The final city in Vietnam where I came with a bass guitar was Saigon.
We did not perform there, we had to fly back to Russia from the Saigon airport. But we couldn't leave Vietnam without seeing this wonderful city.
The second name of Saigon is Ho Chi Minh City. This city is huge, about 8 million people live here, and you can see a lot of interesting things in Saigon.
We started our tour from Chinatown. Many years ago this place was the center of trade. There are many small streets, markets and temples in Chinatown.
The Thien Hau Pagoda is especially interesting for tourists. There are many temples in Vietnam that are a mix of different cultures, but Thien Hau is a classic Chinese temple.
It was built in the 18th century. The Chinese, who traveled from China to Vietnam, erected this temple in honor of the goddess of navigators and travelers. All the materials for this temple were also brought from China.
Inside the temple there is a rich decoration. I really liked the spiral incense under the ceiling, I have never seen anything like this before.
After Chinatown, we decided to go to the central Buddhist pagoda of Vinh Nghiem (Chua Vinh Nghiem). You can compare the architecture of a Chinese temple and a Buddhist one. It's great that everything is so different in Vietnam.
This pagoda is the largest center of Buddhism in the country. The name of the pagoda is translated as a space of beauty.
There is also a picturesque pond and a rock garden here. Inside the central temple there are statues of Buddha.
There are plots from sacred books all around. Nearby there is a 7-tier tower, the height of which is 40 meters.
There is a bell inside the tower. The visitors can hit it 3 times. Since there are many people who want to do it, the bell rings constantly.
On the other side there is a 4-tier tower. Its architecture is also very unusual.
There is a stone incense bowl not far from the main building. Visitors put candles here.
Speaking of Saigon, it is impossible not to mention the magnificent building of Notre Dame de Saigon.
This is an active Catholic church of the 19th century. The church is a complete copy of the French Cathedral of Notre Dame de Paris. Most of all, I was struck by the fact that the saints in the temple have Vietnamese faces.
You see, I was used that the faces of the saints are European, and this was very, very unusual for me.
After visiting the cathedral, we went straight to the airport. The music contract was over, and it was time to go home. These few months which we spent in Vietnam were wonderful, unusual and delightful. Thank you the wonderful country!
But this is not the end of my travelling, it’s almost the very beginning. Next time I will tell you a completely different story. And you will visit a completely different country with me. Which one? It's a secret for now…