曾經的西貢: 風華是一指流沙，蒼老是一段年華/ The Former Saigon: Youth is a flow of quicksand, aging is a period of time

一直以來，每當在旅行的途中，最吸引我的除了哪些景點外，就是這街邊的風景了。我常幻想「情人」中殖民時期的年輕法國女孩，或是美軍占領後越南時期的西貢小姐，在這塊土地上的心情。

What attracts me the most is the street view in the city beside the sightseeing spots. I imagined how the young lady of "the lovers" and the Miss Saigon felt when they lived in the time of French colonisation or the invention of US army. 

 And abandoned French-style mansion in HCMC/ 胡志明市裡一棟法是建築廢棄樓房

正在興起的越南，他的經濟大成是胡志明市，充斥著許多新建的大樓，以及很多富有的家庭會帶著家人在高級的餐廳裡面享用著精緻的佳餚。也充斥著許多歐美的觀光客在這裡用比自己國家低廉的價錢享受著很好的生活。精品百貨飯店林立的城市中，我在街邊看到了一張張與我所敘述恰恰矛盾的臉孔，在努力地討生活。

Vietnam's economy is rising, in HCMC it's filled with whole new high-rises and you can also see the wealthy family dine in the sophisticated restaurants there. There are also full of Westerners enjoying very much their life here with very low living cost comparing with their own countries. Behind the luxurious department stores and hotels, I saw a lot of contradictory faces earning their living at the streets here. 

在我人生尚早之時，已有遲暮之感，才十八年華就已覺得一切都太晚。十八歲的我已歷經滄桑，這樣的成熟是很殘忍的事，我看到這樣老化的過程……一個一個地寫在我的容貌上，在臉上看到歲月的磨鍊，像讀一本書那樣，我倒是欣然以對，而沒有被嚇到。它帶給了我一張新的面孔，我臉上是原來輪廓，然而面目下的內涵已遭摧毀。我擁有的是一張破碎的臉。
—— 電影《情人》片頭獨白


Very early in my life, it was too late. At eighteen it was already too late. At eighteen I aged. This aging was brutal. This aging, I saw it spread over my features, one by one. Instead of being frightened by it, I saw this aging of my face with the same sort of interest I might have taken for example in the reading of a book. That new face I kept it. It's kept the same contours, but its matter is destroyed. I have a destroyed face.

— the first line of the film "the lovers"

看著街邊一張張臉孔，我常想著，繁華的背後，總有段辛酸的故事。每張臉孔都刻劃了他們不同的情節跟不同往事。現代的年輕人，就算年過30，看起來還是好比20多般，可能我們過得太幸福，吃過太少苦，因此臉上看不出哪歲月留下的疤痕。

風華是一指流沙，蒼老是一段年華。

I saw the faces at the streets, I can't stop thinking of the stories behind each face. There's always a bitter story behind the glamorous surface. Each face reveals different past and different scenario. Young people in the modern time like us, even are over 30 years old, still look like 20 something years old kids. We might be so blessed that we live in a time that we don't need to suffer like our parents did. Then, the tracks of time on our faces seem not to be so deep anymore.  

Youth is a flow of quicksand, aging is a period of time.

胡志明市景點到處跑 / Sightseeing spots in HCMC

這次我並沒有規劃太多行程在胡志明市，只要住在第一郡又願意散步看風景的話，其實都可以步行抵達各個景點。 我在胡志明市五天四夜的行程都是走路到達的，基本上也就是我網誌上所說的那些地方。這次住在胡志明市我選擇了Hotel Continental Saigon，一方面是因為他獨有的殖民時期建築特色吸引了我，以及自己的虛榮心作祟，不然說實話，這家酒店的設施跟他的性價比，真的不怎麼高，這樣的價錢要是選擇相同地區的酒店我想可以有更好的選擇。西貢大陸酒店是胡志明市的第一家酒店，建立於1880年，這百年的建築歷經了翻修還是仍保有原始的殖民風格，所以這裡也是所有觀光客來必參觀的景點之一啊! (讓我想到了台北的圓山飯店啊!)

I actually didn't plan that much for the trip in HCMC, as I lived in District one and am always willing to walk to reach all the sight seeing spots, it was very convenient for me. I went to almost all the touristic sites on food during the five days trip there. I chose to stay in the Hotel Continental Saigon in HCMC, which has great colonial style of architecture and location in the city. Frankly, it's not so worthy to pay this amount of money to stay there as its facilities are not as good as I expected from this price. I think there are many other better options to chose with the price of the rooms from this hotel. Hotel Continental Saigon was the first hotel in the colonial time and built in 1880, and this centurial  hotel still remains its colonial style after various times of renovation. It is also considered one of the must visit sites in HCMC. (Somehow it reminds me of the Gran Hotel in Taipei City).

                                                       Outside Hotel (酒店外部夜景)

                         As if people were celebrating Christmas (好像在慶祝聖誕節喔!)

                                                   Living room in the room (房間內客廳)

大陸酒店的早餐其實蠻豐盛的，每天菜色其實都有些微調，我超愛吃它們的河粉的，每天都要來一碗，湯好清甜，我常會一碗接一碗的給他吃下去。

The breakfast bar was quite rich, and the dishes varied every day. I loved the Pho there, the soup was full of flavour and had natural sweetness. I had at least one of each day of my stay there.

                                             Even Napkin box is so beautiful 連餐巾紙盒都好美

                                   酒店中庭真的很美，在哪裡用餐根本就是天堂。
                               The patio is really great there, having meal there was a joy.

                 Beautiful Patio made me also prettier (美麗的中庭讓我也看起來美麗了一些些)

The Hotel is very close to the City Hall, the first day we arrived we went there to take some night shots.

酒店離市政府很近，第一天的晚上就去哪裡走走拍拍夜景。

                                     Uncle Ho Chi Mihn and the City Hall (胡志明叔叔與市政廳)

City Hall (市政廳遠景)

                                         Close Shot of City Hall (近距離接觸市政廳)

                                            Lady in traditional costume (穿傳統服飾的女子)

除了市政廳外，酒店其實離紅教堂、中央郵局，甚至是統一宮都很近。 紅教堂的全名為「西貢聖母聖殿主教座堂」，是座有百年歷史的殖民時期建造的天主教堂，外觀看起來很氣派。緊鄰在旁邊的就是「胡志明市中央郵政局」，也是棟百年的殖民時時建築，該建築也是殖民時期的第一座郵局。大廳很氣派，內部也很寬敞，裡面人潮總是絡繹不絕，還有個區域是專門給遊客寫明信片用的，來到胡志明市到哪裡好像都可以跟胡志明叔叔來張合照。

Besides the City Hall, the Hotel Continental Saigon is also close to the Notre-Dame Cathedral Saigon, the Central Post Office and even the Independence Palace. The Cathedral's name is Notre-Dame Cathedral Basilica of Saigon, also a centurial architecture from the colonial time in Vietnam. The Ho Chi Minh City Central Post Office is next to it, and this centurial Post Office was the first Post Office during the French colonization in Vietnam. The inner hall of the post office is very spacious, and always full of people. There is a section for people to write postcards or letters. As uncle Ho Chi Minh's photo is in the centre of the hall, it's inevitable to take a selfie with him.

                                                               Cathedral (紅教堂)

                                                           Inside Cathedral (教堂內部)

                                               HCMC Central Post Office (中央郵局外觀)

                                                  Inner Hall of the Post Office (郵局內部大廳)

                                     Writing, writing and more writing (我寫我寫我拼命寫)

                                                   Phubbers everywhere (到處都有低頭族)

                                          Perfume of Miss Saigon (西貢小姐香水)

                                               Selfie with Uncle Ho Chi Minh (志明叔與我)

關於統一宮，查英文的話常會看到他其實應該叫做獨立宮。 其實，這宮殿建立於1868年二月，是用來當法國殖民時期總督府，當時稱為「諾羅敦宮」，之後1954年法國政府撤離越南，將其轉交給西貢政府進而變成南越共和國的總統府，也就是「獨立宮」。1975年，南北越統一后，它就變成「統一宮」啦!

About Palace of Independence, it's also called "Palace of Reunification". This Palace was built in 1868 as the Government House of the Governor in the French colonial period, which named "Norodom Palace" After the French Government evacuated from Saigon, and transferred this Palace to the Government of South Vietnam (Republic of Vietnam) as the presidential house in 1954, then it became " Palace of Independence". Later, when North and South Vietnam unified in 1975, then it's also called "Palace of Reunification".

說真的，在統一宮沒請導覽真的有點可惜，這碩大的宮殿其實挺富麗堂皇的。 大大小小的殿堂還有地下堡壘。有興趣的人應該可以在這裡花上將近一天的時間吧!

This Palace is really glamorous, full of halls and even underground fortress. It was a pity that I didn't pay for a guide here for better introduction. I think for those who are interested in the architecture might be able to spend a day here ...

胡志明市政廳(胡志明市人民委員會大廳)為19世紀末由法國的設計師所設計建造的建築，具有濃濃的洛可可風情，前面的廣場也是經過設計的，我去的時候真的是一堆人都聚集在哪裡，彷彿是假日聚集的好地方。由於是政府機關所以不對外開放，因此我們只能從外部來讚嘆它的美啦!

Ho Chi Minh City Hall/ Ho Chi Minh City People's Committee Headquarter was design by French architects and built in the end of 19 century with strong Rococo style. The front square was also designed for this building. People are gathering there all the time when I was there in their new year. It seems like it's a place where people are used to gathering on vacations. As it's governmental headquarter, it's not open to the public, so we can only see it's beauty from the outside.

                                                         Square (市政廳前廣場)

                                        Uncle Ho Chi Monh during day time 白天的志明叔叔

                                       Uncle Ho Chi Minh during night time 晚上的志明叔叔

關於戰爭遺跡博物館，其實我去之前有點猶豫，因為在博物館裡面有展示許多美軍在越戰中使用橙劑這樣的化學武器在越南遺留下許多慘不忍睹的傷害照片! 不過為了見證歷史，我還是打算去參觀這個博物館，畢竟歷史是需要被見證而不是被忽略的。

I had hesitation about going to the War Remnants Museum for the photos they dispose there about the harm of the use of Agent Orange of the American Army in the Vietnamese War. The use of chemistry weapon caused a lot of unresolved problems in Vietnam. Even it's very hard to see all those photos, however, I would also like to testify the history, so I decided to go there. After all, history is the dialogue of the past to the present time, can not be ignored nor forgot.

避免太血腥，我只放了一些一樓的展覽廳的照片。如果大家真的有興趣的話，還是建議有機會去一趟好了。 大部分的人在裡面看展都會邊看邊嘆氣，我在裡面都感受的到周圍凝重的氛圍了。也感受到戰爭的殘酷，以及化學武器對人體跟這片土地的傷害。

To avoid the cruelty here, I just show few photos from the display room on the 1st floor. I would suggest people who are interested in this topic to go there personally to see those photos. Most of the people there were sighing while seeing the photos. I even sensed the upset feelings from all the people who surrounding me in the exhibition room. Those record gave me a sensation of fear of the cruelty of war, and the harm of the chemistry weapon to the people and the land of Vietnam.

在戰爭博物館裡面有個有趣的小插曲。有個可愛的妹妹跑來跟我攀談，說我很漂亮想認識我! 真的是太可愛了! 讓我在看這個沉重的展覽後心情有變好一點。

There was something interesting happening to me here. A little cute Vietnamese girl came to me and told me she wanted to get to know me because she found me lovely. This small act made cheered me up after visiting this museum.

點擊下面連結就有上述所有相關景點的連結喔! 

Click the links below, you'll see all the reference to the aforesaid sightseeing spots!!  

Hotel Continental Saigon

Notre-Dame Cathedral Basilica Saigon 

Independence Palace

Ho Chi Minh City Central Post Office  

Ho Chi Minh City Hall 

War Remnants Museum