Saigon’s sidewalk revolution will not be motorized

Begin under the dense (and doomed) canopy on Ton Duc Thang street and walk south against traffic.

You’ll soon find yourself standing in front of Children’s Hospital 2, one of the oldest in Asia, according to Tim Doling, author of the walking guidebook Exploring Ho Chi Minh City.

“Set amidst lush gardens and shady trees, Children’s Hospital 2 has been cited as a prime example of how good architecture can make a healthcare environment welcoming to patients and their families, rather than treating them as victims in a stark and sterile space,” Doling wrote on his site, Historic Vietnam,

Further down the street, drop into the Catinat Building [26 Ly Tu Trong] and explore the galleries, cafés, restaurant, clothing stores and a cooking classrooms that cling to the stone building’s winding stone staircase. According to Doling’s research, the building sits just next door to the CIA office, where helicopters once swooped down to evacuate agents in the final hours of the US-backed regime.

Sadly, visitors aren’t permitted on the roof and the Catinat is slated for “re-development.”

Proceed further down sidewalks shaded by tamarind trees and dip into alley 177 for fresh cut fruit, crushed ice and yogurt (AKA Trai Cay To).