VATSDL05-Half Day Bike Tour: Jade Emperor Pagoda, Flower & Pet Market

Start your 4-hour cycling trip with your tour guide at 8:30 AM. The first place you visit is the popular flower market named Ho Thi Ky. It is a wholesale market supplying flowers. The market is incredibly colorful, like a giant garden or even a miniature flower forest. You will find lilies, roses, orchids, daisies, lotuses, hydrangeas, and so on, surrounding all four corners of the market. The second place you cycle to is the Jade Emperor Pagoda where the U.S. President Barack Obama paid a visit during his state trip to Vietnam on 22 May 2016. As you know, Ho Chi Minh City is home to many elaborate temples, but what makes the Jade Emperor Pagoda worth your time is the heartening union of locals and worship. Temporarily escape the noise of the city and seek refuge in the humble temple. Amongst the simple grandeur of wall carvings and statues, witness the sincerity of locals who come and visit to pray.

The third place you will visit is the Pet market. It is known as the primary place where pets, mostly dogs and cats, of numerous sizes and breeds can be purchased. Continue pedaling along the street while a canal is flowing on your right. Stop to taste a special cup of coffee at the no-name coffee shop which is one of the last places you can still try what the locals call Ca Phe Vot. Born in an era where the now-ubiquitous metal drip filters were hard to come by, stocking coffee is made by steeping finely ground coffee through fine mesh nets with the addition of sweetened, condensed milk.

The next stop is Tan Dinh market. It is one of the city’s most historic markets, but it was the opening of the stylish French market building of 1927 which brought it to worldwide attention. This is a great opportunity for last-minute souvenir shopping or feasting, one feels most like a rushing local here, even if the conversation is mostly about reducing the price. Here, be served the foods from the food stalls selling piping hot local snacks. Right on the opposite side of the street is Tan Dinh Church, also known as Pink Church. It reflects the European architectural style of white elegant motifs, curved arches, and finely carved details. At the end of your tour, cycle back to the starting point, pass through Independence Palace and Notre Dame Cathedral.