Exploring the beauty of Vietnam & celebrating its splendor! ♥

Feeling happy and blessed to explore the beauty of Vietnam...

to revel in Ho Chi Minh City's urban energy set amidst nostalgic vestiges of Saigon.

Vietnam enchants with timeless landscapes and rich culture...♥

Saigon Notre-Dame Basilica

Peaceful and somber, the Notre Dame Cathedral in Ho Chi Minh City is an easy place to escape the maniacal buzz of motorbikes for a few minutes.

Constructed by the French in the 1800s, the Notre Dame Cathedral in Ho Chi Minh City appears strangely out of place with its Gothic and Roman-style architecture.

Twin towers reaching to 190 feet capture the interest of people strolling by.

No matter what religious preference you may have, one can't help but think of how many prayers for peace, victory, and survival were offered inside the cathedral throughout Vietnam's war-ravaged past.

Construction of the Notre Dame Cathedral in Ho Chi Minh

The entire cathedral in Ho Chi Minh City was constructed entirely with materials brought from France;
the red bricks came from Marseille.
Most of the original tiles still bear markings from France, although many new tiles have replaced the ones damaged during the war.

Notre Dame Cathedral had meager roots as the "Saigon Church" ~ a small, wooden church constructed by French colonists in 1863 on the site of an abandoned Vietnamese pagoda.
Termites eventually claimed the structure ~ which was too small, anyway ~ so bids were accepted for a new design.
A French architect named J. Bourad won the contest with his bold, neo-Roman design and began construction on October 7, 1877.

The present-day Notre Dame Cathedral in Ho Chi Minh City was completed on Easter Day in 1880.
The prominent twin bell towers were not added until 1895 along with six bronze bells.
In 1962, the cathedral was upgraded in status and the name changed from "Saigon Chief Cathedral" to "Saigon Notre-Dame Cathedral Basilica."

A Miracle at the Notre Dame Cathedral

The Notre Dame Cathedral in Ho Chi Minh City was thrown into the spotlight when in October 2005, a statue of the Virgin Mary situated in front of the church reputedly shed tears.
The phenomenon attracted thousands of people and stopped city traffic.

The Catholic Church in Vietnam's official stance is that the statue did not shed tears, no matter what the claim by scores of witnesses.

Visiting the Notre Dame Basilica

With a central location in Ho Chi Minh City, the Notre Dame Cathedral is easy enough to visit when strolling between popular stops such as the War Remnants Museum and the Reunification Palace.
The cathedral occupies a block just northeast of the Reunification Palace at the intersection of Dong Khoi Street and Pasteur Street ~ near the Central Post Office.

(*Incidentally, one of my favorite streets in HCMC is Pasteur Street. Why? Because here, you will find numerous nice shops, restaurants, art galleries, and so many interesting places!) ☺

A couple was having their pre-nup pictures taken outside the Notre Dame Cathedral while we there...
and the 'hopeless romantic' me couldn't help but take a shot or two of the young-looking Vietnamese couple (albeit with permission, of course!), heheh. ♥

City Hall

Originally called "Hotel de Ville" and now formally renamed as the "People's Committee Hall", the structure is a striking cream and yellow French colonial building that is magnificently floodlit at night.

Rex Hotel

Re-opened as a hotel in 1975, the colonial-era Rex Hotel was originally a 1920's French garage.

In 1960, it was bought by King Bao Dai and leased to the US government.

The Vietnam War saw the fifth-floor rooftop bar as a favorite haunt of foreign correspondents and high-ranking military officials.

More than 30 years later, its patronage has been replaced by businessmen and high-end tourists.

After dark, elephant statuettes and the classic Rex Hotel crown are visible beyond the palm trees, from the streets below ~ where one can enjoy open-air views of the central Nguyen Hue and Le Loi boulevards, the colonial grandeur of the Opera House and People's Committee buildings, and the neon signs of nearby hotels and shopping centers.

peaceful green spaces lined with shade trees and park benches

Hmm, "SHY?" ☺

~ A Vietnamese street sweeper demurely hides her face under her hat as I was taking pictures in this beautiful park.

(Take note: she had a Coach bag [never mind if it's not 'original'? kidding, heheh] and was drinking a C2 Iced Tea drink ~ quite 'sosyal' compared to our very own metro aide street sweepers in the Philippines? LOL) ☺

I've made new friends during our trip:

Canadian couple Ava and Ethan

~ travel bugs like us who also fell in love with the beauty of Vietnam. ♥

(me squinting because of the glare of the sun!) ☺

I just love their parks in Vietnam!
Even my Tito Albert noticed that anywhere we went, there were parks almost everywhere.
Here, I took a picture of the weeping willow trees ~ I think they're romantic, especially with all those leaves 'bending down'... ♥
(Note: A young Vietnamese girl riding a bike passed by when I took this pic!) ☺