If you expats are leisurely walking along a street in downtown Ho Chi Minh City and a man comes out of nowhere to invite you to buy his coconuts, chances are he is going to rip you off. >> An audio version of the story is available here There are several groups of coconut peddlers who only target foreign tourists to force them buy coconuts at cut-throat prices, or invite them to pose for a photograph with their ganh – the bamboo yokes hung with baskets at each end used to carry the fruits around – and charge them a great deal. When a couple of tourists were heading to Nam Ky Khoi Nghia in District 1 on May 5, they were stopped by a coconut vendor named Ngoc, who jumped out from his hiding place on Nguyen Du Street. The peddler spoke a few sentences in pidgin English and immediately passed his ganh onto the shoulders of the male tourist, much to the latter’s surprise. Finally, the holidaymakers were asked to pay VND200,000 (roughly US$10) for two coconuts, … [Read more...] about Inside look at coconut rip-offs in downtown Ho Chi Minh City
Reunification palace ho chi minh city vietnam
A guide to Vietnam’s fast, furious Ho Chi Minh City
If a city’s fortunes can be judged by the number of cranes dotting its landscape, Ho Chi Minh City has high hopes. Posters stuck to construction sites advertise lavish apartment blocks and landscaped shopping malls under development. A metro system, currently being built, promises comprehensive public transport at last. Change is in the air—and the city’s exceptionally youthful population, over half of whom are younger than 35, are leading the way. Yet despite rapid growth, Ho Chi Minh City—still known by locals and expats alike as Saigon—retains an old-world charm. Alongside the visible signs of new wealth—imported cars, chic restaurants, and gated mansions with lavish, Italianate exteriors—sits the Saigon of old. Bare-chested men take naps in hammocks, hens peck in rubble on the roadside, and food stalls ladle up steaming bowls of pho to boisterous groups of friends sat at plastic tables. Nicknamed the “Pearl of the … [Read more...] about A guide to Vietnam’s fast, furious Ho Chi Minh City
Ho Chi Minh City TV seeks to make cultural connection with regional nations
Eighteen television performers from several countries are in Ho Chi Minh City for a TV program titled "Duyen dang truyen hinh (Charming TV employees) ASEAN TPHCM 2009." It is being organized by Ho Chi Minh City Television and China's Guangxi TV. The women from Thailand, Laos, Cambodia, Brunei, Indonesia, Malaysia, Myanmar, the Philippines and Singapore, two others from Vietnam, and five guests from Guangxi Province will participate in several activities from May 26 to 29. On May 26 they paid some visits to historical and tourist sites in HCMC like Ben Thanh market, the Post Office, Reunification Palace, and the Ho Chi Minh Museum. On May 27 they will visit a village making rice paper in Cu Chi district and an embroidery factory of well-known designer Viet Hung, and enjoy local food and drink. On May 29 the women will give performances in a cultural exchange concert titled "Thieu nu va luy tre lang" (Young girls and the village's row of bamboo trees) at the Dai Nam tourism … [Read more...] about Ho Chi Minh City TV seeks to make cultural connection with regional nations
Ho Chi Minh City
Ho Chi Minh City is the center of business, science, technology, culture, arts and entertainment. It is the second most important city in Vietnam after Hanoi, and is a leading industrial and commercial centre of Vietnam Ho Chi Minh City has hundreds of rivers and canals, but most of them are small. The climate is tropical. There are two main seasons: monsoon and sunny season. The wet season lasts from the middle of April to October. And the dry season runs from November to April. Average temperature is around 28 degrees Celsius. Ho Chi Minh City is located on the banks of the Saigon river. The total area of the city is about 2,056.5 square kilometers. It is more than 300 years old with a population of approximately 8 millions people Ho Chi Minh City is an important and large turntable for transport. This is a city where hundred thousands of the motorcycles, bicycles, cars, and buses share the same street. The largest airport is Tan Son Nhat in the South of the country. Ho Chi … [Read more...] about Ho Chi Minh City
Old Saigon, now Ho Chi Minh City
Ho Chi Minh City is today a major economic centre and the most dynamic city of Vietnam. The city of old Saigon has seen a lot of changes since the southern liberation and national reunification. However, many unique beautiful characteristics still remain as time passes by. … [Read more...] about Old Saigon, now Ho Chi Minh City