Ho Chi Minh City – Top tourist city

Each year, Ho Chi Minh City welcomes million of visitors. As the busting financial and commercial center of the city, District 1 has many amusement parks, medium and high-class shopping areas as well as palatial 5-star hotels of international standards like Park Hyatt, InterContinental, Sheraton and New World. All are located in prime locations in the city, District 1.  Being well-designed and covering large area, the hotels become a symbol for the development of local tourism and make the city more prosperous. Being famous and recognized by famous tourist sites, those hotels are always the first choices of international travelers when setting foot in this land.

This place provides food, parties and other outdoor activities. Paintball Saigon attracts tourists not because of its luxury design, but a friendly environment. Besides, funny paintball is an attractive feature of this place. This game makes Paintball Saigon an irresistible attraction in Ho Chi Minh City, as reviewed by Tripadvisor. Before starting the game, instructors will introduce rules and how to use the tools as well as help us know how to best protect ourselves. Paintball has been presented in Australia for more than 20 years. Paintball Saigon has the system to protect players. In the first half, the team with more members hit will be the loser.

The Fito Museum was built from 2003 to 2007. The museum was established from the passion of the owner for the country’s traditional medicine. The museum gives visitors an overview of Vietnam’s traditional medicine from early days. 5 floors and 18 display rooms to visit different topics to introduce visitors about traditional medicine. This is the altar of medicine founders, the two well-known physician of Vietnam. On the left is the statue of Zen master – Physician Tue Tinh. His real name is Nguyen Ba Tinh. He lived in the 14th century. He’s known as the father of Vietnam’s traditional medicine. He found 499 medical herbs and wrote the book “The Miraculous Efficacy of Vietnamese Medicines”.

On the left is the statue of Hai Thuong Lan Ong – Le Huu Trac. All people know him, Hai Thuong Lan Ong means lazy old man in Thuong Hong Hamlet, Hai Duong Province. He lived in the 18th century. Tue Tinh is the founder of Vietnam’s traditional medicine and Hai Thuong Lan Ong is his successor who further promoted the traditional medicine to the Vietnamese community. He wasn’t interested in social position. After winning the degree of doctorate, he returned his homeland, lived in a temple and helped the poor and orphans and wrote many medicine books.

This is the area of precious medicine books written Sino-Vietnamese of ancient physicians. Proudly, the museum is keeping nearly 3,000 artifacts related to traditional medicine of Vietnam from the Stone Age to the present. We will admire these artifacts in today’s tour. The 5th floor of the museum is features with tiles printed with “Longevity” to pray for healthy life and longevity. Wooden frames are carved with the images of ginseng and herbs. Visiting the 5th floor, visitors can admire elaborately carved paintings of 15th typical physicians in the history of traditional medicine based on their personality and lifetime.

Cham people are an ethnic group of Vietnam. Cham people have used massage as a medical method for long. Cham people worship Ling Ga and Yoni, implying yin and yang. These symbols imply birth and growth. Yin and Yang are very important in medicine field. Cham people believe Linh Ga represents man and Yoni symbolizes woman. When yin and yang balance, people have good health.

Besides, there are many medicine-making tools like knives and chisels here. Visitors can try traditional outfit of ancient physicians and take photo. Boat-shaped grinding mill make dry drug into powder. This tool has been used since ancient times. It’s a simple and effective tool. It’s often made of wood, stone and especially iron. Visitors then can admire the lifelike sector of Chinese medicine with check-up desk, compartment closet, drug scales, mortars, abacus, prescription, etc.  All will give visitors exciting experience.

There are medicine jars with subtle patterns and colors. Alcohol drug has been a long-lasting tradition. According to oriental medicine, drug alcohol has good effect on blood system. The first things we can see at the 2nd floor are teapots which are used to make tea or to process herbs in hot water. People used to not distinguish tea and medicine. In “Notes of Going to the Capital”, Hai Thuong Lan Ong revealed that in Trinh’s palace, there is a separate building to take medicine. It’s called “tea room”. Bowls and cups are also used to take medicine.

Besides the teapots, there’re pots of different designs. Lime pots tell the owners’ status. Tourists also can admire scales of different periods, glass bottles, ancient drug cookers, eye-catching wine bottles and drug gourds. The 1st floor introduces a 15-minute movie summarizing the history of traditional medicine of Vietnam in the room designed like an institute of Royal Physicians. This is an ideal destination for those who want to learn about traditional medicine of Vietnam.

Located on Thanh Da peninsula, 8 kilometers from the city center to the north, Binh Quoi takes visitors back to the rural space of trees and flowers. Visitors will catch up with familiar rural areas like fresh lotus ponds, coconut trees silhouetted water along by riverbanks, etc. It is a unique peaceful space in the heart of noisy, boisterous Saigon. Located in the heart of Ho Chi Minh City and covering 3.5 hectares alongside two banks of Saigon River, Binh Quoi always has cool atmosphere. Unlike other amusement park, this rustic area especially attracts picnic maker. Green grass and friendly space make visitors feel like at home. Poetic landscape makes this area a miniature studio for wedding photo albums. 

“Food Reclaiming Southern Region” is an attractive food event at weekend in Binh Quoi. The entire dining area is designed in a space of southern rural market with over 100 popular dishes. Food is prepared on site and displayed in cottage, grass along the pond and in the garden. Visitors have many alternatives to choose. We can enjoy main course and snack of all kinds in plain bowls and dishes with simple decoration. Servicemen in traditional outfits are very enthusiastic and nice. The food atmosphere is open and friendly. Besides, visitors can enjoy emotional melodies of prosperous southern area of Vietnam.

Source: VTC10 - NETVIET