Vietnam - The Rough Guide to Southeast Asia on a Budget - page 901

DIRECTORY
Banks and exchange ANZ, 11 Me Linh Square; HSBC,
235 Dong Khoi; Vietcombank, 29 Chuong Duong and 17
Chuong Duong. Outside normal banking hours, try the
Donga Bank exchange bureau at 187 Pham Ngu Lao
(Mon-Sat 7.30am-1pm & 1.30-7.30pm) or the exchange
bureau at 1A Nguyen An Ninh (daily 8am-8pm).
Embassies and consulates Australia, Landmark
Building, 5b Ton Duc Thanh T 08 35218100; Canada, 9th
floor, The Metropolitan, 235 Dong Khoi T 08 38279899;
China, 39 Nguyen Thi Minh Khai T 08 38292457; USA, 4 Le
Duan T 08 35204200.
Hospitals and clinics International SOS Clinic, 65
Nguyen Du ( T 08 38298520; W internationalsos.com),
has a 24hr emergency service, and international doctors
who speak English; they also have a dental clinic.
International Medical Centre, 1 Han Thuyen ( T 08
38272366, W cmi-vietnam.com), is a non-profit hospitali-
zation centre staffed by English-speaking French doctors,
with a 24hr emergency service and profits subsidizing
operations for underprivileged children.
Pharmacies Several around the Pham Ngu Lao area,
including at 65 Bui Vien. Also at 156 Pasteur and 105
Nguyen Hue.

to enjoy a pre-dinner cocktail and pizza; head upstairs for
the live music and DJ sets. Daily 4pm-midnight.

TRADITIONAL ENTERTAINMENT
Hoa Binh Theatre 3 Thang 2 T 08 38653353, W nhahat
hoabinh.com.vn. Regular performances of modern and
traditional Vietnamese music, as well as traditional theatre
and dance.
Saigon Water Puppet Theatre History Museum,
Nguyen Binh Khiem. This very Vietnamese form of
entertainment is way more fun than Punch and Judy, with
the watery stage adding a measure of magic to the show
performed with beautifully carved wooden puppets (daily
at 9am, 10am, 11am, noon, 2pm, 3pm and 4pm; 20min).

SHOPPING
Art Galleries specializing in replicas of famous originals
abound in HCMC, especially along Nguyen Hue. You can
buy prints of vintage communist propaganda posters at
the Hanoi Gallery, 79 Bui Vien.
Books HCMC's best bookshop is Fahasa, at 40 Nguyen
Hue and 60-62 Le Loi, which has a good range of new
English-language titles. Binh Anh (147-149 Bui Vien) and
Thai Nhi (40/4 Bui Vien) both have a decent selection of
second-hand books.
Clothes For quirky Vietnam-themed T-shirts, check out
Ginko (Life's Too Shirt) at 54-56 Bui Vien and 10 Le Loi. For
tailoring, try Zakka at 134 Pasteur. Mai's at 132-134 Dong
Khoi does hand-stitched designer clothing and accessories.
Handicrafts For lacquerware, ceramics, hand-embroidered
household goods and other souvenirs, try the Ben Thanh
Market or Mai Handicrafts at 298 Nguyen Trong Tuyen - a
fair trade shop selling ethnic fabrics, and other gifts, the
proceeds from which support street children.
Markets The city's biggest market is Cho Ben Thanh, at
the junction of Tran Hung Dao, Le Loi and Ham Nghi, with
everything from conical hats, basket-ware bags, Da Lat
coffee and Vietnam T-shirts to buckets of eels and pigs'
ears and snouts. Dan Sinh Market at 104 Yersin sells army
surplus gear, so pick up rain ponchos and mosquito nets
here, as well as combat boots.

11

DAY TRIPS FROM HO CHI
MINH CITY
he single most popular trip out of the
city takes in two of Vietnam's most
memorable sights: the Cu Chi tunnels ,
for twenty years a bolt hole, first for Viet
Minh agents, and later for Viet Cong
cadres; and the weird and wonderful
Cao Dai Holy See at Tay Ninh, the
fulcrum of the country's most charismatic
indigenous religion. Most HCMC travel
agents combine these two sights, with
tours costing $12-17 (not including
entrance to the tunnels); the two
attractions combined take a whole day
to visit.

WHAT'S ON IN HCMC
Several publications carry listings
information: try the monthly Vietnam
Economic Times ' supplement The Guide ,
The Word HCMC ( W wordhcmc.com),
the weekly Vietnam Investment Review 's
supplement Time Out ($2.50) and Asia Life
HCMC ( W asialifehcmc.com). These feature
HCMC listings, reviews and useful travel
tips, and are widely available in bars, hotels
and backpacker cafés around the city.

The Cu Chi tunnels
During the American War, the villages
around the district of Cu Chi supported a
substantial Viet Cong (VC) presence.
Faced with American attempts to
neutralize them, they quite literally dug
themselves out of harm's way, and the
legendary Cu Chi tunnels were the result.
By 1965, 250km of tunnels crisscrossed
Cu Chi and the surrounding areas. he
tunnels could be as small as 80cm wide