Central Part of Saigon

This has been hectic weeks when I had to submit revision I have left for 2 weeks during my trip. Then I came back to Jakarta and reality just began again. I had to even visit Bandung to get data. Somehow I can be too lazy to type everything esp about this journey. God, I have only written a little part of it. Though a friend tried to ask me to write everything bcs he wanted to read my plot, my way of writing, and stuffs but let’s see if this piece of shit will never distract my thesis progress. 

First ‘real’ day in HCM. I still spent it with Amalia and Baptiste but then she told me to meet a local friend named Phan. I was like relieved knowing that we were gonna be with a local. At least, we wouldn’t get lost, right? :P

First step we made into Benh Tanh Market. Actually planned to have lunch but the we just forgot it bcs there was nothing interesting bout the food and meanwhile, the food corner was really full of locals and some tourists, didn’t have available seats. Then we went to the most famous building in Saigon. I real couple times about this place. There is nothing special bout this Saigon Central Post Office except the one who made it. It was designed by the one who also did it for Eiffel Tower in Paris, France. He was Gustave Eiffel. This post office is still working as it’s supposed to be till now. People send letters, packages, and some souvenirs also available including postcards. I was having intention to post a postcard to German but I remembered that half of Pete come from Vietnam too, so yeah haha forgot about it

Outside the building, there was a quiet big space for people to walk, gather with friends, or take some photos. Oh so, we did it too hehe

Inside Saigon Central Post Office

Let us take a selfie!

We saw many locals wearing a certain piece of dress, a long dress worn by Vietnamese women and they took pictures. I asked Phan and she said it was Ao Dai, a traditional clothes from Vietnam. Many people wore it since Lunar Year celebration at that moment. She also said she gotta wear it when she was in school! I told her that it’s gonna be so tight, hot, and just do not my thing wearing long dress to school! It’s gonna be annoying and she was thinking the same but what can she do? :p

Women in Vietnam wearing long dresses called Ao Dai

We also walked to Saigon Notre Dame Cathedral. It is just nearby and you can go visiting them at the same time. Cathedral and Post Office is like a gathering area for tourists and also locals since it is located in the main street and having broad sight into some corners in central Saigon. But when we were about to enter the church, the tourist police said it’d be open at 3-5 am. I don’t know what time they open in the morning but if you really wanna come and visit in the morning time, better for you to come early bcs we were there at noon, maybe about 11.30 am. So, HCM has many tourist police spreading around the main streets and landmarks in that city. When I asked Phan about what they called, she told there wasn’t any certain name for them but as long as knew, they’re there to be informative for tourists and they can speak English a lil bit. They all wore green uniform,cap, just like a real cop but they were just there for the traffic controllers and  security guards. Nothing related to crime reports or something ‘a real cop’ do.

Saigon Central Mosque a.k.a Blue Mosque

During our waiting time to visit the church, we walked to have a lunch in Moslem area. Phan has searched for place we could find halal food and also a place to pray. It wasn’t Zuhr time so we decided to have lunch first at a Malaysian restaurant just next to Saigon Central Mosque or people also call it with Blue Mosque. When I saw the price list, I thought the cost could be quiet pricey but then we tried to share the food just like maybe my friends and I had meals at D’Cost Indonesia haha. I think the economic principle could be obtained here, saying that the scarce kind of stuff would be coming in high price. We had Cah Kangkung, Chicken something, and one must be what Phan ordered, Es Cendol wkwkwk. Anyway, they cooked it really good bcs it fit in my mouth and even in everybody else’s including Baptiste. 

Enjoy the Malaysian food

Then we went to this place, the most peaceful place where I could find people who survived in where Moslem is just a minority. This mosque located in 1 Dong Khoi. I think this is the oldest one since it was built by the Indian trader in 1935. When Amalia and I entered this mosque, people still not even begin Friday Prayer and I have guessed, that would be my first Friday Prayer for my entire life and also for my friend. Yes, we did it. Maybe I would have never done that if I didn’t come to this place. Alhamdulillah. All the prayer outfits came in really good smell, not like most in Indonesia. Kalo bercandaan gue sama temen-temen, mukena tuh biasanya udah kayak temulawak, wanginya juga mancayyyyy.