Saigon Lights

The square on the intersection of Le Loi and Nguyen Streets is the hub of Saigon. Included in this square are:

The famous Rex Hotel, home to American servicemen during the Vietnam War.

The stunning City Hall - People's Community Building,

....and diagonally across from that is Vietnam Airlines.

For the past 2 days I have been having problems with this page. Two of the photos uploaded but weren't visible and I'm still having trouble with one of them - glitch in the system - who knows????

Faces

People are my favourite subject when I travel.

Notre Dame - Saigon style

Notre Dame (Duc Ba) Cathedral with its 56 m bell towers that hold six bells weighing nearly 30 tons, rises over Paris Square in downtown Saigon. It stands across from The Post office (last post). French architect Jules Bourand designed the cathedral and it was completed in 1890 .

You can still see bullet holes in the facade, and in 2005 people flocked to the square with rumours the Virgin Mary was shedding tears.

This young couple had their photos taken outside the church.

Saigon Post Office

On Paris Square across from the Notre Dame Cathedral (next post) in Saigon (Ho Chi Minh City), stands the impressive Post Office. Designed by Gustav Eiffel’s firm, the building was built between 1886 and 1891 and looks more like a railway station, with its stunning vaulted ceilings and skylights.

The grand central pavilion is flanked by two wings where tourists can buy souvenirs and friendly staff play with the toys and musical items.

In the pavilion, huge maps decorate the side walls and....

…..an imposing portrait of Ho Chi Minh stares down on tourists and locals alike from the back wall.

Sunday Morning at the Opera House

This free Sunday morning concert on the steps of the 800-seat Municipal Theatre, in Lam Son Square Ho Chi Minh City was enthusiastically applauded.

Built as the Saigon Opera House in January 1900, this colonial- style building once housed the South Vietnam National Assembly. It was restored in 2000 and is now used for its original purpose.

The concert is free but not the newspapers! This lady selling newspapers had a captive audience.

House boats

Not far from the outskirts of Saigon (Ho Chi Minh City) these Cambodian refugees have made a life for themselves on the river. They have been here since the American War, as it is called in Vietnam.

Vertigo

Scaffolding in Vietnam is quite an art form....

but not for the fainthearted.

Rocky Mountain High with two calves.

This small village is situated between Dalat and Ho Chi Minh City.

It is built around these amazing rocky outcrops.

The photos were taken from the window of a moving vehicle so aren't too bad considering the contortions I had to get into to take them.

Street scenes - Dalat

Colourful Cho Da Lat (Central market) is filled with some of the local ethnic minorities who come to sell their produce.




Will be back on 3 May so until then I have posted some photos from the streets of Dalat.

Prenn Waterfall

Prenn Waterfall, situated 5 km south of Dalat, descends 15 metres across the mouth of a cave and is accessible from a small bridge..






Popular with Vietnamese honeymooners it is surrounded by a small kitschy theme park with elephant and pony rides, shoot-em stalls, crocodile pool, souvenirs etc