Vietnam - The Rough Guide to Southeast Asia on a Budget - page 897

followed by the Funan civilization, then
the Cham, the Khmer and the
Vietnamese, through to the end of
French rule by means of a thorough
collection of artefacts and pictures.

market offering freshly prepared Chinese
dishes and snacks.
Quan Am Pagoda , on tiny Lao Tu, has
ridged roofs encrusted with “glove-puppet”
figurines and gilt panels at the doorway
depicting scenes from traditional Chinese
court life. Nearby at 184 Hung Vuong is
Phuoc An Hoi Quan Temple , which has
menacing dragons and sea monsters on its
roof, and a superb woodcarving of jousters
and minstrels over the entrance.

Jade Emperor Pagoda
he spectacular Jade Emperor Pagoda , 73
Mai hi Lu (daily 7am-6pm), was built
by the city's Cantonese community in
around 1900. It captivates with its
exquisite panels of carved gilt woodwork
and a panoply of Taoist and Buddhist
deities beneath a roof that groans under
the weight of dragons, birds and animals.
Inside, a statue of the Jade Emperor lords
it over the main hall's central altar, amid
clouds of joss-stick smoke, monitoring
entry into Heaven, and his two keepers
- one holding a lamp to light the way for
the virtuous, the other wielding an
ominous-looking axe - are on hand to aid
him. To the right of the main hall, a
rickety flight of steps runs up to a
balcony, behind which is set a neon-
haloed statue of Quan Am, a female saint
in Buddhist tradition, known as Quan
Yin in Chinese. Left out of the main hall
stands Kim Hua, to whom women pray
for children, and in the larger chamber
behind you'll find the Chief of Hell
alongside ten dark-wood reliefs depicting
all sorts of punishments awaiting evil
people in the Ten Regions of Hell. If
you're lucky, you may spot black-clad
acolytes playing xylophones.

ARRIVAL AND DEPARTURE
By plane Tan Son Nhat Airport ( W tsnairport.hochiminhcity
.gov.vn) is 7km northwest of the centre. There are several
currency exchange counters with similar rates as you exit
the arrivals hall and counters where you can purchase local
pre-paid SIM cards. ATMs are next to the baggage carousels
and inside the domestic terminal. Saigon Airport Taxis wait
in front of the international terminal, while Sasco Taxi have
monopoly over the domestic terminal; if you book with the
taxi counters inside the international arrivals hall, it's a set
fee of 190,000-200,000VND to District 1; domestic terminal
taxis tend to use meters. Reputable companies include
Vinasun and Mai Linh (beware of similarly-spelled imperso-
nators). A cheaper option is to get a xe om (80,000-
100,000VND) from outside the airport gates; agree on the
price before setting off.
Destinations Buon Ma Thuot (3 daily; 1hr); Da Lat (4 daily;
50min); Da Nang (10 daily; 1hr 10min); Hanoi (10 daily;
2hr); Hue (6 daily; 1hr 20min); Nha Trang (6 daily; 1hr);
Phu Quoc (8 daily; 1hr); Quy Nhon (daily; 1hr 25min); Rach
Gia (daily; 40min).
By bus There are three large intercity bus terminals. Buses
for the north (Da Lat, Nha Trang, Buon Ma Thuot) run from
Mien Dong bus station, 5km north of the city on Quoc Lo
13. Express buses depart from the east side and local ones
from the west. Most buses from the Mekong Delta (My Tho,
Can Tho, Chau Doc, Ha Tien, Rach Gia) use Mien Tay bus
station, 10km west of the centre. Buses to Cu Chi depart
from An Suong bus station in District 12 but are not
worth using as there are competitively priced tour buses
departing from the much more convenient District 1.
The vast majority of travellers opt for open-tour buses
that have scheduled daily departures from budget travel
companies in District 1. All stop at the main tourist
destinations north of HCMC such as Da Lat, Mui Ne, Nha
Trang, Hoi An, Da Nang, Hue and Hanoi.
Destinations Buon Ma Thuot (9hr); Can Tho (4hr); Chau
Doc (6-7hr); Da Lat (7-8hr); Da Nang (21hr); Hanoi
(42hr); Ha Tien (8hr); Hue (27hr); Mui Ne (5hr); My Tho
(1hr 30min); Nha Trang (10hr); Rach Gia (6hr).
By train The train station, Ga Saigon, is 3km northwest of
town at 1 Nguyen Thong in District 3. A xe om will take

11

Cho Lon
he dense cluster of streets comprising
the Chinese ghetto of Cho Lon is linked
to the city centre by 5km-long Tran
Hung Dao and best reached by cyclo or a
bus to Huynh hoai Yen, on Cho Lon's
western border. he full-tilt mercantile
mania here is breathtaking, and from its
beehive of stores, goods spill exuberantly
out onto the pavements. If any one place
epitomizes Cho Lon's vibrant
commercialism, it's Cho Binh Tay on hap
Muoi Binh Tay, near the bus terminus.
he market's corridors are abuzz with
stalls offering everything from dried fish
and chilli paste to pottery and bonnets.
he ground floor hosts an excellent food