The Saigon Zoo & Botanical Gardens, one of the oldest such parks in the world, shares its urban campus with a wonderful history museum.
Tag Archives: Ho Chi MInh City
29. My Life as a Chef
When COVID-19 reared its ugly head in early 2020, the educator-author began to scramble for other means of supporting his lifestyle. He liked to eat: Why not become a chef?
26. The Bleak Legacy of War
Ho Chi Minh City’s most profoundly emotional collection is displayed at its War Remnants Museum, where visitors learn more than they wanted about what is called the American War.
Saigon Soars into the 21st Century
Sharing a link from the East West News Service, which published this feature in March 2021.
24. Celebrating Tét
Vietnam’s biggest annual holiday celebration is Tet, the lunar new year. It’s kind of like Thanksgiving, Christmas and New Year’s Day rolled into one.
21. My Motorcycle Song
Ho Chi Minh city can be a lonely place if you’re not ready to climb aboard a motorbike. But beware the crosswalks.
20. Flying High in Mui Né
The Vietnamese beach town of Mui Ne is one of the best places in Southeast Asia to take up the sports of kite surfing and paragliding.
15. Kindergarten Pop
English teaching is big business in Vietnam, where it seems everyone wants to learn the world’s most widely spoken language. But it can be a challenge for a novice instructor.
12. No Thanksgiving? No Problem
Where does an expatriate eat Thanksgiving dinner when it’s being served half a world away? There is a plethora of international restaurant options in Ho Chi Minh City.
10. Hem Sweet Hem
The author finds a place to live in central Ho Chi Minh City. It may not be charming, but it’s definitely quaint. …
9. My Brilliant (Acting) Career
Having once appeared in a school play, the author decides to explore a career in acting. The audition went smoothly, and then …
6. Stacking the Dominoes
New challenges: Finding a job, negotiating money and visa crises, and making new and old friends to help ease the transition to a new life. …
5. Uncle Ho
Hô Chí Minh may be a villain in the Western world, but in Vietnam, he’s the greatest patriot in the nation’s history.
4. Learning the City
A brief tour introduces some of the sights of Ho Chi MInh City, including the Bitexco Tower, the Notre-Dame Cathedral, the Central Post Office and the Jade Emperor Pagoda.
3. The Invisible Man
Ho Chi Minh City, especially the Go Vap district, made John’s first month in Vietnam a cultural challenge. And he was going back to school.
2. Making the Move
It wasn’t easy to make a major life change at 69. Perseverence, inspiration and the knowledge of Asian expats helped to make possible the jump to Vietnam.
Travels in Vietnam 