After a quick photo op, we continued on with our evening stroll. We were supposed to take a cab from Pham Ngu Lao all the way to Tôn Đức Thắng. But we decided to just walk all the way. And with our efforts, we were able to reach the Saigon river after 30 minutes.

Tôn Đức Thắng is situated along the edge of the Saigon River. This is where several brightly-lit floating restaurants are docked at night (all waiting for tourists to carry down the river). Rubel and I were supposed to have dinner in one of the ships. But we opted out since the rates were too expensive. 

Not to sound bitter though. But the view wasn't that spectacular either. The river looked very much polluted, given all the floating trash and plants. It actually reminded me of Pasig River.

Anyway, plans of having dinner while cruising through the Saigon River was cancelled. So what now? Well, we just wandered around the nearby streets in search of a cheap place to eat in --- only to see ourselves adjacent to the famed Opera House. 

And if that wasn't enough, we saw the Rex Hotel and the City Hall as well. It was a good thing that we did this tour at night, since all three edifices looked more alive and more vibrant during nightfall. And if it wasn't sheer luck, my camera battery died right after taking a few snapshots of the beautiful Ho Chi Minh City Hall.

When we were done capturing all those precious moments, we did another 20 minute walk (with a side trip to a Billabong Shop nearby) back to Bùi Viện, to check out this nice buffet place for dinner. And then capped the night off with some Italian food and Red Saigon Beers. It was a tiring yet fulfilling day.

Explore & Be Free!

Mai