One of the best things in Saigon is the green parks in many areas. The blissful parks with many tall trees, benches, pathwalks .. a getaway from the busy, crazy intersections of motorbikes.
In the weekends, many Vietnamese would come to the parks to exercise, to do tai chi or yoga, to play badminton or đá cầu which is the national sport. It is interesting to know also that đá cầu is called sepak takraw in Malay or sipa in Filipino. It used to be the Filipino national sport.
I spend some of my after-office time to go to the park in Ben Nghe for jogging or reading a book during weekends. Here I get the chance to meet young Vietnamese students, some practicing their English, some interviewing tourists for their assignments and some selling merchandise produced from their school projects.
It is also very pleasant to walk around these parks at night. Young and old people walk around, some just to have a simple picnic.
Blissful, well-kept and clean parks like these are signs of good governance. It is for everyone– rich or poor, young and old. Parks signify the care for the people in the city.
Along Le Thanh Ton 