On the evening of January 16, Le Hoang Quan, Chairman of the People's Committee of Ho Chi Minh City welcomed the Vice President of India, Mohammad Hamid Ansari, at the Reunification Palace on his official visit to Vietnam. At the meeting, visiting Indian Vice President Mohammad Hamid Ansari praised Ho Chi Minh City as a dynamic and growing city with great potential for cooperation in economics, trade, culture and education. Talking with Chairman Le Hoang Quan, Mr. Ansari said his visit aims to review the 2012 Vietnam-India Friendship Year and boost the strategic partnership between the two countries. Ansari expressed his admiration for Vietnam's policies to fight poverty, improve education and social welfare. On his part, Chairman Quan said he believes Mr. Ansari's visit will further enhance Vietnam-India strategic partnership, and pledged to do his utmost to consolidate the two countries' traditional ties. Mr. Quan also informed his guest of the successful … [Read more...] about Vice President of India visits Ho Chi Minh City
Reunification palace ho chi minh city vietnam
Illicit pedicab drivers boldly ‘mug’ foreign tourists in Ho Chi Minh City
A group of pedicab drivers illegally operating in downtown Ho Chi Minh City have been found fleecing foreign travelers in a bold manner just like "mugging," a Tuoi Tre (Youth) newspaper investigation has found. The group comprises about 10 members, who mainly search for foreign guests around Ben Thanh Market in District 1 from 8:00 am to 5:00 pm. Each of them covers his pedicab number plate with a piece of cloth to avoid being identified after overcharging cases. Such pedicabs, operating without a license, are usually called "xích lô dù" by locals. Every morning, "xích lô dù" usually target foreigners at the four gates of the market, and on the sections of Le Lai and Le Loi Streets near the Quach Thi Trang Roundabout. Whenever they face any adverse reactions from their guests, they flee to streets nearby, including Nguyen Duy Ninh and Ham Nghi. Grasping cash from the wallet On June 23, upon seeing a foreign woman walking in front of the east gate of Ben Thanh Market, … [Read more...] about Illicit pedicab drivers boldly ‘mug’ foreign tourists in Ho Chi Minh City
40 Years of Saigon – Ho Chi Minh City
A "megacity" on the banks of the Saigon RiverForty years ago, Saigon was dubbed the "Pearl of the Far East" because the US poured millions of dollars into this city to build an "empire" of indulgence to serve their huge war machine. However, few people knew that behind the glamour and sparkling colouful lights of the nightclubs, restaurants, hotels and dormitories, which were always crowded with the troops of the Republic of Vietnam and US advisors, a majority of people in Saigon still lived in the poor slums on the banks of the Saigon River and in the "black water hamlet" areas on the banks of the canals with foul smelling black water, garbage and mosquitoes. So, the rhetoric "Pearl of the Far East" seemed to be a distant dream for a majority of Saigon residents before 1975. Forty years later, the story about the "Pearl of the Far East" seems to have receded into the past. Sometimes some people mention it but then it was quickly forgotten, because compared with Saigon in the past, Ho … [Read more...] about 40 Years of Saigon – Ho Chi Minh City
Inside look at coconut rip-offs in downtown Ho Chi Minh City
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. 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, which normally cost only VND30,000 ($1.4) at most. There have been cases when tourists refused to pay, so the vendors snatched their wallets and took the money themselves. (Youth) newspaper have managed to penetrate these scam … [Read more...] about Inside look at coconut rip-offs in downtown Ho Chi Minh City
Ho Chi Minh City
.jpg)
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