Reunification Palace (Dinh Thống Nhất)

After our break in Cafe de la Poste, when we finally had our energy back, we then explored a historical landmark - the Reunification Palace/Independence Palace. It used to be the home and workplace of the president of South Vietnam. Vietnam was divided before into North and South. During the Fall of Saigon (where the communist government of North Vietnam successfully invaded Saigon, the capital of South Vietnam; also served as the transition period to the formal reunification of two Vietnams), significant events occured in the Reunification Palace - it was bombed twice, demolished, rebuilded. It's also the site where the Vietnam War ended.

The interior consists of different chambers, which are well-preserved and -maintained.

Banquet chamber

Banquet chamber

Ministers' cabinet room

Conference hall

For more information, you can read here or visit their website.

Note: All pictures were taken by me except for the last one which was taken by Shayne.

Cafe de la Poste

Since I'm on a holiday and the internet connection is surprisingly fast here in the province, it's timely that I go back to posting some stuff during my Vietnam trip last October.

So after checking the Notre Dame Cathedral and Central Post Office, my friend and I were already tired and hungry. We decided to try a nearby cafe, which is just beside the Central Post Office, the Cafe de la Poste.

I loved the look and feel of the place. They have an air-conditioned indoor area where you can eat and have a sip of a refreshing coffee but I think the outdoor area is much, much better. It's just perfect to sit there, do people watching, eat, drink, and just absorb the beauty of Vietnam. I felt like I'm in Europe or something, you know, the outdoor cafes with tables and chairs and big umbrellas covering them.

Iced coffee

And when it comes to food, gosh I super love how healthy and delicious the food in Vietnam is! I ordered vegetable salad and iced coffee. My friend, Shayne, got some noodles (pho) and iced coffee too because well, we're in Vietnam, we might as well try their coffee! I have to say I'm not a coffee lover but when I was there, I probably had coffee several times a day, for four straight days and I just loved it! We also got a green tea flavored iced cream. So yeah, how healthy can you be in Vietnam? =)

Vegetable salad

Pho

Green tea flavored ice cream

Christmas 2015

Sending some love from our family to yours this Christmas season!

Living in a place where family is of great importance, I have to say nothing beats the experience of spending Christmas with family and loved ones. I'm just so thankful I get to spend this wonderful season with them. I'm also grateful for all the blessings God has given our family and that my 94 year-old Lola (gradma) is still with us. And though my brother is currently in a different continent, thanks to technology, we got to see and talk to him as if he is just right at home.

family with aunt and cousins

Hello to this artsy fartsy shot of a native lantern made of capiz.

Geez, time flies so fast! Even though we're already in the middle of December, let me just say, "Hello December!" For my greeting, well I guess it's better late than never. I've been MIA here in my blog for the past couple of weeks and I really feel sorry for not being able to post as frequent as I want to. I still have a lot to write about my Vietnam trip, then there was the conference I attended to on the first week of December, then the Christmas shopping I've been doing every weekend. There are just so many things going on but at the end of the day, when I'm supposed to write them down, I already feel tired I just wanted to sleep or I just wanted to de-stress by watching Youtube videos or movies. Another reason is this: Blogging used to be an enjoyable activity for me. It's an outlet to express my thoughts, to record moments in my life so that I can look back to it in the future, to share some fashion-related stuff, etc. but now, it feels like more of a task, something that adds weight, it's not fun anymore. But I'm hoping it's just a phase. I'm hoping this dry spell or lack of motivation or whatever you call it will not last long. I hope the coming holidays, where I'll get to go home and get to have a break from work for several days, will invigorate me and prep me for a fresh new start in 2016.

Have a HAPPY HOLIDAYS you guys!

May we all have a blessed and prosperous new year and don't forget to also be a blessing to others!

Here's to getting started with the holiday vibes... =)