On Day 3, we spent our morning visiting the historical buildings around the city
Firstly, the famous Saigon Central Post Office
it was beautifully painted in yellow and well maintained despite being built in the 19th century
inside the building, the colonial architecture are still very well preserved
the below are wooden booth....for ATM (?!)
the main hall with post counters
wooden benches for people to apply stamps, write notes or check their postal...very 'old school'!
a map of Saigon on the wall
the flooring tiles, very aesthetic!
the post office is situated just right across the Saigon Notre-Dame Basilica
busy Sunday with lotsa tourists
another popular landmark for bridal and graduation pictures
while they were busy taking bridal photos, I busy-body to snap the photographer and the bride
As it was a Sunday, there were worshippers inside the cathedral...Visitors are not allowed to cross the barriers to the worshipping area.
the full view of the cathedral
Nearby the entrance, there were plenty of marble stones with the words 'Merci'...I have no idea what are these (to commemorate the deads?)
after visiting the cathedral, we were guided to walk along some alleys to our next spot....
passing by some book cafes, Starbucks and shopping malls
I was deviated to enjoy the sights of...
pastries and cakes in Starbucks!
20 to 30 minutes later....we reached the War Remnants Museum
There are real military helicopters showcased at the entrance compound
which was used during the Vietnam war
here's the description
fighter jet used by US air force during the war is also displayed here.
the museum is a 3 - 4 storeys building with galleries displaying the history, artifacts and pictures of the victims during the Vietnamese war. Felt sombre after looking at those pictures, especially the victims from the landmine and 'Agent Orange' (a herbicide and defoliant chemical that caused health problems for individuals who were exposed to it).
The former US defence secretary did expressed regrets in his memoir (over the damaged done to the Vietnamese and the country). Let's learned from the history and never repeat them again.
6 comments:
Sigh, I really pray that the world leaders will learn from the history and never repeat them again. All the wars to gain something will cause the normal people to suffer.
I like the red wooden booth for ATM machines. The arched ceiling and the floor tiles designs are well preserved.
Mun: totally agree!
Nancy Chan: yea, they have done so much in preserving the historical buildings.
Very nice colonial architecture, when I went Hanoi, also a lot of people taking their graduation photos at the popular tourist spots.
I have read about this post office and the museum in the Vietnam tourist books.
Libby: I didn't explore much in Hanoi last time, but I believe there are some places which are popular for photo shooting.
Their French historical buildings certainly make Hanoi a beautiful place for tourists to visit. I am coming soon!
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