Tan Dinh Church in District 3 (Photo: VNA) Hanoi (VNA) – Global Magazine Timeout has recently named Ho Chi MinhCity’s District 3 among top 50 coolest neighbourhoods in the world.
Timeout described Ho Chi Minh City as a jewel that blends French colonialhistory with a robust street food culture and rapid modern development. Thecity is divided into 24 numbered districts, with District 3 portrayed as abuzzing but less well-trodden neighbourhood.
Discovering the district, where exciting new developments coexist with a senseof history, visitors will find colonial-era churches and villas alongsideBuddhist pagodas, and some of the city’s most renowned street food stalls. Fora night out, Timeout suggested visitors head to one of the district’s livemusic mainstays which attract hip locals and a few of the more adventuroustourists.
District 3 is also praised for having some of the best seafood on earth, whichcan be found on Nguyen Thuong Hien street, also known as “snail street” – aworld-famous thoroughfare of fresh snails and shellfish in a variety ofpreparations from noodles to soup.
The magazine said HCM City was once a bona fide rock and rolltown, and vestiges of that culture still remain at bars like Yoko Café inDistrict 3, a favourite of locals and expats alike, where local bands take thestage with live rock, jazz and more heavy sounds.
Visitors to the district should not miss one of the city’s most iconiclandmarks, the bright pink Tan Dinh Church, which was built by the French inthe late 19th century. Beyond its eye-grabbing colour, it is worthvisiting for its gorgeous gothic architecture, Timeout recommended.
Regarding accommodation, the magazine suggested visitors skip the big chainsand opt for the exceptionally well-trimmed, French-inspired Bach Suites Saigon.Every room there comes with a king-sized bed plus a dining and living room andkitchenette, and it steps away from Turtle Lake, a popular local hang.
Based on a survey ofmore than 27,000 city-dwellers around the world on factors such as food, drink,culture, music and nightlife, the Timeout’s list hopes to help travelers toexperience a city as if they were a local.
Other localities on the list include Arroios inPortugal’s Lisbon, Shimokitazawa in Japan’s Tokyo, Onikan in Nigeria’s Lagosand Wedding in Germany’s Berlin.
Ho Chi Minh City greeted more than 6.2million foreign visitors in the first nine months of 2019, representinga year-on-year increase of 14.3 percent, according to the municipal Departmentof Tourism.
The city’s tourism sector earned 108.3 trillion VND (over 4.6 billionUSD) in revenue in the reviewed period, up 7.4 percent from the same periodlast year.
The department said the sector is stepping upthe application of information technology in managing and processing relevantdocuments, while operating online public services to handle administrativeprocedures in thefield.
Attention has been also paid to tourismpromotion activities, towards luring more tourists to the city./.
VNA
