Vibrant Saigon

Ho Chi Minh, the president of Vietnam whose picture is on all of Vietnamese currency has a city named after him, and it was originally named as Saigon. It is almost to the southernmost part of Vietnam and at a population of close to 10 million, it is the most populous city in the country.

As one walks around the city, it is hard to miss the busy, relentless traffic, mostly composed of mopeds and motorcycles. There is a fair share of cars, buses and vans. Vinfast, the car with EV offering that listed on Nasdaq recently, is seen everywhere especially as a light blue colored taxi. Of course, you can see all the western make cars like Mercedez, Audi, Ford as well as Toyotas, Hyundais and Kias. I saw a Rolls Royce showroom as well. The traffic signs for pedestrians are not usually followed, that is, even if it is green for pedestrians to walk, scooters and cars keep on going. So, walking in the city means dodging bullets in the form of oncoming stream of scooters and cars.

There is a cute alley named book street with many bookstores in a row with books in English and also many bestsellers translated in Vietnamese.

The Ba Son bridge is brand new and modern; it crosses the Saigon River and also has a pedestrian path. It has a concrete middle pillar section through which the support cables pass, and these cables originate at one side of the pillar and terminate on the other side.

A long square stretching between the city hall around one kilometer has many modern buildings, businesses and western hotels all around.

Coffee culture is predominant in Saigon. There are literally thousands of coffee shops and lounges, sometimes tens of them in the same block. You can see Starbucks, but it is completely outnumbered. You see people lounging around in the shops, meeting friends, many younger generation students or tech-workers with their laptops working solo or in groups. Coffee is served black or white, with or without sugar, hot or cold. White coffee has the delicious, condensed milk. You can also choose from a huge selection of teas, beer or liquor. The utensils and paraphernalia coffee is served with varies from shot to shop and is always impressive.

Bitexco Financial Tower is visible from almost all parts of the city with its distinctive helipad structure on one side.

Delicious food is everywhere too, from sushi to dim sum, from street food to fine dining.

While walking around, found a Michelin 1 star restaurant and got a spot for that evening.

Their menu has huge variety of foods offered. For less than $25, I had a multiple course meal.

The square is more colorful and has many pedestrians walking around in the evening.

The Post Office is an art deco building in the center of the downtown and flocked by tourists.

The City hall is colorfully decorated during the night.

The skyline appears stylish and modern during the night with the lighting decorations on buildings.

The Independence Palace serves as the home and office of the president and has a significant wartime history.

There is a lot of new construction in the new part of Saigon with hundreds or thousands of new modern apartment condominiums being built.

Saigon is a fun place to hang out and you won't be tired of being there easily.