01. Pay a visit to Cha Tam Church
Cha Tam Church is located on Hoc Lac Street, District 5, Saigon. In 1900 Cha Tam church was built and two years later it was completed. This is a temple built for the Chinese. Father Pierre d’Assou, whose Chinese name is Dam A To, transliterated as Tam An Su, is the one who built it. He was also the first father of the church.
The gate of the church has a roof of a knife, all carved in Chinese characters. This is designed in the style of a three-way gate, an architectural style commonly seen in palaces and temples. Especially on the two sides of the cross there are 2 fish symbolizing the image of “carp turning into a dragon”.
Father Tam died in 1935, his grave is located next to the entrance to the church. Inside the cathedral has the usual architecture like in other churches built by the French in Vietnam. However, the four pillars of the sanctuary are painted red, a characteristic of Chinese religious architecture.
Cha Tam Church is also known as the place where the President of the Republic of Vietnam at that time, Ngo Dinh Diem and his brother Ngo Dinh Nhu went to pray before being arrested by the coup forces and shot in 1963.
02. Explore the Binh Tay Market (Cho Lon Market)
Binh Tay Market is the largest wholesale market in Saigon with 12 gates, both the main gate and the side gate, designed by a Chinese merchant, so the market has Asian architecture, shaped like a Bagua. Binh Tay Market was built according to Eastern architecture but combined with modern Western techniques, so Binh Tay is considered the largest and most beautiful market in Saigon. This is also the place where the Chinese people gather and is also the main shopping center of the Chinese in Vietnam.
Binh Tay Market has so far had more than 80 years of existence and development. Although facing fierce competition when the market develops supermarket systems and fashion stores, … but Binh Tay market has always maintained its position, always being the largest wholesale hub in Saigon.
03. Discover the Aquarium Wholesales market
Luu Xuan Tin ornamental fish market in District 5. There are dozens of aquarium shops close together, specializing in trading all kinds of ornamental fish, aquatic life, and a lot of aquarium accessories. Luu Xuan Tin aquarium market is known by many brothers as the oldest aquarium fish market in Saigon.
Although Luu Xuan Tin Street, District 5 is only a few hundred meters long, it is almost always busy with trade. Because many aquarists come to support and buy fish accessories. According to some small traders, this market was born before 1975. This is also the place for the owners of aquarium shops in the HCMC area to come and get goods at wholesale prices.
When you come to this market, you will easily find many different types of fish. The most popular are guppies, three-tailed fish, squawking fish, fairy fish, etc. To more expensive and rare fish such as Arowana, discus, snapper, arhat. The most expensive is the mighty arowanas. You’ve probably never heard of this fish. Cheap, a few million. As for those who are especially rare, sometimes billions of dollars are normal.
In addition to ornamental fish, shops on Luu Xuan Tin street also provide machinery and accessories to support fish farming. Most of the small businesses here will open at about 8 am and close at 6 pm. However, the later in the afternoon, the more customers come to buy. Saigon people often take advantage of coming home from work to shop for equipment for fish farming. Besides, this long-standing aquarium market is also a place to work for young people. Mainly working and taking care of fish species. Salary ranges from 5 to 6 million VND/month (250 USD/month)
04. Get lost in Phung Hung local market
Phung Hung Market (District 5, Ho Chi Minh City) is also known as Capital Market (rich market). This venue is located next to the Art Theater of Sing Boi. Both Chinese and Vietnamese dishes are sold here, but traditional Chinese dishes from more than 20 years without changing owners still make up the majority.
This is the only market in Vietnam that serves a variety of Chinese cuisines, and you can also easily meet many Vietnamese-Chinese people who have lived and worked in this historic land for a long time, let’s enjoy street food at Phung Hung Market whenever you travel to Ho Chi Minh City.
05. Feeling the local vibes at Quan Am Pagoda
In the heart of bustling Chinatown, Quan Am Pagoda (also known as On Lang’s Assembly Hall) is like a quiet note connecting the vibrant rhythm of life with the peaceful spiritual domain of people. Quan Am Pagoda is one of the oldest pagodas built by the Chinese associated with the formation and development of the land of Saigon – Gia Dinh. The temple was built in 1740 (the year of Qianlong of the Qing dynasty) with wooden and stone architecture, built in the style of temples and shrines of the Phuoc Kien people. Besides incense sticks, cooking oil is one of the indispensable offerings when people come to worship at this temple.
Explore more this post: 12 Awesome Things to Do in Chinatown (Cho Lon) Saigon – Vietnam
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