Outline 1. Introduction of the city tour program: The three-hour tour will cover a pedicab tour in the city center in 30 minutes, a visit to History Museum, a water puppet show, a bus tour by some landmarks for snap-shots, a visit to China town and a drop by a lacquer-ware workshop. 2. Introduction of the citys topography and geography, administrative centers: Ho Chi Minh City, formerly known as Saigon, is the largest and most crowded city in Vietnam with the official population of over 6 million people. The city now comprises 19 districts and 5 suburban districts. District 1, along the Saigon River, where downtown Saigon is located, is the commercial center and contains most of the citys monuments. China town is 8 km away in district 5. 3. Introduction of the citys history and main landmarks along the way: It was first established in 1698 and considered as an administrative unit under the Nguyen Dynasty. It became the principal city of Cochin China during the mid 19th century under the French rule. Later, Saigon served as the capital city of South Vietnam from 1956 to 1975 when the country was reunified. Today, the city has emerged as the most dynamic commercial and industrial heart of Vietnam. * City Hall Built in 1909 and known as Hotel de Ville, the building with its ornate faade and its elegant interior lit with crystal chandeliers is one of the city s most prominent landmarks and is now the office of Ho Chi Minh City People s Committee. * Municipal Theater (Opera House) First built in 1899 as a theater for French troupes performances, the building then served as the seat of South Vietnamese National Assembly in the late 1950s. The theater has been renovated in its original architecture and used for Vietnamese variety shows ranging from traditional music, orchestral performances, fashion shows to symphonies and operas. * Notre Dame Cathedral The Cathedral was built between 1877 and 1880 on the site of the former Citadels arsenal. The faade is made of red brick in the
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Ho Chi Minh City Tour Neo-Romanesque style and is framed by two square belfries of 40 meters high. A statue of Virgin Maria with the height of 4.2 meters was erected later. You can see communion celebrated here two times a weekday and four times on Sunday. * General Post Office Located on the east side of the square in front of the Cathedral, it was built between 1886 and 1891 in European style architecture with a great glass and ironwork dome. A huge mural of the map of Saigon was added at the beginning of the 20th century. * Ben Thanh Market This large covered central market together with Binh Tay Market in Cholon is the largest in Saigon. Ben Thanh market was completed in 1914 at the intersection of Le Loi, Ham Nghi and Tran Hung Dao Boulevards. All kinds of products and services are available here every day from 06:00 A.M. to 06:00 P.M. 4. The cultural and social life of city dwellers: Traditionally, Vietnamese people follow the extended family structure, often including three or even four generations, and typically consisting of grandparents, parents, children, and grandchildren, all living under the same roof. The practice, however, becomes less popular in big cities like Ho Chi Minh City. Most families in Ho Chi Minh City are now nuclear ones with only parents living with the children. In this way, they are not completely dependent on their parents in every familys decision. As for nuclear families, both husbands and wives go to work or work on their own, leaving their children either in kindergartens or at grandparents home so that grandparents can help look after their children. A lot of Vietnamese people are Buddhists or practice the concepts of Buddhism in life. 5. Economy of the city: light industry, handicraft industry, service industry, etc.: Since the introduction of the new policy of market-oriented economy (Doi Moi policy) in 1986, more private enterprises have been encouraged all over Vietnam, especially in Ho Chi Minh City. Though farming still persists in the suburban districts, industrialization is increasing dramatically in the city center. Ho Chi Minh City now accounts for more than 30 per cent of the country industrial output. The main light industries here include textiles and garments, footwear, plastics, food processing; handicrafts such as embroideries, bamboo and rattan wares, lacquer wares. Tourism also plays a very important role in the city economy. In 2005, Viet Nam received more than 3.5 million foreign tourists and more than half of that came to Ho Chi Minh City.
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Ho Chi Minh City Tour 6. Education and medical care system of the city: Vietnam in general has a fairly complete education system ranging from kindergarten to tertiary schooling levels. Children aged from 3 to 6 are encouraged to join kindergartens; those aged from 6 to 15 must go to primary and junior secondary schools on the basic of the compulsory education. After finishing these levels, they can go either to vocational centers or to senior high schools and universities for further education. Ho Chi Minh City is one of the first to complete this compulsory education among the children. Besides, there are also many international schools that provide more opportunities for students to join either locally or abroad. As for medical care system, Vietnam has a nationwide network of health care from the central and provincial to commune levels. Those who are employed by any economic organization rather than self-employed can enjoy medical insurance which can cover partly or all the hospitalizing cost. The rest can pay for medical insurance on their own to get the same benefits or go to private hospitals or clinics. 7. City planning and well-known architectures: Saigon was designed during the French colonial time and built up a lot more during the American time and recently during the doi moi period, but quite a few French colonial-style public buildings are still there. At the intersection of Le Loi and Nguyen Hue Boulevard is the most famous Hotel de Ville (City Hall). Along Dong Khoi Street in District 1 stand such famous buildings as Notre Dame Cathedral, General Post Office, Opera House, Continental Hotel. At the waterfront, the banks, the customs houses line up looking out to the river. To preserve the old structures, the city has been planned and expanded with new modern urban areas in district 2 and district 7 to meet with the development and to house growing inhabitants. 8. The formation and development of Chinese community in the city: The name Cholon literally means big market and refers to District 5 where Chinese immigrants traditionally settled down. Today, half a million Chinese-Vietnamese citizens here play essential role in most of the citys business and industry. 9. Famous Chinese temples Life, culture, customs and beliefs of Chinese people: Traditionally, Chinese people tend to live into congregations and gather around their own communal houses to help each other. In Ho Chi Minh City, there are more than half a million Chinese of different congregations such as Cantonese, Fujian, Chaozhou,
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Ho Chi Minh City Tour Hainanese and Hakka. They all build temples to worship their gods or goddesses such as Thien Hau (the goddess of the sea), Guan Gong (the deified Chinese general well-known for his bravery and loyalty), Ong Bon (the guardian spirit of happiness and virtue). Some famous Chinese temples here include Thien Hau Temple (Chua Ba), Nghia An Hoi Quan (Chua Ong), Ong Bon Temple 10. Along-the-road commentaries: port, market, bus station, movie houses, hospitals, schools, traffic, entrepreneurs, vehicles, etc.: * Saigon port is one of the biggest river ports in Vietnam where ships of 50,000 tons can call in for business and tourism. The port has become busy in the late 17th century when the city was first established. * Besides the two biggest markets (Ben Thanh and Binh Tay markets), there are many other markets throughout the city. Here the markets usually start every day from early in the morning until late in the afternoon. Products range from vegetables, fruit, fish and meat to clothes, shoes and consumers goods. * Public transport has been recently improved for people to use. However, the majority still prefers using their own vehicles, mostly motor-bicycles to get to work. 11. Tourist attractions: Reunification Palace, National History Museum, Water Puppet show, War Remnants Museum, Thien Hau Temple, Binh Tay Market, Lacquer ware workshop, etc.: * Reunification Palace Located in downtown Saigon, the building was formerly the Norodom Palace where Indochinese French Governor-General resided during the mid 19th and early 20th centuries. The original, first built in 1868, was handed over to Saigon Authorities headed by President Ngo Dinh Diem after the 1954 Geneve Convention and served as his official residence. In 1962, two pilots of South Vietnamese Air Force who were much disaffected by the Ngo family regime bombed and partially destroyed the building. A new palace was designed and rebuilt on the same site, and the construction was finished in 1966. Its main gates were torn down on April 30th, 1975. The building was then renamed the Reunification Palace and is now reserved for governmental receptions, international seminars and exhibitions and tourist site alike. * National History Museum Built in 1929 by the Societe des Etudes Indochinoises, it was once known as the Saigon National Museum. Located just within the entrance of the Botanical and Zoological Gardens, the History Museum now contains an excellent collection of artifacts illustrating Copyright @ Saigontourist Tour Guide Department-2006 4 Ho Chi Minh City Tour the physical and chronological evolution of Vietnamese cultures from Prehistoric to Feudal Vietnam. * Water Puppet show The water puppetry or Mua Roi Nuoc is one of the oldest Vietnamese traditional art forms, which was originated in the 11th century in Northern Vietnam. The stage of this unique puppet theater is made over the surface of the water while the puppeteers stand chest deep in the water behind a bamboo screen, manipulating the wooden puppets by means of long bamboo rods. Some popular pieces of this water puppetry include Dragon Dance, Lion Dance, Fishing, Chasing the fox and Saving the ducks. * War Remnants Museum Recently rebuilt on the same site of the original Buddhist pagoda and later French outpost, the museum now displays photographs of war atrocities committed during the Vietnam war, tanks, airplanes, infantry weapons and even a copy of tiger cage prison first introduced since the French colonial period. * Thien Hau Temple This oldest richly decorated Chinese temple was built by Cantonese Congregation at the end of the 18th century and dedicated to the Heavenly Lady (locally called Thien Hau), who was supposed to be the protector of the fishermen and seafarers. Among the other altars is one (locally called Long Mau) dedicated to the protection of women and newborns and yet another (locally called Kim Hue) to sterile women and mothers who have no sons. Incense coils, ceramic figurines, richly attired statues, and a model boat commemorating the arrival of the first Chinese from Canton are among the items of interest here. * Binh Tay Market Binh Tay, with a wonderful array of noises, smells and colors, is one of the most colorful and exciting markets in Cholon. First built in 1928 by a Chinese merchant Quach Dam, this is now the marketplace for wholesalers throughout the city. * Lacquer-ware workshop Vietnamese lacquer-ware has long enjoyed world fame for its high quality and exquisite craftsmanship. Here in this workshop, an elaborate explanation of manufacturing process made by salesmen and saleswomen will certainly make your visit a memorable experience. A variety of mother-of-pearl inlaid and eggshell inlaid lacquer-ware articles and furniture are on display and ready for your choice.
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