oh saigon =)

this is my second visit to vietnam.. i really missed that city after left it for two years. this time, i got the chance to pray at the saigon's mosque.. alhamdulillah =)



A small number of Muslims exist in Vietnam, and are mainly found in South central Vietnam, the Mekong Delta, and by the Cambodian border.. Islam was introduced to Vietnam in the 7th century via Arab traders and later blended with local customs and religion.. Islam is now mostly practiced by the Cham population of Vietnam. Today, there are several mosques in metropolitan Saigon. I DO HOPE WE CAN GO THERE AND IMPROVE THE FACILITIES... we are muslims, thus we are responsible to manage it =)


Like many cities in Vietnam, Saigon did not escape the wrath of war.. Since the beginning, Saigon has had quite a traumatic history... There are many citations to the birth of Saigon and the origin of its name.. In the 15th century, this area were swamps, marshes and thick forests. By the early 17th century, a small township was formed. According to one theory, Saigon or Sai Con has its root in a Khmer word Prei Kor (Kapok Tree Forest). quite interesting =)

The name Saigon was used officially in 1698, when Lord Nguyen Phuc Chu sent Mr. Nguyen Huu Canh to this region to create various districts and to form a government for this southern outpost. Because of its strategic location for trade and commerce as well as military importance, Saigon continued to grow and became a bonafide city..

By 1772, Mr. Nguyen Cuu Dam began to fill many of the canals to form streets. With a population of over 5 millions people, Saigon is one of the densest urban area in the world. On many streets, it is common to see houses with the ground floor converted into a business front while several families share living areas on the upper levels..



A statue in front of Ben Thanh market (Cu Nhac circle).. Built on a landfill of what was once a swamp named Bo Ret (Marais Boresse), the new Ben Thanh Market is located in the center of the city. Under the French government, the area around Ben Thanh Market was called Cu Nhac circle (Rond point Cuniac), named after Mr. Cuniac, the person who proposed filling the swamp to create this area. The area was later renamed Cong truong Dien Hong..

In the mid 19th century, the French with the aid of the Spanish invaded this port city and destroyed the fort.. This event was the precursor to the long struggle between the people of Vietnam and France leading to the historical defeat of the French in 1954.. In the years after the defeat of the French, Vietnam was divided into two separate countries and Saigon became the hub of resettlement for many as people from north and central Vietnam immigrated south..

In the 60's and 70's, Saigon was bustling with commerce and business.. It was the cultural center and the capital city of South Vietnam. Already heavily influenced by the French in terms of culture and style, the city had an air of a French provincial town with a Vietnamese twist. Saigon was dubbed the "Pearl of the Orient" by the foreign press.. The city was alive with activities and cultural diversity that rivaled any Asian city at the time..

After the fall of South Vietnam to communism in 1975, the city and many of its inhabitants were in a state of chaos and turmoil. In 1976, the new government renamed the city Ho Chi Minh City and shut its door to the rest of the world.. Although recognized world wide as Ho Chi Minh City, to the people of Vietnam, the city is still lovingly referred to as Saigon..





one thing that i could not forget.. while waiting for the bus in front of market.. there were childrens playing around us.. they were cute and adorable. suddenly three young ladies came to us holding a baby. guess what? they are offering the baby for money. after being wedged & forced, we paid 2 USD for a photo with that baby. =(

i hate this moment.. i know there are much much more worst than this! that's why i fell very upset! =(

Trafficking is a violation of fundamental rights..

Trafficking in children is a global problem affecting large numbers of children..
Some estimates have as many as 1.2 million children being trafficked every year.. There is a demand for trafficked children as cheap labour or for sexual exploitation. Children and their families are often unaware of the dangers of trafficking, believing that better employment and lives lie in other countries. Child trafficking is lucrative and linked with criminal activity and corruption. It is often hidden and hard to address.

Trafficking always violates the child’s right to grow up in a family environment. In addition, children who have been trafficked face a range of dangers, including violence and sexual abuse. Trafficked children are even arrested and detained as illegal aliens..