Our last full day in Ho Chi Minh City

Ho Chi Minh City, Day 49

So this is our last full day in Ho Chi Minh City and we're not really sure what we want to do today. R has suggested that we take the metro again, but I can't really see anywhere that looks of interest, so I suggest we go in another direction that we haven't really been to yet (well apart from our very first night but we didn't venture too far then, so now we are a bit braver to give it another go!).

So R finds a few places on Google Maps that might be of interest to us. The first is a mall which is supposed to be about a 20-25 minute walk from the apartment, but it always takes much longer than anticipated, as we try to navigate and find some decent roads to be able to cros,s as otherwise it's a total nightmare.

Along the way, as we try to avoid getting knocked down by a car or bike and try to avoid tripping up over the uneven and broken pavements as we dodge between parked bikes, we come across some nice little areas which are very 'Vietnamese' looking.

Another interesting observation is that there are security guards everywhere on the streets but I think these are the guys that you pay to 'look after' your bike if you park it there or they are the security guards for a hotel, business etc., which assist with vehicles coming and going or people arriving and leaving but absolutely everywhere has them. I previously mentioned to R that it must be a real nightmare for these guys (and I'm not being sexist, it is always men) being outside all day in the heat, but I guess they are used to it.

Van Hanh Mall

The Van Hanh Mall is a bigger mall than the Vincom Mall in District 1, but not as big as the Vincom Mega Mall, a few stops away on the metro. A lot of the shops are quite similar to the ones we have seen before. It's quite busy with people, and the traffic around the area is just bonkers. We do our usual of walking around the place to see if there is anything particularly interesting, but usually we are just trying to get some respite from the heat and look for something to eat.

For lunch, we find a nice little Korean restaurant in the mall. I had a beef salad and R had a beef and glass noodles dish. Both were ok but nothing special.

After lunch we visit a few grocery stores to pick up a few items for our evening dinner and breakfast the next day. The apartment has cooking facilities, so it's handy to pick up some of the ready made dinners from the supermarket that you just need to reheat in the microwave.

Vietnam Quoc Tu (Vietnamese National Buddhist Temple)

The next place we pass is the Vietnamese National Buddhist Temple. This is also known as Vietnam Quoc Tu, and is a renowned spiritual site. It is one of the most iconic temples in Vietnam and has many visitors every year.

It was founded in 1964, occupying a vast area of approximately 4 hectares. However, following the fall of the Republic of Vietnam in 1975, much of its grounds were repurposed for other uses.

Efforts to reclaim the temple’s land began when Venerable Tu Nhon, the former abbot, filed a petition for ownership. This request was finally approved in 1993, although the temple’s grounds were reduced to just 3,712 square meters. After years of renovation, the Vietnamese National Buddhist Temple reopened in November 2017. Today, it is an important religious site in District 10 that offers visitors a chance to explore the heritage of Buddhism in Ho Chi Minh City.

One of the most striking features is the 13-storey tower, known as Da Bao Tower. It is the tallest Buddhist tower in HCMC and stands at 63 metres. The number of stories symbolises the service of 13 Buddhist groups that participated in the 1963 non-violent struggle for religious equity in Vietnam. The tower enshrines the relics of Venerable Thich Quang Duc, a Buddhist monk whose self-immolation in 1963 became a powerful symbol of the protest against oppression.

We decide not to bother going into the place - as we'd need to get to the other side of the road and there is only so many times that we want to take our lives in our hands trying to do that. So we just admire the tower from afar. See the video below for an example of the traffic - the temple was on the other side of the road from us when I took this.

After getting back to the apartment, we start the process of packing and getting ready to leave. We do a final washing as the facilities are handy for this and whilst we are doing this, we get a know at the door and the staff have brought a lovely plate of fruit as a departing gift which was a little unexpected treat. Mango and pouteria caimito, which we have never tried before but it was nice and quite unusual.

One of the house keepers also brought our laundry to us - all folded (it must have dried quicker than the expected time), which was very sweet of her.

All in all, we've had an interesting time in Ho Chi Minh City, but we are glad to be moving on as it's a very chaotic, noisy and busy city. Would we come back again? No. Would we recommend it to others - not really unless one is prepared for the madness of the traffic. Perhaps the new metro system will make a big difference, but that is likely to be several years away before it makes a big impact, and it will require quite a mindset change in the people and their driving habits, which is also likely to take time. R read a post asking why the pavements and roads were so bad in HCMC, and the answer was because "nobody walks there" - everyone uses scooters or cars to get about....

A rough map of our walking route today....

Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam

7 January 2025