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| Hi, First of all,thankyou so much for mailling to me and so glad to be of your friends.My name is Phuong.I live inVietnam, aged 25,university graduAte and am working as a teacher at one of the universities in Hanoi,our capital city. I studied economics at university too. My major is international trade,and my job now mostly involves English and economic knowledge so I hope I would be able to have you in some extent,but most important of all, we can be friends. Best regards and back to me soon. |
| Hi, How are you ? I hope you fine, ok ? But I'll try to reply soon for you. Now I'll tell you about my city that I was born and living. That's Ho Chi Minh city: Thanh Pho Ho Chí Minh (Ho Chí Minh City) - one of the most important commercial and tourist centres in Vietnam - lies between the Mekong River Delta and Eastern Nam Bo . Ho Chí Minh City (formerly Saøi Goøn) is the second most important in Vietnam after the capital of Haø Noäi. It is 1,730km by land from Ha Noi, and 50 km from the East Sea. Over the past centuries, Sai Gon was known as an important trading centre to Chinese, Japanese and Western merchants, who travelled upstream the Saøi Goøn River to Pho Island to do business. Sai Gon was once praised as the "Pearl of the Far East". At present, Ho Chí Minh City is not only a commercial centre, but also a scientific, technological, industrial and tourist one. These are some tourist attractions in Hoà Chí Minh City : Hoi Truong Thong Nhat (Reunification Conference Hall) : Previously on the ground of the present structure was Norodom Palace built in 1873 as a residence of the French Governor General of Cochinchina. After 1954, President Ngo Dình Diem of the Sai Gon administration and his family lived and worked in Norodom Palace. In February 1963, a dissident of the Dieäm regime launched an air bombardment of the palace and heavily damaged it. After that, Dieäm decided to demolish the damaged structure and build a new one which was later replaced by another called the Independence Palace (designed by Western-trained architect Ngo Viet Thu). The construction was undertaken by Saigon sappers and completed in 1966. At 11:30 on April 30, 1975, tanks of the Liberation Army overran the palace. The then Sai Gon president, Mr Dông Van Minh, who had just assumed the post of president, together with his 45-member cabinet surrendered unconditionally. After the liberation of Sai Gon, the Independence Palace was turned into the Headquarters of the Municipal Military Administrative Committee. In December 1975, the palace was the venue of a consultative conference for national reunification. To mark the historical significance of that event, the building was renamed Hoi Truong Thong Nhat. Thao Cam Vien ( Zoo and Botanical Garden) : The construction of the garden began in March 1864 under the charge of a French tropical botanist, J. B. Louis Pierre, and was completed in 1865 covering an area of 12 ha. In the same year, it was expanded by 8 ha. It was broadened by 13 ha to the other side of Thi Nghe canal in 1924, bringing its total area to 33 ha. Thaûo Caàm Vieân houses rare animals, ornamental plants, including a famous collection of orchids and recreation areas for children and adults. There are thousands of trees and rare plant species from different parts in the region, as well as from Africa and America. The Zoo keeps hundreds of species of mammals, reptiles and birds. Many of the cages are fairly spacious outdoor enclosures for tigers, monkeys, lions, deers, apes, crocodiles, pythons, snakes, hippos... nha tho Duc Ba Nha Tho Duc Ba ( Notre Dame Cathedral) : The cathedral was built between October 1877 and April 1880. With the approval of the Vatican, the cathedral was named Notre Dame during ceremonies held in December 1959. Chua Vinh Nghiem Chua Vinh Nghiem ( Vinh Nghiem Pagoda) : In the old days, there was a pagoda named Vinh Nghiem in the former Baéc Giang province. Belonging to Truc Lam Buddhist Sect, Vinh Nghiem Pagoda was built as successor to the ancient Vinh Nghiem and as headquarters of the Vinh Nghiem region to perform religious affairs. The pagoda was built between 1964 and 1973 with funds raised from followers of Buddhism. ben cang Nha Rong Ben Nha Rong ( Nha Rong Wharf) : As an office for a sea transport company, the building was a combination of western and eastern architectures with the roof decorated by carvings of dragons. In 1911, a young man called Nguyen Tat Thanh ( President Ho Chí Minh in his boyhood) left Nha Rong Wharf on board of a French ship to seek ways to secure national salvation. At present, Nha Rong Wharf is a place of memorial to President Ho Chí Minh. Vuon Lai Thieu ( Lai Thieu Fruit Tree Gardens) : Lai Thieu covering an area of 1, 230 ha has been famous for hundreds of years for its beautiful fruit tree gardens. he o Cu Chi Cu Chi : Located at the threshold of Saigon and adjacent to the revolutionary base, Cu Chi played an important role in the two wars of resistance against the old and new colonial powers. Cu Chi was an " underground village" with its labyrinth of interlaced tunnels having a combined length of more than 200 km. The main tunnel is 60 - 70 cm wide and 80 - 90 cm high. Above the tunnel is a layer of earth about 3 m- 4 m thick, enough to sustain the weight of 50 -ton tanks or heavy artillery as well as the destruction of bombs up to 100 kg. Although it is an underground communication network, the tunnel is enlarged here and there into rooms large enough to hold large meetings, a medical station or art performances. Those who had set foot in that tunnel network should greatly admire the talent, determination and endurance of the communist guerillas. The soil in Cu Chi was as hard as stone, but with such rudimentary handtools as hoes and shovels, they had dug and removed tens of thousands of tons of earth and stone, and camouflaged the openings so well that nobody could find them. Many people have called it a wonder of the 20 th century. Ok, How do feel about it ? Can you tell me about your city and your feel ? This 's all for this time Best wishes for you Phuong |
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