A Stroll Through Chinatown
Cho Lon neighborhood is a landmark in Ho Chi Minh City, stretching from District 5 to District 6 and part of District 11. HCMC. Through many ups and downs, the Chinese community's characteristics have been preserved in everything from house architecture to culinary taste to human lifestyle. You are cordially invited to embark on a journey to discover Cho Lon and its many fascinating destinations.
Breakfast on the bubbly street of Ha Ton Quyen
Ha Ton Quyen Street (District 11) has long been known as Ho Chi Minh City's "Bubbly Street." There are more than 20 large and small shops selling bubbly noodles along the road.
This is one of the famous delicious breakfast dishes that many Vietnamese people love. Bubbly is also a significant dish in Chinese food culture, representing good fortune and wealth. Starting the day with bubbly noodles is how Chinese people attract prosperity themselves. What's more, starting the journey to explore Cholon with such an intriguing dish!
Dumpling noodles are a combination of chewy golden noodles made by Chinese shop owners from whole wheat flour and fresh eggs, and baby dumplings filled with shrimp meat, minced pork, cabbage, and spices. Not only that, but in order for the dish to win people over, chefs prepare the broth of bubbly noodles by simmering the pre-processed tubular bones for many hours to extract the natural sweetness of bone marrow. When eating, you just need to season with a little Tiều vinegar, soy sauce, and satay to make sure "it's delicious!"
Visit Binh Tay market to experience the rhythm of small business life
Following a hearty breakfast, the next stop on your journey to discover Cho Lon should be Binh Tay Market (District 6), also known as the "New Big Market." The market was built by traders Guo Dam himself and opened in 1930.
The market has been restored three times since then, in 1992, 2006, and 2016, but it still retains nearly all of its original pristine architectural lines. The market is imprinted with Asian architectural style, constructed using modern Western techniques at the time, sophisticated with a multi-layered roof covered in tiles to help create airy spaces for the city's busiest market in the west. The pedestal of the merchant Guo Dam is located in the central courtyard of the market. Small merchants in the market come to light incense and pray for good business and trade to remember his merits.
When you visit Binh Tay market, you will be overwhelmed by the variety of goods available in all colors and sizes, ranging from cuisine to household appliances to clothing and shoes... The seller offered with the typical exuberant Saigonese voice, keeping the atmosphere inside the market always bustling.
At Thien Hau Pagoda, you can pray for peace
The serene space inside Ba Thien Hau Pagoda (District 5) is like a peaceful place for people to find after the stress of living in the heart of the city. In Cantonese beliefs, the temple, also known as "Ba Cholon Pagoda," is a place of worship for the Holy Mother. They believe that because of her protection, boats can sail safely, bringing them to the land of Saigon peacefully and overcoming the difficulties to settle down in the past. There is a strong sense of Chinese culture throughout the temple, from the architectural lines to the layout of the worship space. The embossed reliefs and decorative patterns carved on the temple's roof will teach you more about Thien Hau's classics.
From the architectural lines to the layout of the temple's worship space, there is a strong sense of Chinese culture. You can learn more about Thien Hau's classics by looking at the embossed reliefs and decorative patterns carved on the temple's roof.
The temple also houses a few ancient artifacts related to the life of the Chinese community, transporting you back to the days when Cholon was still in its infancy.
Every Tet holiday, Thien Hau Pagoda is crowded with people coming to pray and make vows, and it is filled with incense lamps. The temple was designated a National Monument of Art Architecture in 1993 and is one of the tourist attractions that visitors should see while exploring Cholon.
Taking a stroll through the streets of Oriental medicine
The famous Oriental medicine street of District 5, formed by the three routes of Liangshui, Shanghai Lang Ong, and Zhao Guangfu, is adjacent to Ba Thien Hau Pagoda and is regularly visited by many domestic and foreign tourists to visit and shop for medicinal herbs.
Walking down the street is like going to a scent party, with all sorts of perilla, marjoram, mint, beans, red apples, and cloves... the board looms over the canards. This is not only a tourist attraction, but it is also the country's largest neighborhood specializing in selling medicines and oriental medicine.
No one knows when the oriental medicine shops began, only that the trough dates back to when the Chinese arrived. For more than a century, the shops here have been passed down through generations of "hereditary." People working in the herbal medicine industry have become more diverse in recent years, and are no longer solely Chinese.
After visiting here, you can refuel with delicious dishes such as noodles, flour cakes, curry fish noodles, and so on at a few nearby eateries.
Immerse yourself in the "jewelry world."
Few tourists are aware that there is a street in Ho Chi Minh City HCM that specializes in trading gold, silver, and precious stones. This "rich" street, located in District 5, on The Tam and Nghia Thuc streets, is a place to honor gold craftsmanship and is also invested in and exploited by the district, developing into a shopping tourist destination for tourists from near and far.
Nhieu Tam - Nghia Thuc street was the largest jewelry trading center in Saigon - Cho Lon in the late 1980s. Every bright light shining from the flashy jewelry stores seemed to invite visitors to come in.
You can not only see the splendid jewelry works but also have the opportunity to participate in silver processing and jewelry-making classes that are directly guided by skilled craftsmen with many years of experience.
Take in a traditional lion dance (múa lân)
The program "About Cho Lon to watch lion dance," which was recently organized by District 5 at The Garden Mall on Hong Bang Street, brings visitors unique lion dance performances, most notably the majestic lion dance on Mai Hoa Thung.
The lion dance is a Chinese street folk dance art that conveys the message of good luck, happiness, and prosperity to everyone and every home. The lion performers' rhythmic, precise coordination in every step on the high iron pillars, or the movements of winking, ear-to-ear joy... they are all attractive features.
People in the city are usually only allowed to see lion dance performances during the traditional New Year, but now, vibrant lion dance performances will be performed on the second Saturday and Sunday of each month, with three performances at 17:30, 18:30, and 19:30, each session lasting 30 minutes. Coming here to enjoy the skilled lion dance skills of Vietnamese-Chinese artists and the delicious food for sale in the square will be an exciting way to end your journey to discover Cho Lon.
Source: Nguyễn Bảo