Tales of Cho Lon Cultural Walking Private Tour
Description
Tales of Cho Lon is a 4-hour walking tour to explore the history, food, and culture of Cho Lon area, also referred to as Ho Chi Minh City's Chinatown. Once a separate city with its own identity, modern Cho Lon is rich in stories of different Chinese communities, the influx of migrants, the diversity of culture and religious practices, and a variety of foods & drinks. The tour will take you to assembly halls, the social-spiritual structures of different Chinese community groups, taste the street snacks, enjoy the coffee from one of the oldest coffee stands that still in business in the city. The walks is through main trading streets as well as one of the largest wholesale marketplaces in Vietnam.
Tour Options
Itinerary
Our tour starts at the front courtyard of Nghia An Assembly Hall. Also known by various names such as Quan De Temple and Ong Pagoda, Nghia An Assembly Hall holds great significance within the Teochew community. It serves not only as a vital place of worship for Teochew people in Saigon but also as a precious architectural and artistic masterpiece from the late 19th to the early 20th century. This temple venerates Quan Vu, a renowned figure from the Three Kingdoms period, who symbolizes talent and moral excellence for the Chinese, hence its alternate names Quan De Temple and Ong Pagoda.
Tuệ Thành Assembly Hall, commonly referred to as Thien Hau Temple or Ba Chua Cholon Pagoda, is a religious institution dedicated to the worship of Thien Hau, the Holy Mother. It is one of the oldest places of worship established by the Cantonese Chinese community.
On Lang Pagoda, also known as Ôn Lăng Assembly Hall, Quan Âm Temple, or Ông Lào Temple, is a Vietnamese-Chinese temple belong to the Hokkien Chinese community. It was dedicated to the worship of Thiên Hậu Thánh Mẫu and various folk deities of the Chinese people. Later, the hall also enshrined Quan Âm Bodhisattva, hence the name Quan Âm Temple.
Enjoy the local market with street food, one of the oldest coffee stall in the city and a traditional Cantonese snack.
One of the oldest churches in the Chinatown area, St Francis Xavier Church is an excellent masterpiece of Franco-Chinese architecture with Vietnamese influence.
Also known as Cho Lon (the Grand Market), Binh Tay Market is famous for its unusual structure for an Asian market, with a big inner courtyard and Sino-French architecture. The market, which has been built in 1928, is one of Vietnam's most important wholesales markets. Our tour also concludes here.
Highlights
What's included
Traveller Ratings
Important Information
- Infants and small children can ride in a pram or stroller
- Public transportation options are available nearby
- Not recommended for travelers with poor cardiovascular health
- Suitable for all physical fitness levels
- As this is a walking tour, there is walking time among the location as well as other points of interest along the street, which will add up around 1 hour to the total duration of the tour.
- Infants are allowed on tour free of charge. However, please be advised that this is a walking tour with NO facilities for infants and involve walking on the streets under various type of weather and situation that might not be suitable for infants, including heat, rain and noise.
Reviews(5)
Wonderful, informative, very local, guide was fun and good, get to know more about the city.
The tour provided a fascinating incite into the life of the Vietnamese Chinese population in Cholon, including historical context, religion, business and food/drink. Percy was an excellent guide and very knowledgeable and affable. The tour provided the opportunity to participate in and observe some interesting activities. The Temples are very beautiful. I would thoroughly recommend.
I’ve visited HCMC many times, but this was my first chance to explore the city during some free time, and it was fantastic! Henry was amazing, and the Chinatown walking tour far exceeded my expectations in such a short time. It’s definitely a must-do for anyone with limited time here, and I’m looking forward to trying their other tours as well.
Highly recommend doing a walking tour, wherever you choose to go in HCM, so you can learn how to cross a road here for the first time. It was an amazing experience, and my guides were very passionate about what they do. It’s a less touristy part of town, and you get to interact with the locals here.
I hesitated to go for a walking tour at first given the hot weather but as it's recommended by a local friend, so I decided to go. It turned out one of the most exciting experiences I had during my Vietnam trip. The guide Percy was super informative, caring and fun! I got to know another quarter of Ho Chi Minh City which was colorful and interesting. I wished I had more time in Vietnam for their other tours too but sadly it's almost my last days, but they definitely gave me a reason for coming back. Strongly recommended if you are into culture things or local life.
