Ho Chi Minh City (Vietnam) - Notre-Dame Cathedral Basilica of Saigon

Date of Exploration : 29 Jan 2017

Completed in 1880, the Notre-Dame Cathedral Basilica of Saigon is perhaps the oldest major monument of its standing in Ho Chi Minh City. It is conveniently located within the heart of the city in District 1, just opposite the main entrance of the Reunification Palace (the two attractions are separated by a park).

I did a half-day self-guided walking tour of the Notre-Dame Cathedral Basilica of Saigon, the city's Old Post Office next to it, and ending off at the Reunification Palace.

As the foliage of the park that separated the Reunification Palace and Notre-Dame Cathedral Basilica of Saigon parted, the cathedral's transept made its stately presence felt.

I had wanted to start my day's exploration at Reunification Palace first but it was closed during lunch (11am - 1pm) so I came to the cathedral instead.

While I was at the closed gate of the Reunification Palace, a motorcycle taxi rider came up to me and offered to bring me on a ride to show me where the various attractions are located for US$5.00 (duration of ride is about 30 minutes). I did not take up the offer and pointed towards the park in front of the palace's main gate and indicated that I'm going to the cathedral. He told me that the cathedral is not located in the direction which I pointed and offered to take me there. So I consulted Google Map and it showed that the cathedral is very near.

With the staggering amount of traffic in Ho Chi Mink City, getting a clean shot without any vehicle in it is good training for patience. God knows how long I waited to get this shot without any vehicles in it.

I was a little baffled, wondering to believe him or not but I declined his offer anyway and decided to cross the park to find out. As it turned out, the motorcycle taxi rider hadn't been truthful. The cathedral is located exactly in the direction that I pointed and it took me under 3 minutes to cross the road from the gate of the Reunification Palace, cut across the park, and arrive at the side transept of the cathedral!

Personally, I feel that the attractions (Notre-Dame Cathedral Basilica of Saigon, Ho Chi Minh City Old Post Office, Reunification Palace, War Remnants Museum, Ben Thanh Market, the French Quarter and Bitexco Tower) are located within a reasonable walking radius. That's if you stay at the centre of District 1 which is near Ben Thanh Market. So it is not necessary to take the motorcycle taxi ride. Moreover, US$5.00 (approx. 115,000d.) is rather expensive to just ride past the various sites. Anyway, there are a lot of taxi scams and other money rip-offs in Ho Chi Minh City so be very careful. Click here for some of the unpleasant encounters I experienced.

Notre-Dame Cathedral Basilica of Saigon is right next to another of the city's historical gem - the Ho Chi Minh City's Old Post Office that was completed in 1891. It is also listed as one of the city's attractions to visit.

My visit coincided with the Chinese New Year period so while I was crossing the road to Saigon Cathedral, I caught sight of this CNY decoration on wheels. Talk about flower power! LOL

Facade of the Notre-Dame Cathedral Basilica of Saigon. Officially known as the Cathedral Basilica of Our Lady of The Immaculate Conception. I shall call it "Saigon Cathedral" for short.

Building materials for the cathedral were brought over from France with the marble statue of the Virgin Mary fabricated in Rome. "Notre Dame" means "Our Lady" in French.

Getting that essential "I am here" selfie shot :o)

In 2005, this statue of the Virgin Mary apparently wept tears from her right eye with a tear trail running down her right cheek. Is it a miracle?

The weather quickly turned gloomy with light rain during my visit but thankfully, the full blooming sunflowers planted around the statue added a smile to appreciate the cathedral with.

The two bell towers housing 6 bells each stands at a height of 58m.

Getting upclose with the Saigon Cathedral.

The cathedral was closed during my visit so I didn't get to see the interior.

Reflection of a star attraction from the French era of Ho Chi Minh City.

I stayed about an hour snapping photos of Saigon Cathedral's facade, most of the time spent waiting for traffic or people to clear the scene for cleaner shots of this historic religious monument.

Saigon Cathedral may not be as elaborate or atmospheric as the gargoyles-laden and medieval Notre Dame de Paris, but it offered a glimpse into the early Europeanisation of Vietnam. The "invasion" of France into Vietnam's politics started because a Catholic priest asked the French government to provide military support and help to Vietnam's Emperor Gia Long in reclaiming lost lands from the country's rebelling peasants.

So, always be careful when asking for help. Or one may end up losing much more.

Ho Chi Minh City (Vietnam) - Taxi Scams & Other Rip-Offs

Date of Scamming Experiences : 28 - 30 Jan 2017

There are many things that could go wrong during a vacation but nothing mars a holiday more than being scammed by the locals, resulting in a constant worry of what more you could be losing or the bad things that might happen next.

You simply cannot trust the people you rely on for help and hospitality.

And my first visit to Ho Chi Minh City was a crash course on the myriad ways one could be scammed, especially by the taxi drivers.

My 9D8N Vietnam trip spanned Ho Chi Minh City, Da Nang and Hanoi. During the course of my research of the 3 cities, I came across a lot of warnings about the dishonesty of taxi drivers and cab scams in the various cities. I thought I was well-informed and prepared. But I was wrong.

There are other tactics that were not spoken about which I will share in this post as a matter of direct, personal experiences. Not something I've read about, or heard from, but actual incidents that happened to me.

I spent 4D3N in Ho Chi Minh City and can't help feeling I'm nothing more than a wallet on legs. From the moment I arrived at the customs to getting a cab to the city to various experiences in patronising businesses as well as street encounters, the whole city just came across as being very money hungry.

Here are my experiences with the money scams that I encountered in Ho Chi Minh City...

Custom Officer Asking for Ang Pow Money

I arrived in Ho Chi Minh City on the first day of Chinese New Year (28 Jan 17, Saturday). While getting my passport cleared at the customs, the immigration officer kept saying something I couldn't decipher while he cleared my entry into the country. He kept repeating himself and when I continued to have a blank expression on my face, he opened a drawer next to him and blatantly waved a collection of about seven pieces of S$10 notes. There were other monies of different currencies in the drawer.

That's when I realised hes asking him to give him "ang bao" (red packet) money because it is Chinese New Year. I just smiled and waited for him to stamp my passport and left without acceding to his request for money. My friend who is Malay and got his passport cleared by another immigration officer did not experience that.

If you visit Ho Chi Minh City during Chinese New Year, or possibly during any other major festive periods, just be mindful that the immigration officer might take the opportunity to ask for money. Just smile, wait for the immigration process to be completed, take your passport and leave.

Taxi Coordinator Asking for a High Flat Fee for a Ride into the City

Outside the airport, we wanted to take the metered taxi to the city centre where our hotel is. A coordinator who's helping passengers get cabs told me that it is Chinese New Year, all the cabs go by fixed rate and not by meter. He asked for a flat fee of 250,000d. (approx. S$16). This is the taxi coordinator, not even the taxi driver. What if we paid this coordinator and get on the taxi and the taxi driver still charge us a metered fare?

When you exit Ho Chi Minh Tan Son Nhat International Airport, turn left to get a public taxi to your hotel. There are touts offering taxi rides inside the airport but those will ask for a flat fee that will be much higher than a metered fare.

From online sources, estimated fare from airport to the city centre is about 140,000d. I didn't believe the coordinator so I asked a Vietnamese who's also waiting for a cab next to me if it is true that it's a fixed rate. He said no, the taxi should go by the meter. The coordinator promptly walked away and we got on a cab who used the meter to take us to our hotel.

So if you encounter a taxi coordinator asking for a flat fee, ignore him. Check with a cab if it is using meter and get on. As a general rule, use only the green Mai Linh taxis or the white with blue and dark green Vinasun taxis.

Taxi company to take in Ho Chi Min City - Mai Linh Taxi (green).
Tel : 38 38 38 38

Taxi company to take in Ho Chi Minh City - Vinasun (white with red and dark green logo).
Tel : 38 27 27 27

I've taken both Mai Linh and Vinasun and the drivers use the meter. But be careful of copycat companies who use these taxi company colours but are not by them. The copycats may use the same colours (especially the Vinasun colours) or similar looking logos.

While drivers from these two taxi companies are generally trustworthy and use the meter, that does not stop them from not giving exact change or going a long way to clock mileage so they can earn a higher metered fare. And that takes me to the next scam...

Taxi Driver Did Not Give Exact Change

On reaching our hotel, the metered fare showed 118,000d. Less than half the price that the coordinator asked for. But our driver turned around and asked for 200,000d. I said no. Unfortunately, I do not have smaller notes as I've just arrived in HCMC so I gave him 200,000d. and asked for change back. He gave me back only 50,000d. instead of the correct change of 82,000d.

Before I could ask for my exact change, he promptly got out of the cab and unloaded our luggage.

Driver Stole Handphone

The worst of the experience was when we took a cab to a further district. We made the mistake of not sticking to Mai Linh or Vinasun taxis as we couldn't get any. After walking around quite a bit, a taxi driver called to us near the Ben Tanh Market area and we boarded his cab. I can't recall which taxi company it was but it's neither Mai Linh or Vinasun although it is mostly white in colour.

When we got on the cab, the meter showed 100d. I immediately wanted to get off as I thought the driver is charging me a starting fare of 100,000d. But he assured me it's only 10,000d. So we took the cab and when we reached our destination, the meter showed 188,8880d. We were shocked and confused about the fare as it couldn't have cost so much since the journey was barely 15 minutes. So the driver clarified by taking a piece of newspaper over to explain the fare.

The newspaper covered my friends bag. He explained that it's only 18,000d. We gladly paid him 20,000d. and he kept the change. We thought we were in luck to have taken such a cheap ride. 20,000d. is roughly only about S$1.30. Immediately after we got off the cab, as a habit of checking our belongings, my friend realised that his handphone was gone. He placed it in the front pocket of his bag and the driver has distracted us with the confusing fare, newspaper and stolen it.

Driver Went a Big Round to Get Higher Fare

When we headed back to the city centre, we took a Mai Linh taxi and the driver went off on a tangent road, attempting to make a big round instead of the direct road that leads to our hotel. Thankfully I've been following our journey on Google map and asked him why he didn't take the direct road. He said he saw the address on our hotel's card wrongly, but I doubt it. The fare came up to 90,000d.

The scary thing is that we encountered all the above money scams all in a single day!

TIPS WHEN TAKING TAXI IN HO CHI MINH : 

1. Take only Mai Linh or Vinasun taxis
2. Use Uber instead of the public taxis
3. Invest in a local SIM card and turn on Google maps to track your journey
4. Take a photo of the driver's license displayed on the car's dashboard. If the taxi driver doesn't display a license, it is most likely a scam cab. Get off.

Dishonest Motorcycle Taxis

The four-wheeled taxis aren't the only ones that will potentially scam you, the motocycle taxis will do that too.

I went to the Reunification Palace for a visit but it was closed during lunch time. As I exited the ticketing office, a motorcycle came up to me, offering to take me on a tour around the city sight's such as the Notre-Dame Cathedral Basilica of Saigon and other sights for US$5.00.

The Reunification Palace is closed to visitors during lunchtime from 11:00am to 1:00pm.

I declined the offer saying that I'll just walk to the Notre-Dame Cathedral as it was just across a park at the opposite end of the Reunification Palace. I pointed right ahead across the park to where Google Map showed me the location of the cathedral is. The motorcycle driver immediately said no, that that is not the cathedral and that he will take me there.

I smiled, declined his offer again and walked off. I crossed the road from the Reunification Palace towards the park, cut across the park and rising before me after the park's tree foliage cleared was... you guessed it, the Notre-Dame Cathedral! It took me under 5 minutes to walk from the palace to the cathedral.

Another motorcycle scamming incident was when we headed out to a club for a drink. It was about 2am when we left and there were no taxis in sight on the road. A little drunk, we had no clear idea of our location. After walking for a while, a motorcycle came up to us and offered to take us back to the hotel for 150,000d.

As it was late, we were tired and a little tipsy, we agreed to the price thinking we were far. However, we actually weren't that far from our hotel. The bike ride lasted only around 5 minutes. If we had taken a cab, the fare would've probably been around 50,000d. Our bad for agreeing to such a high price.

Coconut Con Artist

Other than the transport scams, there's another high level scam around the outside parameters of the Reunification Palace. This is the coconut seller scam, which belongs to the highest grade of conning.


As we were making our way to the War Remnants Museum, we walked past a coconut seller. He walked alongside us and engaged us in light banter, asking where we are going and pointing us the way (even though we didn't ask as I was using Google Map). Then he said his coconut burden is very heavy and asked us to try. So we had a feel of it, posed for some photos and returned it to him.

We saw many people posing with the coconut seller's prop and there were a couple o them operating in the area.

Taking back his coconuts, he went on his way without trying to sell us anything. This is where the psychology game sets in. We felt bad for him and the fact that he wasn't trying to sell us anything and yet so friendly made us decide to buy drinks from the seller.

So we caught up with him and I asked him how much for one. Before he even answered me the price, he already split open one fruit and stuck a straw in it. He was about to open another one when I stopped him That's when he told me the price. Each coconut costs 50,000d. (S$3.20). At a restaurant, one coconut costs about 20,000 - 30,000d.

That's when we realised he's a high level type of scammer. So we paid for the expensive coconut drink and take it as fees to learn yet another lesson about the scams in HCMC.

Pay no enough in Singapore. Come holiday also must work part-time as coconut drinks seller. But I promise I won't scam you. LOL.

The scams we encountered were total holiday mood killers. It was such a damper when my friend's phone got picked and the police weren't of much help, telling us to go from one station to another to lodge a report until we gave up.

This was my first visit to HCMC and the more I ventured into city, the more I felt ripped-off and can't wait to leave. I've never felt like this before for any other place. It will definitely be the last time I come to this scam city of Vietnam.

Hanoi - Lessons in Street Portraiture

Date of Exploration : 19 - 24 May 2011

Photographing people has always been something of a personal taboo. I suck at it and loathe the possible confrontation by a subject for taking his or her photo without permission or being asked for money. The dilemma of intruding into someone's private emotional moment and taking advantage of their unawareness for that personal satisfaction of a compelling shot stirs uneasily within me.

If I ask for permission, that moment of emotional spontaneity is gone and if a subject agrees to pose for me, I feel the pressure to do a good job to turn out some masterpiece of them. But this trip to Hanoi taught me a few things about street portraiture. I learnt that a smile goes a long way, a wave to say 'thank you' does wonders, and sharing the shot with the human subject puts them at ease.

But of course, if they are unperturbed with my camera pointing at them and paid no attention to me, my usual modus operandi of shoot and scoot remains. And one more important lesson I learnt about shooting people on the street is that you must be thick-skinned. Shoot first, connect later. Or run really fast!

I just want to pinch those cheeks!

He should grow up to be a movie star. He's expressive, lively and loves the camera! His parents must have their hands full with him.

Windows of innocence.

Sweet victory.

This dude can really fold his legs!

And this one can sleep anywhere.

This guy was just sitting by himself and smiling to no one. I wonder what he's thinking.

Street vendors are everywhere on the streets of Hanoi centre.

Market on wheels.

有骨气!

Travelling lily.

Get a load of the lady's melons.

路边的野花快点买。

Mechanical vs Manual.

You want to be next?

Buzzing with street style.

They seem more interested in trading gossips than selling toys.

I thought the guy was staring at a photo print of Nat Geo's famous cover of an Afghan girl circa 1985 until he picked up his paintbrush. Stunning!

If the focus was on the soldier who looked over, this would be a better picture. But I was risking being reprimanded as everyone was supposed to stand still and not over the line of the soldier during the flag raising ceremony at Ba Dinh Square. He looked my way because I popped out of line to snap a shot.

From people shots to dog portraits. Hanoi seem to be a city of dog lovers. 



Kuah si mi?! This brown furball has a lot attitude and a bad temper.

A very handsome Miniature Pinscher. That look can make me clean its shit happily.

This trip was a plunge into the deep end to shoot street portraiture. I think Hanoi is a great training ground because so people and trades are packed so closely together that photo opportunities are sitting ducks for the camera.

Adding to the challenge of honing those people photography skills is the fact that most Hanoians seem to be camera shy. So while there may be many instances to fire the trigger, many people immediately turn away as soon as I raised my camera. But that's mild compared to what a lady street vendor did. I was shooting her with her cartful of colourful slippers and she pushed her cart right at me, threatening to knock me down. But thankfully, I met more friendly locals than that explosive landmine and they helped me overcome my resentment of shooting people on the streets. Thank you Hanoi! :o)

Hanoi - Stepping Back in Time at the Old Quarter

Date of Exploration : 23 May 2011

After mustering enough courage and saying our prayers, we decided to do it... We crossed the crazy busy junction to Hoan Kiem Lake. It was not that we had a death wish, offering ourselves up to be potential wheel carpet for the city's gazillion wheezing motorcycles, but that sense of disorder and danger just heightened Hanoi's retro charm which we were about to discover. Order and rules are as forgotten as its tumultuous past.

The adage is to close one's eyes and just cross the busy streets of Hanoi. I wouldn't bet on that and think it's best to keep both eyes wide open when crossing. But don't bother looking left, then right, then left again because the stream of traffic doesn't seem to cease.

Helmets not necessary. With an estimated 30 deaths due to road accidents daily, traffic is the top killer of young people in Vietnam's capital.

Hoan Kiem Lake

Making it to the other side was something of a minor miracle and our triumph over the traffic marked the beginning of our exploration of Hanoi's Old Quarter.

Our first stop was Hoan Kiem Lake, a.k.a. Lake of the Returned Sword or simply, Sword Lake. Considered to be the center of Hanoi, the lake holds within its greenish waters, the legend of a nation. Its venerated standing at the heart of Vietnamese culture originated some 600 years ago when Emperor Le Loi was taking a boat trip on the lake a golden turtle appeared and took his precious sword.

The sword, belonging to the Golden Turtle God, was discovered by a fisherman who presented it to the emperor as a gift. With the sword's mighty power, the emperor finally defeated invading Chinese forces who had ravaged the land for many years. Since the enemy was vanquished, the Golden Turtle God repossessed the sword and the legend lived on in Vietnamese folklore popularly retold through water puppets.

A wacky time on Huc Bridge (Flood of Morning Sunlight Bridge) with the folks who joined this SGTrekker Hanoi photographic trip. It's a pugilistic meet of the cameras!

Our order of business here at Hoan Kiem Lake was an arranged model shoot amidst the scenic setting. Unfortunately, the weather wasn't welcoming of our enthusiasm to bring home the lake's full beauty by being grey and overcast. A scenery may be naturally beautiful, but weather is the make-up!

Our good-looking model who later went on to be a contender in Miss Vietnam.

Our model shoot took place mostly at Ngoc Son Temple (Temple of the Jade Mountain) which sits on a tiny island on the lake. The 13th century Chinese temple honours General Tran Hung Dao whose numerous defeats of the unstoppable Mongolian army under the command of Kublai Khan is considered as one of the most spectacular tactical military achievements in world history.

Adorned with celestial Chinese motifs and auspicious symbols, Ngoc Son Temple keeps a stuffed golden tortoise as its tribute to the Hoan Kiem Lake legend. The tortoise is believed to weigh 250kg when alive!

Whoops... no peeking while model adjusts her costume but check out where the camera is pointing!

This shot is about the best I could get of the model with so many photogs jostling for space and angles. I was feeling rather overwhelmed and intimidated by their pro-ness and lost my mojo to shoot during the session. But it was a good practice for me.

No airs and attitude, she's such a sweet and accomodating model who gave her best to every photographer.

After cam fighting at Sword Lake, we were off to snap up more of Hanoi's historical sites and street scenes with maps and umbrella in hand.

Nha Tho Lon (St Joseph Cathedral)

Ten minutes on foot brought us to the generously goth-flavoured Nha Tho Lon (a.k.a. Hanoi Cathedral and St Joseph Cathedral). Completed in 1886 and christened Glass Cathedral of Saint Joseph, the French-built Catholic church emulated the architectural visage of its famous Parisian mother, the Notre Dame.

When our tour coach drove past Nha Tho Lon, I knew I had to come here for a shoot.

Grey weather and withered trees successfully recreated the somber allure of a European winter although it was about 30°C.

The neglect of the church's appearance actually made it more visually appealing and upped the photogenic factor. 

Regina Pacis means 'Queen of Peace'. Indoor and outdoor masses are still held at the cathedral every Sunday in the evening. 

The side road lined with shops and tea-bars to the left of the cathedral is known as Church Street, a popular meeting place for young people on weekends.

Entrance into the cathedral was via a door at its side. We were lucky that it was opened to visitors on that day and we were the only ones inside. Hallelujah!

There's a sort of lime-green austerity about the cathedral's goth interior.

Pointed arches are one of the quinessential features that define Gothic architecture and Nha Tho Lon has an overcrowding of them! But the result is an aesthetic feast. It took me quite some time to frame this shot that included as many arches as possible of the cathedral's different layers. Can you count how many arches there are?

God knows I have a ton of confessions to make!

Pretty floral shades dance like a flowy skirt around the light bulb.

Of the many churches and cathedrals I've been to around Asia in my wanderlust so far, I would say Nha Tho Lon is one of those that left a deep impression because of its architectural merit and feel of time in its aura. Well worth a visit!

Temple of Literature (Văn Miếu)

Continuing with the exploratory trek marked out in our hotel provided map, we arrived at the Temple of Literature which was built in 1070 to honour Confucius and the scholarly traditions of the Chinese. The vast temple went through various rounds of refurbishment and upgrading in its existence of almost a millenium so it also served as an unofficial architectural record of the various dynasties outside of China. It is also the site of the oldest univeristy in Vietnam.

An adult entrance fee of 20,000VND (Vietnamese Dong) is applicable to visit the Temple of Literature. Opening Hours : Tuesday - Sunday, 8:30am - 4:30pm. Closed on Mondays and national holidays.

First courtyard leading into the second. There are 2 side entrances in the courtyard called Attained Talent (Dai Tai) and Accomplished Virtue (Than Duc).



The second courtyard ends with the red Constellation of Literature gate that leads to a pond.

Third courtyard houses the Well of Heavenly Clarity.

Steles on turtle bases that list the names of scholars who passed imperial exams.

Fourth courtyard that features an ornate incense urn adorned with lots of dragons. I was fascinated by the mastery in pruning and cultivation of the 2 bonsai cranes on tortoises by the side.

The temple has a number of courtyards that lead to the altar of Confucius.

The traditional Chinese word on the tablet reads 'Book'. Is this geek heaven? LOL.

Bobee bobee. Apparently, good grades are not the only things devotees come here to pray for. I was told that young men and parents pray here during the Vietnam War to avoid military service. Recruits to serve in the war were picked via a draft lottery system according to birthdays. The war that lasted 20 years (1955 - 1975) killed and wounded an estimated upper limit of 2 million Vietnamese.

I found the tiling on the temple's roof to be very unusual. They resembled an undulating cluster of mountains, a design I'd never seen before.

Saw this handsome and elegant lady in the temple's courtyard and my lens got lusty.

Traditional Vietnamese water puppets on sale at a gift shop within the temple's compound.

On new year, calligraphers assemble at the temple to brush well wishes in traditional Vietnamese and given free to visitors. This photo is of a calligrapher I saw on the street leading to the temple.

The Temple of Literature was the final stop on our photographic trek of Hanoi's Old Quarter, which was the earliest development site during the turn of the 20th century. The Old Quarter consists of 36 streets, many of them named after trade specialisations (eg. silk, blacksmith, jewellery, etc) in the olden days.

Touring the heritage district really felt like a walk back in time as buildings and establishments seem to evolve little from their original state. Thankfully, the streets are adequately marked so our non-Viet tongue and the locals' minimal English didn't need to spar with each other.

To get to know Hanoi, this walking tour of the Old Quarter is worth every footprint. But watch your steps and look out for the motobikes!