English for Tourism 2

Installations by Trong Gia Nguyen, Food for thought, will be presented at Galerie
Quynh (65 De Tham, D1. HCMC) till March 14, including hand-decorated ‘cakes’
with personalised texts, writing on plates of ‘spaghetti and meatballs’ and transparent
bags containing rice grains with words on them. What food says and what is inferred.
Born in Saigon in 1971, Trong Gia Nguyen graduated from the university of South
Florida. His works have been seen in Iceland, Havana and New York.
Singing with a twist
Singer Summer Mencher, from Sand Diego, California, describes
her music as a mix of Incubus and Tori Amos, with a twist. Her
repertoire includes Middle Eastern tones, unique harmonic twists
and turns, with an occasional rock and hip-hop edge. Park Hyatt
Hotel, Saigon, nightly except Tuesdays, 8pm till late, till 13 April.
Burning effigies
Thien Hau pagoda at 710 Nguyen Trai St. D.5, HCMC, is one of
the oldest Chinese pagodas in Saigon. Many Chinese people are
expected to come to its festival at on 17 April ( 8am – 5pm),
where they will admire effigies of Ong Thien ( The Good God)
and Ong Ac ( The Evil God), each some 3m long. The effigies are ritually burned at
the end of the festival.
(Extracted from THE GUIDE – April 2009)
The most popular museum for tourists seems to be the War
Remnant Museum, 28 Vo Van Tan. There is a good
collection of military equipment outside, and on the inside are
rooms with pictures mostly of war crimes, the results of the
use of Agent Orange, torture, and other unsavory items. A model of the infamous tiger
cages gives a good idea of how some political prisoners were housed. A walk through
take about two hours and a strong stomach. There is a small admission fee.
Stores
In addition to the Central Market and The Old Market,the Russian
Market store , on the south corner of Le Loi and Nguyen Hue is
also popular. Basically a group of private concessions, you can
find almost anything , from books and bicycles to stationery and VCDs at marked
prices. One block down Le Loi towards the Central Market is the intershop, which
was the first true supermarket in Saigon. Aside from these two giants, most of the
shops and stores in the city are family operations, set up on the ground floors of
houses. For a Western style experience , try Diamond Plaza on Le Duan St. near Notre
Dame Cathedral. Three floors with escalators, plus a bowling alley.
( Extracted from SAIGON – a guide book)
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