We were so excited to see a sunny blue sky when we looked out of our hotel window in our first morning in Saigon. We missed the sunshine. We just came from northern Vietnam where the clouds didn’t  allow the sun to peek almost the whole time we were there. We decided to spend the day strolling around the city to take in as much sunshine, while taking in Saigon’s modern and historic architecture and local street scenes.

(Ah yes, we prefer to call the city Saigon, instead of its official name Ho Chi Minh City, because it sounds more romantic and easier on the tongue:) Besides, the locals still prefer to call their city Saigon, so why don’t we.)

We focused our leisurely stroll in the heart of the District 1 of Saigon, where the modern and the old fuse seamlessly. It is a perfect showcase on how dynamic the city has become.

 This is one of the beautiful colonial buildings that has been converted into upscale shopping mall.

One of the sparkly, new skycrapers housing muti-national offices and high-end designer shops.

A lot of trendy boutiques lined up the pleasant streets of Dhong Koi area.

A lot of modern outdoor cafes lined up the sidewalks.

A lovely alfresco restaurant.

 The French established this market building they called Le Halles Centrales in 1870. It was renamed Ben Thanh Market in 1912 and today, it is a bustling marketplace where the locals can shop for all their daily needs. The main entrance with its clock has become the city’s symbol.

We walked around Ben Thanh Market a bit. Its sheer size and enormous merchandise were pretty overwhelming.  You can find almost all products you can think of – from the things you wear everyday to the food you have not even heard of.

Locals waiting for their rides by Ben Thanh Market, It is also a hub for the network of city buses.

 A mango vendor next to a bus stop.

A traditional Buddhist funeral possession passing by one of the busy streets.

The elegant facade of the Museum of Fine Arts. It was built as a private mansion during the colonial time by the city’s wealthiest man and boasted of having the very first elevator in Saigon.

Peering through the gate of one of the ghosts of Saigon’s past – the Reunification Palace.  It used to be the office of the President of South Vietnam. It was the site of the end of the war during the Fall of Saigon in 1975 when the tanks of North Vietnamese troops stormed the palace.

Keith carrying the yoke of one of the coconut vendors walking around the district.  He had a new found appreciation for the walking vendors after learning how heavy their loads were.

A lady coconut vendor sitting on a street.

A lady selling fancy paper cut-outs on the back of her motorbike.

One of the famous and imposing landmark of Saigon, the Notre Dame Cathedral was built by French around mid-1800’s.

It was a wedding season in Vietnam and we saw numerous brides and grooms walking the streets and posing for photographs at the parks.

 The Central Post Office is no doubt a French colonial building. It was, in fact, designed by Gustave Eiffel in late 1800’s.

The lovely Saigon Opera House was built by French in 1897. Today, it is unromantically called the Municipal Theater of Ho Chi Minh City.

I tried to relive the Opera House’s romantic belle epoque era by walking down its red carpet:)

It was a perfect day for a stroll. Aside from the sunny sky, the temperature was very comfortable (it was early December) and because it was a weekend the streets were devoid of its crazy, notorious traffic. We hope you enjoyed strolling the streets of Saigon with us.

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