Old Saigon is commonly known as Cho Lon, where Chinatown is situated (District 5).
Cho Lon, is a little heaven for photographers who can get lost in old alleyways and temples to capture the most vibrant and colourful pieces of Chinese-Vietnamese culture.
District 5 is so large, you cannot navigate it by yourself. How will you learn the history and the ancient landmarks to visit?
We stumbled upon Urban Tales that offers a completely different way to discover Cho Lon. We decided to put it to the test.
Waiting on the side of the road on a Saturday morning in June, I was wondering what the AdventureFaktory team had gotten themselves into. All I was told was to bring walking shoes and my thinking skills. As the bright yellow vintage jeep vehicle pulled up in front of us, I was totally clueless as to what was about to unfurl. Our driver navigated his way through the busy morning traffic of Ho Chi Minh City, through rain until we entered Chinatown or Cho Lon, the original site of downtown Saigon. The district still has many remnants of its culture, with many buildings designed with ancient Chinese architecture and many of its residents with Chinese heritage.
We were meet by the lovely staff and her colleague, who guided us through a housing complex that was previously the grand movie theater of the area. This provided us with some amazing photo opportunities with original stained glassed frames still in place. We were quickly whisked away into a little room in the complex for a debrief of the day’s activities.
UBIQUEST is a company that is running a truly unique experience here in Saigon. A truly interactive scenario, where you and your friends are detectives for the day. In the small room, you are provided with the very basic details of the “murder” with a few clues hidden in the room to give you a little bit of direction. You and your team then have the job of exploring Cho Lon trying to solve a murder mystery.
You are extremely well supported by the UBIQUEST team who are on constant standby with phones and advice if you are a little off track. The experience tests your problem solving skills but also acts as an amazing way to visit Cho Lon in Saigon‘s oldest district. You stroll around the roads that many have not been changed in 50 years.
The team also provide you with many sightseeing opportunities visiting churches, markets and shops unique to the area. The day finishes with some excellent culinary pleasures at a local restaurant, then you are escorted back to your dwellings. The experience is a perfect blend of knowledge, culture, team work and sightseeing leading to a fun, educational day out that people of all ages can benefit from and really enjoy!
If you are on a scheduled stop in Ho Chi Minh City, make sure you book your tickets as they tend to get full quickly!
Sorry we can’t give more details and locations as it will spoil the game, but Urban Tales is a definitely fun and interactive way to explore what Cho Lon has to offer.
Note that Urban Tales also offer a tour without the transfer with the vintage car if you want to use your own transportation and prefer to save from bucks! Benefit a 15% off on your reservation* by mentioning the promo code AdventureFaktory when you make a reservation on www.urban-tales.com/pricing-reservations (*15% discount is only available for tours including transfer!)
Good luck in your Murder Mystery hunt!
PS: Thank you to Laurent that spent the day Mystery Hunting with us. Your pictures are simply amazing!
