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TRAVELLIVE 2-2016

I have a three-year old daughter. To teach her basic science knowledge, I always play some interesting games with her. One of her most favorite games is “raining ice cube”. We put an ice cube above a glass of a little hot water. Some seconds later, tiny water droplets will fall down like a lovely “rain”. February comes, new season greets us with drizzling rain whose tiny droplets dampen our hair and shoulders, running down our windows and blurring the world across the pane. Once my daughter woke up early in the morning and pressed her face against the glass pensively, and asked me “Mommy Mommy, there are some ice cubes on our roof, right? Our house is warmer so it rains like this, huh?”

I have a three-year old daughter. To teach her basic science knowledge, I always play some interesting games with her. One of her most favorite games is “raining ice cube”. We put an ice cube above a glass of a little hot water. Some seconds later, tiny water droplets will fall down like a lovely “rain”. February comes, new season greets us with drizzling rain whose tiny droplets dampen our hair and shoulders, running down our windows and blurring the world across the pane. Once my daughter woke up early in the morning and pressed her face against the glass pensively, and asked me “Mommy Mommy, there are some ice cubes on our roof, right? Our house is warmer so it rains like this, huh?”

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Text: Cac Truc Photos: Huynh Thuan, Tron Le<br />

HCMC Hop On Hop Off is the perfect<br />

tour for those who wish to discover Saigon<br />

at their own pace, rather than following<br />

any itinerary.<br />

Featuring 16 stops, the Hop On - Hop<br />

Off tour will be the most interesting in<br />

the early spring when Saigon, bursting<br />

with flowers and decorations, breathes<br />

fresh airy.<br />

The first destination on the Hop On- Hop<br />

Off route is the Ben Thanh Market, which<br />

is over 100 years old. This market ranks<br />

no.15 in the world’s top 45 food markets<br />

and is one of the ten places featuring the<br />

greatest street foods on earth.<br />

Next, the Hop On - Hop Off bus will<br />

take you to HCMC People’s Committee<br />

building, the opera house, Skydeck Tower,<br />

and Nguyen Hue walking street. Right<br />

in front of the City People’s Committee<br />

is Nguyen Hue Street. During the Tet<br />

holiday, the walking street wears a new<br />

coat of flowers, offering you a unique<br />

experience in the first days of the<br />

New Year.<br />

The Saigon Skydeck is the next stop on<br />

your journey. Situated on the 49 th floor of<br />

the Bitexo building, at 178m high, Saigon<br />

Skydeck offers an ideal space to drink in a<br />

panoramic view of the city.<br />

If you want to enjoy a combination<br />

of architecture and history, then<br />

Independence Palace and Notre Dame<br />

will impress. Independence Palace, is a<br />

celebrated architecturally rich building<br />

from Saigon’s past. All architectural<br />

details represent ancient, esoteric<br />

philosophies of oriental culture and<br />

Vietnamese national characteristics.<br />

Meanwhile, Notre Dame is unique as all<br />

materials used to construct the church<br />

were imported from France. The church<br />

features two bell towers with 6 bells that<br />

were once the largest of its time.<br />

Chinatowns have been established in<br />

many countries around the world from<br />

South Asia and Southeast Asia, to North<br />

America, Australia and Europe. Each has<br />

its own distinctions feeding your curiosity.<br />

Cho Lon, the “Chinatown of Saigon” is a<br />

paradise for foodies.<br />

Other must-visit attractions on Hop On<br />

Hop Off’s itinerary include Thien Hau<br />

and Ong Pagodas and Cha Tam Church.<br />

The 16 stops offer hundreds of fascinating<br />

discoveries and insights about Saigon, both<br />

a city studded with classical, history and a<br />

buzzing modern metropolis.<br />

(HOP ON HOP OFF HCMC<br />

* 275F Pham Ngu Lao, Dist. 1, HCMC<br />

* Tel: 1900 1803)<br />

3 MAIN ROUTES: No.1: City center,<br />

No.2: Cho Lon area and No.3: Airport<br />

Shuttle. For further information and updates,<br />

please visit www.hopon-hopoff.vn<br />

ü Operating hours: 8h00-21h30 (city tour),<br />

21h30 -8h30 (+1) the next morning<br />

(Airport Shuttle)<br />

ü Planned price: VND199,000 (24h) and<br />

VND299,000 (48h)<br />

ü Hop On - Hop Off buses run every 30<br />

minutes<br />

ü Pick up and drop off points: Pham Ngu<br />

Lao - De Tham (Dist. 1)<br />

ü Electronic audio guides available in:<br />

Vietnamese, English, French, Chinese,<br />

Japanese, Spanish, and Korean.<br />

38<br />

<strong>TRAVELLIVE</strong>

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