There are many alleys in Saigon yet each one of the alleys will bring you to a different end. This alley will bring you to the true life of the community in Saigon. The alley keeps its true color of life. They share the sweet, the bitter, the rain, and shine in this alley.
The alley may look the same as the alley that I saw in Kuala Lumpur, but this alley is certainly distinctive and brings a different meaning to the locals in Saigon. They live and grew in this alley and they may die in this alley too.
The alley is always the path to the individual house or apartment between the concrete. The alley within the concrete in Ho Chi Minh also identified as village. Village in Ho Chi Minh is always contrasting my imagination of village. I always had the expectation of village should have big compound, wooden house, chicken and pets and greens all around, but in Ho Chi Minh City the village is alleys connecting the concrete wall.
Walking along the alley, conical leaf hat is a common view. Man, women are all wearing generic conical leaf hat that cover them from the heat of the sun and drops of the rain. Generally, women wearing traditional Vietnamese hat with mask on, and it is a normal view in the alley. They are traders in the alley. They bring commodities and supply to the needs of the residents along each alley. They never grumble for their hard life they had, but they never giving up too. They never give up rising as the word giving up is never exist in their dictionary of life. Their spirit to live and to win is the champion of themselves.
The Alley,
You witness every rise and fall
Every step to the fossil of memories
Every dream that every man hopes
Every will that wings can fly high
The Alley,
You nurture every will that are falling
Every young to grow
Every old to mature
Every weak to be strong
These two sketches are the view of Thao Dien’s area from the balcony of my apartment. My apartment is located at the main entrance to the Thao Dien area which is located in District 2, Ho Chi Minh. Thao Dien is one of the prime areas in District 2 that sheltering many expatriates. This area is a residential area full of villas and high-end apartments with a monthly rental average from USD1000 per month up to USD6000 per month. Besides villa and apartments, this area is famed with few International schools, malls, and restaurants that offer varieties of international cuisine.
Originally Thao Dien area was a swamp. The area has been developed as a residential area and still growing with the development of new buildings. This area is located near to the Saigon river. Every day sitting in my living looking towards the balcony, I will see barges transporting commodities to the port nearby. The river is an important transportation mode in Vietnam that transporting goods and commodities from outside and inside of Vietnam.
Thao Dien is surrounded by the Saigon River from the west, north, and along most of its eastern edge. In the south of Thao Dien is Xo Lo Ha Noi Highway, a highway that will bring you to Hanoi through the overland route. Thao Dien will soon be having its own metro line station. Although the station’s development has faced significant delays, yet it is for sure will become a significant facility that will serve the surrounding communities.
The beautiful about my apartment in MASTERI is I have a privileged view of Thao Dien. I witnessed the development of new buildings in Thao Dien, barges cruising the river, and planes landing and taking off too from my balcony. It such a privilege to be witnessing the growth of this small area from my small balcony. I enjoyed almost every day of my stay here.
Thao Dien is small but big in content
The house for short and long-term travelers
Travelers with dreams of a better future
A swamp turned to jewels of the orient
Giving hopes and shines to those who favor
A place that sealed memories before their departure
A jewel that never stop shining and potent
Growing big as the ambitions of its landers
Interestingly, this open concept garden café also displaying artwork photos of local’s photographers. This café always become a venue for photography’s workshop and exhibition. It serves nice coffee, juices and desserts too for visitors to enjoy.
What I like most about this place is, it’s structure and location. It looks like a remnant of colonial residents that left abandoned which then found and re-liven with a new function and concept. That’s what the locals are brilliant at and that’s why you can easily found artisan café concept in this living growing city. But this one is an exceptional, as the remnant create a cozy and privacy ambiance that most of nature’s lovers are looking for.
The Landmark 81 is the tallest tower in Vietnam. It marked the power of money that won the war of the domination of concrete. The eye catches of the city, the symbol of the nation’s pride. Never thought that the young nation that just freed from war could ever achieve such fast development. The rise of the dragon has awakened the sleeping lion and the growing tiger.
The development of Landmark 81 is initiated by Vinhomes, a Vietnamese Corporation that is the largest developer in Vietnam. It marked the 17th tallest building in the world. It is 461.15 meters (1,513.0 ft) tall. It takes about 5 years to complete and the project completed in 2018 and officially opened in July 2018. This building has 3 levels of the observation deck, spanning from floor 79 to floor 81 and currently the highest observation deck in Vietnam.
Landmark 81 is the heart of the billion high-end mixed urban development of Vinhomes Central Park which located at the western banks of the Saigon River. This building comprises high-end retail spaces, multi-levels observation deck, conference facilities, hotel, and luxury apartments.
Landmark 81
The tallest of all the concretes
The name that everyone in the city mentioned
The place that everyone dream to step in
The concrete that made the nation proud
Landmark 81
The presence that struggles to live
The presence that many are waiting for
The presence that is adored and envied
The presence that gathers the will
Landmark 81
The tower that can be seen from afar
The tower that becomes the center of a gathering
The tower that becomes the observer of the city
The tower that brings the name of Vietnam to the world
Central Post Office which is in the heart of Ho Chi Minh City, is a remnant of French colonial times. It is located just opposite the Notre Dame Cathedral. The building was designed by a French architect named, Alfred Foulhoux. This building was also known as “The Hotel Des Postes”. It was built between 1886 and 1891. The design has an essence of French architecture with Khmer art influence in its roof ridge.
The Central Post Office has become the tourist attraction beside serving as a main post office. An authentic floor tiles design and the looping arches are the main attractive features of this building. A big portrait photo of Mr. Ho Chi Minh is hanged at the main wall and can be seen as you step in the building. The loop arches and traditional design of telephone boxes that are placed on the left and right at the entrance of the main hall, nostalgically reminds the visitor to the early era of telecommunication. As you enter the main entrance, you can see the mailing service counters are busy servicing the customers daily. Those who wants to buy souvenirs will have choices to choose from the souvenir shops at the center hall or either from the right or left wing of this building.
This sketch of the Central Post Office keeps the memory of me and my Indonesian friends celebrating the “Kartini’s Day”. We were all wearing kebaya in front of the Central Post Office and the hired photographer took our photo with the background of the Central Post Office. The Central Post Office has become one of an iconic building in Ho Chi Minh, therefore many people will keep their memoir in a photograph with the background of this iconic building.
What I love most about this building is its architectural design. This building has special element of façade that didn’t directly reflect the colonialism; hence it gives the Asian feeling when you look at it. The high ceiling with arches gives you the ambiance of a grand hall that combining the Europe and Asian cultures at one place. The reading street is located just beside this Central Post Office, where you will find book shops along the street. No vehicles are allowed to pass through this street. This street is dedicated to readers and visitors to walk and enjoy the ambiance of book garden along this street.
