The Jade Emperor Pagoda - 玉皇殿

Built in 1909 by a community of Cantonese Taoists from southern China, the Jade Emperor Pagoda is one of the most important sacred sites for Buddhists and Taoists in Saigon. Pinky and I visited the temple on a drizzly afternoon. It had been raining all day, and we had spent the morning ducking into the nearest cafe whenever the rain would begin pouring too heavily to continue. This temple is in District 1, but it's on the other side of the city center, about 4km from where we are staying. It turned out to be quite a walk in the rain!

The Jade Emperor Pagoda

The temple was busy, crowded with Vietnamese Taoists and Buddhists praying and lighting incense. A fish pond in front of the temple swam with huge, fat catfish, and incense burned from shrines all throughout the grounds. The temple interior was dark, lit only with the light of candles at the shrines and dim paper lanterns hanging in the halls. Curiously, we stepped inside.

small shrine with incense

The temple is dedicated to the Jade Emperor, the supreme god of heaven in Taoism. The serene and serious bearded deity is the ruler of heaven, chief of the Chinese pantheon, and the judge of mortal souls in Taoist belief. Many Chinese-style temples have a shrine to the Jade Emperor - even the Chinese temple in Bangkok has a representation that I am pretty sure is the Jade Emperor (although to be honest I don't know much about Chinese Buddhism, Taoism, or Confucianism. Most of my experience is with Theravada Buddhism, like in Thailand). This is the first temple I've ever been to though that's actually dedicated to the Jade Emperor.

Entering the temple, a shrine to the Jade Emperor looked down at us from the right-hand side. Across the entryway, Yama, the god of the underworld, faces him. Yama isn't seen as evil, but as a divine punisher. Buddhism and Taoism don't believe in an eternal hell, but in a period of suffering before moving on. It's something like the Catholic idea of Purgatory, I suppose.

The Jade Emperor in the central hall was wreathed in a thick cloud of fragrant incense. A half-dozen or so worshipers had crowded the small open space in front of the shrine, praying, burning incense, and dropping a few thousand dong into the donation box. The statue of the Jade Emperor was wrapped in a thick golden robe and wore a tall crown - all the trappings fit for the emperor of heaven.

the main shrine inside the temple

Even though the Jade Emperor Pagoda is primarily a Taoist temple, in Eastern Asia, there's not much distinction between the Triple Teaching (Buddhism, Taoism, and Confucianism). The temple has several shrines to Buddha, and a shrine to Maitreya, the Future Buddha.

Maitreya, the Future Buddha

Leaving the darkened central hall, we passed through a red stone corridor lit by paper lanterns to a small side shrine. A little old man sat on a stool in front of the shrine. As we hesitantly entered the room, he pressed a folded square of red paper into each of our hands. I looked at Pinky, unsure of what to do. She was just as lost as me. This ritual isn't a part of Thai Buddhism, or even one of the Chinese-Thai rituals that we very occasionally see in Bangkok.

red lanterns inside the halls

The old man, sensing our confusion, led us towards the shrine - a carved wooden statue of a small man wrapped in a robe and wearing a tall hat. The had was embroidered with Chinese characters meaning "at one glance, money is given". This statue represents the City God who bestows fortune and prosperity upon visitors. The old man, never speaking a word, could tell that Pinky and I didn't know what to do. He showed us how to perform the ritual by circling the tiny red square around the burning flame of the shrine's oil lantern. He then indicated that we should keep the paper for luck. I put mine in my wallet. It seems the proper place to keep a prosperity blessing.

the City God

The walls of the shrine are made of dark wood, and intricately carved with beautiful scenes and Chinese characters. Along a narrow hallway, a set of creaking wooden stairs led up to the second floor of the old temple.

a shrine to Guanyin

Upstairs, the stairs opened up onto another small shrine and a temple balcony overlooking the terraced rooftops and temple grounds.

at the top of the temple

We left the temple with a long walk ahead of us, but with a piece of lucky red paper in our pockets. The best part was, even though it's one of the city's most famous sites, it didn't cost a single dong to visit!

lucky Chinese characters

The Museum of Fine Arts

The Saigon Museum of Fine Arts has an impressive collection, but the building itself is something of a work of art as well. Originally built as a villa for the wealthy Hua family in 1929. The building was designed by a French architect, and is one of the most beautiful old buildings in District 1. Although it had fallen into a state of slight disrepair, the old villa was re-purposed in the 1980s to house the city's museum of fine arts, considered second only to the National Museum of Fine Arts in Hanoi.

Museum of Fine Arts

Although the old mansion has been redesigned into an art museum, many of the original fittings and fixtures were preserved. A particular favorite of mine is the original 1920s-era box elevator.

antique elevator

The museum boasts a great collection of ancient Buddhist artifacts, but the biggest exhibits are those of 20th-century art. Modern Vietnamese art is heavily influenced by both traditional rural life and the many wars that the country underwent during the 19th and 20th centuries.

art influenced by the war

The museum is located in District 1, the center of the city, and also the area where Pinky and I are staying during our time in HCMC. It was just a short walk along the wide, busy roads jammed with motorbikes to the old villa, which offered us a quiet place of peace and tranquility in the busy heart of Ho Chi Minh City.

inner courtyard

The museum has tried hard to preserve a lot of the original architecture, most impressively the original stained glass! It adds some color and a unique atmosphere to the exhibits.

modern art

Late 20th-century art highlights martyrs and heroes, workers, and the atrocities of war. A country's art is definitely very reflective of its culture, and modern Vietnam is heavily influenced by its war years.

war-era art

Even outside of the old villa, there's plenty of cool art to see. The surrounding grounds have lots of interesting statues.

heroic statue

We've already been in Ho Chi Minh City for a few weeks, but I don't feel like we've gotten to know the city yet at all. We lost some time with my catching a cold and the daily heavy monsoon rains. This is such a big city too, and it's hard to get around. Mostly we've been staying in District 1.

interior

The city is currently constructing a metro, which will make visiting HCMC a lot easier in the future. I actually really like the city! Although most of the cultural and historical sites are in Hanoi, making it the more interesting place to visit, Ho Chi Minh City is probably the nicer place to live. It's a more developed and modern city with lots of international businesses and expats.

spiral staircase

We've still got a few weeks left in Vietnam before we will head back to Bangkok for a while. I hope to see some more of the city before we go. It's been a really great and interesting three months, and I wouldn't trade them for anything!

beautiful interior with stained glass

It's still rainy, and the sky was dark and heavy again as we left the museum. Fortunately, Museum Coffee was there to save the day and keep us dry!

rest time

Inside the warm, dry coffee shop, we sat down for another cup of that delicious Vietnamese iced coffee. I love the stuff! Vietnam, more than anything, has made me into something of a coffee drinker!

a delicious cup of iced coffee on a dark, rainy day

Independence Palace

This is Saigon, now officially known as Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam's biggest and most modern city and the former capital of the Republic of Vietnam (South Vietnam).

Independence Palace

On a drizzly and surprisingly cool afternoon, Pinky and I took a self-guided tour of Independence Palace (now re-named Reunification Palace), the former residence and seat of power for the South Vietnamese President and a relic of the wild glory days of 1960's South Vietnam.

entrance to the palace

Originally built as Nordorom Palace as the residence of the French governor-general of Cochinchina, the palace was rebuilt into a massive 1960's retro-futuristic feng-shui fortress after Vietnam gained independence from France. The State of Vietnam, a constitutional monarchy with the last emperor Bao Dai as Head of State nominally ruled all of Vietnam for a short time from 1949 until 1955, although Ho Chi Min's Communist forces effectively controlled the northern half of the country. In 1955 the country split in two, and the Democratic Republic of Vietnam broke away from the Republic of Vietnam.

official dining room

Independence Palace is much larger, more modern, and more impressive than the Presidential Palace in the north. In fact, everything about it shows a South Vietnam that was stronger and much richer than its northern rival.

cabinet meeting room

Every room in Independence Palace is huge, with an open floor plan, tall windows, and elegant furnishings. The entire building was designed by a Feng Shui master, and from the air the building forms a Chinese character meaning "good fortune".

meeting chamber

Every furnishing in the palace was built with feng shui in mind. All the luck didn't seem to help the Republic of Vietnam in the end, however. Independence Palace was the site of the final attack during the Fall of Saigon in 1975, when a pair of tanks smashed through the palace gates, forcing the surrounded government to officially surrender.

Feng Shui carpet

The lower floors of the palace contain the cabinet chambers, official government meeting rooms, and offices for high-level ministers. The third floor, however, was the president's private chambers.

President's living quarters

The living quarters are still decorated with original furniture. It's very 60s and very cool.

President's bed room

The president even had a private cinema and game room. The game room was huge, with tables for all sorts of games from mahjong to casino games. Saigon was southeast Asia's party capital back in the day, and Independence Palace, it seemed, was the place to be. The president even renovated the designated rooftop meditation room to be a dance floor.

cinema

There's a helipad on the roof of the palace, just outside of the meditation room/dance floor. A South Vietnamese helicopter sits on display.

helipad

During the war, a North Vietnamese spy infiltrated the South Vietnamese air force and stole a fighter jet which he used to drop two bombs on the palace. Three place staff were killed, but the president and his family were safe. The bombing shook confidence in the South Vietnamese government. If they couldn't protect the president, how could they protect the country? Today, the roof of the palace is marked where the two bombs fell.

location of two bombs

There's a little snack shop on the roof in the old dance floor/meditation room. I had a beer as I stood on the rooftop on the cool misty afternoon, looking out over the lush green landscape of the palace. There's something sort of captivating about imagining old Saigon in its heyday. From the French colonial period through the 1970s, the palace would have been a place of high society and fun, even in the midst of a series of terrible wars.

cheers!

Just past the helicopter is a fortified stairway leading directly underground to the president's secure bunker. Like everything else in Saigon, the South Vietnamese bunker was much larger, more comfortable, and more modern than its northern counterpart.

escape route to underground bunker

The stairs lead down into a blast-proof underground bunker - the command center for South Vietnamese military operations.

communication's center

The president's office in the bunker had a phone with a direct line to the US embassy.

President's desk in the bunker

Still underground, but just outside of the fortified bunker area, is the palace shooting range. I guess it may have been used for military training for the guards at the palace.

shooting gallery

We exited from Independence Palace to walk around the gardens. From the outside, you can really get a feel for how big and imposing the building really is. Look at the windows. They are designed to resemble bamboo, which is a symbol of luck and prosperity. It's all part of the deeply-designed feng shui of the building.

exterior

Outside, you can see one of the tanks that smashed through the palace gates on the day that Saigon fell to Communist forces. When the attacking army arrived, the president (who had only assumed the post just hours before) was waiting patiently inside the palace to surrender. It was inevitable. By 1975, after the US withdrew from southern Vietnam, it was only a matter of months before the Communists were able to conquer all of South Vietnam.

tanks that smashed through the gates

They also have the plane that was responsible for the bombing of the palace.

the plane that bombed the palace

Look at the insignia. The Republic of Vietnam flag and air force insignia have been crossed out.

South Vietnamese insignia are crossed out

Independence Palace is a fascinating look at South Vietnam. It's the seat of power for a country that no longer exists. It really shows how strong, rich, and powerful South Vietnam was, especially compared to what we saw in Hanoi. Despite all of that, and even with US support, the Republic of Vietnam would fall to the Communists, who would unify the country into the modern Socialist Republic of Vietnam.

The palace is a symbol of luxury, society, and excess. In a way, it makes me wish I could see what life was like in Saigon back then. Even now, it's by far Vietnam's wealthiest and most highly-developed and modern city, even if it's no longer the capital. I really enjoyed visiting the palace for another reason as well. Unlike most museums in Vietnam that tend to be very one-sided, the history presented at this museum was really quite balanced and fair. I think it's always important to see both sides to every story.

Notre Dame Basilica and Central Saigon

Notre Dame Cathedral Basilica of Saigon

The Cathedral Basilica of Our Lady of The Immaculate Conception (Notre Dame), Saigon's most iconic landmark - and possibly one of the most iconic landmarks in all of Vietnam - stands proudly in the very center of the city. This 19th century Romanesque cathedral was constructed by the French colonial government of Cochinchina (southern Vietnam) as the seat of the Archbishop of Saigon.

Notre Dame

The cathedral is a popular site with tourists, and a very important spot for Vietnamese Catholics. It's even said to be the sight of a miracle! In 2005, it was reported that the statue of Mary in front of the cathedral was weeping tears, attracting Christians from all over Vietnam to visit the cathedral to witness the miracle. This hasn't been confirmed by the Vatican.

statue of Regina Pacis

Unfortunately for us, the cathedral is undergoing a massive three-year renovation from 2017-2020, and the inside is closed to visitors during this period. From what I've seen though, the cathedral has some really beautiful stained glass. I guess I'll just have to come back in a few years and see for myself!

Notre Dame Saigon

It looked like it was going  to rain soon, but we took the risk to walk around the cathedral anyway. It's huge! I really wish that I could have seen the inside. There are a lot of great sights to see in the city center, though, all clustered around the cathedral!

the side and back of the cathedral

Saigon Central Post Office

Just across the street from the cathedral is the Saigon Central Post Office. The historic building was built in a renaissance style during the colonial period to serve Cochinchina. It's still an active and busy post office today, but its also one of the city's most beautiful and popular sites to visit.

the central post office

Inside the post office, it's crowded and bustling. A portrait of Ho Chi Minh hangs from the wall, looking down over the people inside.

portrait of Ho Chi Minh

Along a wall, a bank of ATMs built into old wooden telegraph booths stand beneath an original hand-painted map of the telegraph lines of Cochinchina.

maps and bank of ATMs

A few fat raindrops were beginning to fall as we left the post office. Trying to beat the rain, we hurried down a nearby side street which looked like it had some covering. It turned out to be something pretty special too!

statues outside the post office

Book Street
We stumbled into the book street by accident. Lining this small alley were dozens of tiny little book shops and a cafe or two.

Book Street

This area of Saigon feels the most modern and urban. The city seems to be even more developed than Hanoi. There were even several shops with English book sections. That's not too surprising though. This part of town is home to lots of international business offices and foreign consulates.

a book shop

Saigon Opera House

Next, we passed the Saigon Opera House, which was constructed in 1900. It's still used for operas, plays, concerts, and other performances. For a time, the opera house was the seat of the lower house of government of the State of Vietnam and its successor the Republic of Vietnam (South Vietnam). After the reunification of Vietnam, the Opera House was restored and returned to its original purpose.

opera house

City Hall

Heading back to the hotel, we walked past the City Hall, probably one of the city's most important and recognizable landmarks. The City Hall, or more officially the "People's Committee Building", is another relic of the French colonial period. Originally constructed as the headquarters for the colonial government of the southern Vietnam, the city hall was renamed in 1975 after the fall of Saigon.

City Hall