Saigon Attractions #17 Pho Binh: The Secret Headquarters of the Vietcong
Naming a noodle soup shop as an attraction is more than a little unusual on the face of it,but this is no ordinary “pho shop.” Travel up Hai Ba Trung and walk into to Ly Ching Thang, just before the river. Inside the street on the left hand side at number 7, you’ll find Pho Binh. There is little or nothing to separate this from any other pho shop in Saigon. It is only when you ask the owner, that things become clearer. I ordered my bowl of Pho and then said simply, “Famous shop, yes?” The man smiled, walked to the back of the shop and returned with a photo album and a guest book. He then said, “After you eat, do you want to see upstairs?” I did.
The shop was the headquarters of the F100 Viet Cong as they planned the Tet offensive against the Americans, in what is known here as The American War. It is only 200 yards from what was the American Military Police Station. Police and serving American GIs would sit eating soup, whilst ten feet above their heads, plans were being drawn up to attack. They always say that the best hiding place is in open view, this was about as cheeky as it gets. They had a shrine for Buddhists to worship. The secret papers of the F100 cell were hidden behind it. Every time the South Vietnamese knelt in prayer the Viet Cong were metaphorically giving them the finger.
The upstairs room is fascinating. It has been left as it was back in the war days. The main man then was the restaurant owner, a guy called Ngo Toai. His wooden bed is still there, as is the very table upon which the plans of the Tet Offensive were drawn. It’s a fascinating glimpse into history. Photographs line the wall of the men and women involved.
One gets the idea that if positions were reversed and it had been a restaurant in America, duping enemy forces, it would now be something of a theme park. Pho Binh does absolutely nothing to advertise its history. A plaque in Vietnamese on the outside of the shop and a certificate inside pays little more than a nodding homage to the important role it played back in the day. I thought it fascinating and a really interesting way to spend an hour. Oh! And the pho was excellent!
!steemitworldmap 10.790955 lat 106.687092 long Pho Binh D3SCR
For other Saigon attractions see also:
#1 Suoi Tien Theme Park https://steemit.com/travel/@inseasia/attractions-in-ho-chi-minh-city-suoi-tien-theme-park
#2 Vinh Nghiem pagodahttps://steemit.com/travel/@inseasia/saigon-attractions-vinh-nghiem-pagoda
#3 Notre Dame Basilica https://steemit.com/travel/@inseasia/saigon-s-magnificent-notre-dame-basilica
#4 The Cu Chi Tunnels https://steemit.com/travel/@inseasia/saigon-attractions-4-the-cu-chi-tunnels
#5 The Municipal Theatre of Ho Chi Minh City https://steemit.com/travel/@inseasia/saigon-attractions-5-the-municipal-theatre-of-ho-chi-minh-city
#6 People’s Committee Building https://steemit.com/travel/@inseasia/saigon-attractions-6-people-s-committee-building
#7 Museum of Vietnamese History https://steemit.com/travel/@inseasia/saigon-attractions-7-museum-of-vietnamese-history
#8 The Reunification Palace https://steemit.com/travel/@inseasia/saigon-attractions-8-the-reunification-palace
#9 The War Remnants Museum https://steemit.com/travel/@inseasia/saigon-attractions-8-the-war-remnants-museum
#10 Nguyen Hue https://steemit.com/travel/@inseasia/saigon-attractions-10-nguyen-hue
#11 Hotel Majestic https://steemit.com/travel/@inseasia/saigon-attractions-11-the-hotel-majestic
#12 Bui Vien https://steemit.com/travel/@inseasia/saigon-attractions-12-bui-vien
#13 The Fito Museum https://steemit.com/travel/@inseasia/saigon-attractions-13-the-fito-museum-of-traditional-medicine
#14 Saigon Zoo and Botanical Gardens https://steemit.com/travel/@inseasia/saigon-attractions-14-saigon-zoo-and-botanical-gardens
#15 Saigon Central Post Office https://steemit.com/travel/@inseasia/saigon-attractions-15-saigon-central-post-office
#16 Ben Thanh Market https://steemit.com/travel/@inseasia/saigon-attractions-16-ben-thanh-market
!steemitworldmap 10.776416 lat 106.671957 long The Fito Museum of Traditional Medicine D3SCR
I have been developing the InSeAsia website for three years. It genuinely is a labour of love. I have lived in Southeast Asia for 9 years and have no plans to ever leave.
I am extremely grateful to anyone who follows me, up votes, comments or re-steems my work.
Come and check me out. If ever you come to Saigon, Vietnam get in touch and we can meet up.
Website: http://www.inseasia.com
Steemit: https://steemit.com/@inseasia
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/InSeAsia/
Facebook group for Southeast Asia Steemians: https://www.facebook.com/groups/846253152208905/
YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC4YQUTrPwK190V4vbJDLt_A
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/inseasia/
This post has received a 0.50 % upvote from @buildawhale thanks to: @inseasia. Send at least 1 SBD to @buildawhale with a post link in the memo field for a portion of the next vote.
To support our daily curation initiative, please vote on my owner, @themarkymark, as a Steem Witness
amazing this post you write this post deeply and share your all link this is a very good post
Thanks my friend, always appreciate comments.
Congratulations, Your Post Has Been Added To The Steemit Worldmap!
Author link: http://steemitworldmap.com?author=inseasia
Post link: http://steemitworldmap.com?post=saigon-attractions-17-pho-binh-the-secret-headquarters-of-the-vietcong
Want to have your post on the map too?
Add the following inside your post:
!steemitworldmap xxx lat yyy long description d3scr
(replace xxx and yyy with latitude and longitude)
seems a great post to me, keep it up bro.
It's an amazing place, so much history there.
Let use vn tag ^^
I use the vietnam tag on almost every post. Have done for three months.
Ah i see. But we just use “vn”. So that is why i cant see u when i check vn tag
tag vietnam !
@hanggggbeeee The problem is, non Vietnamese people will not know what you mean by vn. Everyone will know what vietnam means.