Ho Chi Minh City Retracing History & French Art

Ho Chi Minh City, earlier known as Saigon is a perfect medley of European architecture and south-east Asian lifestyle, adapting the nuances of a modern metropolitan city quite rapidly.

- Sudipto Roy

This was my second visit to Ho Chi Minh City and my ride to the hotel in District 1 to the Ho Huan Nghiep Street helped me recollect all that I had experienced a couple of years back. The roads were still motorcycle-choked; the fumes from the street food joints appeared even more delectable, while, in the narrow lanes,traditionally dressed men and women selling flowers and souvenirs, had the same charm in their smile. Undoubtedly, in a country that can be remembered for its hospitable people, Ho Chi Minh City serves as a perfect getaway for Indian travellers interested in the history of this otherwise timid country.

However, what looked distinctively different is the fast urbanisation of the country and the city in particular. From what I could recall from my trip in 2015, there has been a massive makeover of the city. New hotels, bars, art galleries and restaurants have sprung up in all possible corners of the city. Some of the under construction sites look promising despite adding a visual distraction at times. The city is still noisy but what has remained almost similar is the intent of the Vietnamese people to retain their culture in terms of the way they dress, the gestures and most importantly their innocent smile.

Floyd Cowan, a fellow journalist based in Singapore who has been visiting Ho Chi Minh City for the last 17 years said, "We have seen a lot of change over the years. The city has come from quite a small backward place to a thriving city now. It is perhaps the entrepreneurial skill of the people and the areas that we never visited in our earlier trips are now vibrant communities. I think Vietnam and especially Ho Chi Minh City has a lot to offer the world as a tourist destination. They just need to let the world know; how good the food is, how beautiful the country is and then they will really have a lot more tourists from all over the world."