Sao Nam Hotel

This is another overdue post. My family, friends and myself have been staying at Sao Nam Hotel on and off for the past 2 years. It's a nice and decent budget hotel and cost between USD20 to 25 per room per night. You can't find it on the internet (unless you come across a posting by me or someone else). It is conveniently located in Pham Ngu Lao (backpackers' area) in District 1.

Hotel Sao Nam

175/5 Pham Ngu Lao

District 1

Tel : +848 3920 6471

The 2 main reasons why it is my preferred hotel :

1. Clean and well-equipped for the price we pay - refrigerator, air-con, cable TV, sheets are changed everyday, attached toilet and there's a lift in this budget hotel so that you don't need to lug your heavy luggage up. Even if there isn't, the staff will still help you with your luggage.

2. Convenience - it is less than 10 minutes walk from Ben Thanh Market and 15 minutes walk to reach town. Sinh Cafe, the budget tour company that I always use when I travel out of HCMC to nearby destinations, is 5 minutes walk away. Restaurants and cafes are all within 5 seconds to 10 minutes walk - western, Italian, Mexican, Vietnamese, vegetarian, halal, Thai and even Singapore noodles (which can never be found in Singapore) - you name it, they have it in Pham Ngu Lao. Lots of shops to while your time and money away too. What more can you ask for?

3. Nice staff, nice boss - Ms Thi and Ms Phuong are 2 of the nicest Vietnamese receptionists that I've met in HCMC. They speak English well so no problem with language, and they're always so polite and willing to help. Mr Hiep, the boss, is a nice and humble man who has managed to send his children for overseas studies - that speaks loads of how hard he has worked.

Here are some pix of the hotel :

For those who must see a satellite photo, here it is

A closer view

Suoi Tien Theme Park

Went to Suoi Tien Theme Park (STTP) today - sometimes called Suoi Tien Cultural Park. STTP is the larger of two theme parks in HCMC, the other being not-so-well-kept Dam Sen Park. Both have modern and mythical themes to it and are rather similar. Dam Sen looks rather run down nowadays, so a better bet for the kids (and adults) would be STTP; the only setback being the distance and time taken to travel there. One can spend a whole day there - it can be quirky at times but it provides an interesting insight into how Vietnamese spend their leisure. Entrance fee is 35k (adults), 20k (kids) and you pay additional for the rides inside.

Click on both these maps for a close-up look


























It's been a year or so since I was last there. The new shopping centre/supermart VITIMART is up - really fast work. The park is being spruced up even as I write and there have been several upgrades since I last visited. Joyce wanted to have a look at the Southern Fruit Festival which is suppose to highlight VN's special fruits. It's a pretty long festival, lasting 3 months from 1 Jun 2008, and some of the fruits on sale there are really cheap. We were lucky to catch the "March of Giant Fruits", a colourful parade of giant fruits and mythical beings - a visual treat through somewhat tacky.

















We took a public bus (No 19) there (from Saigon Bus Station next to Ben Thanh) - cost us only 3,000VND per person. However, it took us 1hr 15min to get there and 1hr 30min to get back - tiring, esp the return journey. The last time I took a cab from there to town cost me 180,000VND - it'll can only cost more at today's petrol prices.

a sampling of artificial fruits
















































Golden Unicorn Mountain? That's what this place is called.














View from ferris wheel (15k/pax)














so-called the Octopus Ride - but where are the tentacles?














Looks of terror...



















Fruit Sculptures ... many were submitted for the competition














Note the English














Cheap rambutans



















Joyce with a monkey spiritual being - I really don't know what to call it















Parade of floats, mythical creatures & fairies ..."March of the Giant Fruits"














More participants of the procession



















hi there, piggy being














Giant fruits and waving fairies














more striped participants

A first...

There's always a first time for everything...and tonight's the first time I rode onto the main roads around Sky Garden. Managed to pluck up the courage to bring the bike out of the carpark. The traffic was thankfully light, perhaps due to the drizzle. Whatever the reason, I'm thankful I got back in one piece. Been practising riding (more of practising falling!!) the past several nights going round and round the carpark...

The rain comes early

According to the local weather report, the rainy season will come earlier this year, and VN will be hit by about 6-8 typhoons. Not very good news. Was raining heavily yesterday for a while and then it was gone as suddenly as it came.

...and Bryan had his hair highlighted yesterday for 500,000VND at the Rose Hair Salon in Sky Garden. Considering the location, it's a fair price to pay.

Cho Ky Hoa (Night Market)

Visited Cho Ky Hoa last night to see if we can buy some cheaper stuff for house. Cho Ky Hoa is the 2nd of 2 night markets in HCMC, the other being the famous Ben Thanh Night Market. There is a third small night market at Cho Binh Tay but not worth visiting.

Found this place by accident 2 years ago. It's a night market for the locals mainly. Sells lots of cheap apparels, watches, belts, undergarments, shoes/slippers, bags etc. Almost a km long, you can find a small food place with several local stalls at the half-way point. Located at the junction of Duong 3/2 (Ba Thang Hai) and Cao Thang in District 10, it starts only at about 7pm and is closed on Mondays. Visitors who want to experience the taste of local Vietnamese life should pay a visit to this night spot and soak in the atmosphere of a local night scene. 

At the start of Duong 3/2 is Maximart, a supermarket and departmental store. This supermart is quite big and well stocked, much better than the Phu My Hung Co.opMart (take it as the equivalent of NTUC in Singapore).

Slippers - 2 pairs for 15,000VND (S$1.40)

Notre Dame Cathedral

Some background on Notre Dame Cathedral

In 1876 the governor of Cochinchina held a design contest for a new church. Based on the original Notre Dame in Paris with a number of extra Gothic elements, the design by architect J. Bourad defeated 17 others. Completed in 1880 and using building materials imported entirely from France, at the time the church was the finest in all of the French colonies. These days the red-brick Notre Dame, known in Vietnamese as Nha Tho Duc Ba, remains a centre of worship for Ho Chi Minh City’s large Catholic minority and continues to be a pivotal landmark. (Source : ASIA LIFE HCMC)

Attended mass at Notre Dame Cathedral on 1 May 08 (Ascension Day, which is a day of obligation for Catholics). Ascension Day celebrates the ascension of Jesus to heaven after he was resurrected on Easter Day. 

For those of you intending to visit the church, the opening hours are :

8.00am to 10.30am; 3.00pm to 4.00pm (weekdays) - they are quite strict about the timings. 

Outside of these hours, you can only see the cathedral from the outside. You can't go in as the gates are locked - which will be a real pity. There's actually more to see on the inside.

Mass-times on weekends are :

Sat Evening Mass @ 5.00pm

Sun 5.30am  6.30am  7.30am  9.30am  4.00pm  5.15pm  6.30pm

Visitors can try to catch the mass at these times, if only just for a peek. The only English mass (part of which is still in Vietnamese) is on Sunday at 9.30am - attracts many curious tourists; so far, they've all been very respectful when visiting.

Notre Dame Cathedral & Diamond Plaza (green building on the right and at the back of the church)

A popular spot for taking that obligatory photo

Lots of stained glass windows in the church

The steel fence is to deter a favourite but shameful habit of VN men - to prevent them from peeing on holy grounds!! The sign says "Holy Place. Please keep it clean." You'll find that many VN men will answer nature's call in the open unabashedly. 

Mass times on Sundays

Visiting times on weekdays

Olympic Torch in HCMC

Came into town as I was bored...and found that the Olympic Torch is in town! Great! Workers were putting up the stage in the afternoon at the Opera House - problem was I didn't know when it will all happen. Bigger regret was that I didn't bring my camera. A kind China-man gave me his flag as souvenir and told me the ceremony will start at 4pm. I was there at 4+ but the torch bearer only started his run at about 7.30pm!! Waited almost 3 hrs to catch a fleeting glimpse of someone running by with the torch. Screwed up my phone's camera and had no pix to show for my 3-hr wait...urghhh!! Oh well, it's a rare treat to be where it was happening - once a lifetime thing!

Tomorrow will be a public holiday in Vietnam - the 33rd anniversary of the liberation of Vietnam's southern region, and the day after, 1 May, will be the world's 122nd May Day and a public holiday too, of course. With many expected to take Friday off to make a super-long weekend, the country is braced for a 20% percentage increase in domestic travel.

Banner welcoming the O-torch to HCMC

Enthusiastic China Supporters

Photo for souvenir

Car being towed away for blocking the road

A section of the crowd