ann and i spend a few days in ho chi minh city, also known as saigon, in vietnam! it is a massive, fast-growing city with tons of cool stuff to see. the historic center was built by the french, who colonized south vietnam, and the city is now named named for the father of modern vietnam, ho chi minh.
my first stop was to go to the top of the iconic bitexco tower, from which there is a great view of the city!
then, walked around the historic area of the city, seeing the historic post office (the interior of which is overlooked by a large likeness of ho chi minh), multiple large malls, and the expansive ben thanh market. urban vietnam is famous for tiny establishments with obscure themes – one could walk the streets for days and never get bored. we went to a little flower themed tea shop, where there were flowers in and on everything.
i also went to southeast asia’s brand new tallest building, landmark 81, which is about 45 minutes away from the historic center. at it base is an impressive shopping mall.
