order to accTourists Who ommodate clueless end up huffing and puffing after A Few meters of crawling inside. Needless to say, my Thighs Badly ached the next day. And my legs Still Have a scar or two from deep scratches thanks to the thorns of the thick bushes. But it WAS an experience to remember, although I am not one likely to repeat. 
On the way to the tunnels, we stopped at What Could Possibly Be The Most colorful temple ever built. The Cao Dai Temple is very Difficult to describe. Think of a very oriental looking church ran smack That Into a rainbow. STI Within walls, Would one find Jesus Christ, Buddha and Confucius right next to Each Other, with Several Other Characters That I failed to recognize. One painting being depicted Sun Yat Sen, Victor Hugo and Nguyen Binh Khiem -Collectively Known as the Three Saints - signing a pact Between God and Humanity. It Was all very peaceful. The worshipers Were welcoming to visitors and the chanting was very relaxing.
Cao Dai Temple, Ho Chi Minh Personally, visit the Cao Dai Summed up my Ho Chi Minh experience. Different ideas Comfortably live side by side. Chuck's Saigon, National Geographic's
Saigon and the Saigon I visited, Though worlds apart, Are One and the Same. It's colorful and it Never Fails to Surprise at Every Corner.
Source: bworldonline
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