The first moment at Eden Saigon Hotel

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MASSAGE & SPA - EDEN SAIGON HOTEL

 

PERSONALISED BODY MASSAGE

Your massage will be designed according to your individual needs, addressing any areas of tightness, stress or muscle tensions and using a personally chosen aromatheraphy oil. The massage may include a combination of Swedish, aromatheraphy, deep muscle massage, lymphatic drainage or stretching techniques alongside the use of hot stones, if needed, to ease deep tension, muscle stress and strain.

HOT STONE MASSAGE



Our full body massage with hot stones is one of our most popular body treatments. The hot basalt stones will help relieve your aches and pains, and rebalance your chakras, while your therapist expertly massages to further relax and release deep tension. The stones deeply warm your muscles and stimulate circulation - hot stones also help to alleviate body aches, insomnia, stress, anxiety and can help relieve
arthritic pain.

FOOT MASSAGE

This indulgent foot treatment includes a foot soak and a gentle exfoliation of the feet, followed by a relaxing reflex point foot massage to restore energy throughout the body, reducing fluid in the lower legs and leaving you feeling completely refreshed.

PERSONALIZED FACIAL


During one of our most popular facials, your therapist will adapt the treatment to suit your skin’s specific needs. This customized facial includes deep cleansing, exfoliation, steam and gentle extraction where needed, followed by a deeply relaxing massage and specialized mask. SPA skincare, including booster serums, eye complexes and moisturizers, is chosen to achieve optimal results for your skin type. Your therapist will also give you skincare advice along with personally prescribed products to address your skincare concerns. Take your products home to enjoy that fresh facial feeling every day.

Link: http://www.edensaigonhotel.com/en/services/17/massage--spa-.html

Eden Saigon Hotel - Grand Openning on Jan 21st, 2013

www.edensaigonhotel.com Best Promotion - Junior Deluxe room 40%OFF JUNIOR DELUXE Individually controlled air-conditioned system Complimentary high speed internet Working desk Shower In - room safety box Coffee/tea making facility and mini bar Smoke detector and sprinkler system Room size : 28 sqm Window Room type : Double or Twin Preference : Smoking or Non - Smoking Best Promotion - Deluxe room 40%OFF DELUXE Individually controlled air-conditioned system Complimentary high speed internet Working desk Shower In - room safety box Coffee/tea making facility and mini bar Smoke detector and sprinkler system Room size : 30 sqm Window Room type : Double or Twin Preference : Smoking or Non - Smoking

www.edensaigonhotel.com Best Promotion - Eden Suite Room 15%OFF EDEN SUITE Individually controlled air-conditioned system Complimentary high speed internet Working desk Shower In - room safety box Coffee/tea making facility and mini bar Smoke detector and sprinkler system Room size : 38 sqm View : City view Room type : Queen or Twin Preference : Smoking or Non - Smoking Best Promotion - Family Suite Room 15%OFF FAMILY SUITE Individually controlled air-conditioned system Complimentary high speed internet Working desk Shower In - room safety box Coffee/tea making facility and mini bar Smoke detector and sprinkler system Room size : 48 sqm View : City view Room type : Queen or Twin Preference : Smoking or Non - Smoking

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Contact information:

Add: 38 Bui Thi Xuan Str., Ben Thanh Ward, Dist. 1, Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam

Tel: (+84-8) 6298 8388 - 6257 1818 - Fax: (84-08) 62913309

Email: info@edensaigonhotel.com - Website: www.edensaigonhotel.com

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EDEN SAIGON HOTEL - Hotel in Vietnam

      As a 4-star standard hotel, EDEN SAIGON HOTEL is located right in the center of business, shopping, commercial and entertainment of Ho Chi Minh City. It takes only 10 minutes by car from Tan Son Nhat International Airport, and just 5 minutes walk to the famous Ben Thanh market . From the very beginning, the Hotel targets the customers for business and leisure purposes. With the advantage of convenient transportation system, EDEN SAI GON HOTEL also offers the luxury guest rooms, hospitable services as well as the completely furnished business facilities. Today, EDEN HOTEL has become the first choice for the local and international businessmen.

      EDEN SAIGON HOTEL owns 129 comfortable guest rooms with simple and graceful designs but fully equipped that bring a relaxing space to our customers to get away from the city hustle. Breakfast served in buffet style in the separate restaurant area. The hotel also has massage area and fitness center with an outdoor swimming pool and bar with views of the city, more than 600m2 conference rooms with a capacity of more than 400 guests.

FOR MORE INFORMATION PLEASE CONTACT US: 
Email: info@edensaigonhotel.com
Add: 38 Bui Thi Xuan, Ben Thanh, Dist. 1, HCMC
Tel: +84 8 6298 8388 - 6257 1818 - Fax: +84 8 62913309
Website: www.edensaigonhotel.com

Where the Faithful Worship Among the Tourists

Jeffrey Lau for The New York Times

Rows of Cao Dai believers bowed in prayer. 

JUST before midnight, the monks were still arriving. Dressed in long, flowing white robes, they resembled fireflies as they rode through the darkness on their motorbikes, descending on the towering temple at the heart of the Cao Dai holy land in southern Vietnam. Many were attending their fourth service of the day.

Slide Show

Worshiping in Vietnam

Map

Vietnam

 

Vo Huu Nghia, a worshiper. 

Removing his sandals and smoothing down his robes, Vo Huu Nghia, 60, who had befriended me that day last year, joined them. He silently entered the cavernous temple and, finding a spot, knelt down and began to chant his prayers. Above him were the serene faces of Jesus, Confucius and Buddha, while a giant all-seeing eye stared down at the few hundred worshipers.

“We are Vietnamese, this is our religion,” Mr. Vo told me later in halting English.

For 70 years this elaborate, dragon-adorned temple outside the small city of Tay Ninh, about 60 miles northwest of Ho Chi Minh City (formerly Saigon) near the Cambodian border, has been the center of Cao Dai, which has five million adherents. While it is not the country’s dominant religion, it has the distinction of being its largest homegrown one.

Every year tens of thousands of visitors, pilgrims and tourists, visit the temple to worship or simply to gaze in awe at its vaulted ceilings, vibrant color schemes and praying masses. And then there’s its unusual collection of saints, prophets and religious iconography, which in range, kitsch and spectacle presents an impressive cross-section of religious and aesthetic styles. But that’s befitting a religion that aims to unite all of humanity through the common vision of an individual creator — the same God honored by most major religions. The protagonist of Graham Greene’s “Quiet American” (1955) described the temple like this: “Christ and Buddha looking down from the roof of a cathedral on a Walt Disney Fantasia of the East, dragons and snakes in Technicolor.”

I had been drawn to the temple after coming across a list of Cao Dai (pronounced gao-DIE) saints that included Joan of Arc, Thomas Jefferson, Sun Yat-sen (the revolutionary father of Chinese republicanism) and Victor Hugo. This diverse group was apparently drawn from those spirits who reached out to Cao Dai priests during séances to impart wisdom and guidance. Some, like Victor Hugo, were said to have regularly communicated with the Cao Dai from beyond the grave.

Visitors to the compound today won’t see a séance — the government banned the practice in 1970s — but there is more than enough to thrill and confuse even the most temple-weary tourist.

The compound has two ornate temples, and a pope’s office, in front of which believers subjugate themselves out of reverence for the first, and only, Cao Dai pope, Pham Cong Tac. (He died in 1959 in exile in Cambodia after running afoul of the South Vietnamese government.) The 188-acre grounds include dormitories and kitchens for the hundreds of resident priests, a high school, a hospital, forests and a large area for religious processions.

I decided to forgo the $6 daily tour buses from Ho Chi Minh City for a three-hour trip by crowded public transport to the nearby town, a journey that still afforded a view of the city’s vast sprawl giving way to miles upon miles of paddy fields. Tay Ninh is in a tropical, agricultural area, and besides the Cao Dai temple and the nearby Cu Chi tunnel system left over from the Vietnam War, there is little to draw tourists.

Checking into the nearest hotel in the small, ramshackle town that has grown around the outskirts of the temple complex, I quickly headed out for what would be the first of many Cao Dai services, which are held every six hours throughout the day and night.

Inside the main temple, worshipers and priests were already bowed, their heads planted firmly on the cool stone floor as they chanted words of praise, accompanied by a single drumbeat and a few stringed instruments.

Closest to the Divine Eye above the altar, several priests in bright red, yellow and blue robes adorned with a large eye and with elaborate headdresses led the worship. On the balconies above, foreign and Vietnamese tourists watched in silence, a concession made by the temple priests, who allow tour groups in exchange for much-needed dollars. (Every day, about a half-dozen busloads of visitors come to see the noon service before heading to the Cu Chi tunnels and then back to the city.)

Thirty minutes after the chanting had begun, it was over, and with that the worshipers stood up and quietly filed out. The priests and student priests remained, enjoying the cool temple air rather than braving the outdoor heat; some went to their rooms to rest.

Soon the tourists were gone too, and the only people left beside me were a handful of sun-worn priests occupying the temple, constructed to be the center of a holy land for a religion created from the vision of a civil servant in 1919.

Today’s striking multicolor, dragon-adorned temple was built from 1933 to 1955, and in architectural terms, is part church, part pagoda, crammed with ornate drums and gongs, haloed statues of saints and other holy figures, and lavish and colorful symbols of other religions. There’s also a sphere depicting the all-seeing Divine Eye — Cao Dai’s offering to the religious cornucopia.

Beyond the four daily services there is little for visitors to the temple complex to do but wander the well-kept grounds, talk to — or simply smile at — the priests and practitioners, and seek shelter from the scorching heat in one of the airy temple buildings. Despite this, I found that the hours drifted by in peaceful contemplation.

I also struck up conversations with a few of the faithful, aided by a translator. Most of the worshipers and temple leaders were long past retirement age, perhaps a sign of the decline of the religion or simply a natural byproduct of people raising families and working. It also seemed to be an egalitarian faith, with just as many of the priests and student priests older women.

“I was born into the faith but had a family life and raised six children,” said Ho Huong Pham, 82, a student priest. “When my husband died 20 years ago, my children were grown up and I came here to devote myself to the faith.”

On the final morning of my two-day stay in Tay Ninh — during which I had left the complex only to eat nearby street food or sleep — I was invited to drink tea with one of the temple’s bishops. A quiet, elderly man, he smiled and explained to me the importance of the various robes (yellow represents Buddhism, blue Taoism and red Confucianism). After a while we sat in silence until it was time for him to put on his yellow ceremonial robes to lead the midday service. As I got up to leave he shook my hand and invited me to come back, before slowly making his way toward the temple a hundred yards away.

On the cramped, un-air-conditioned bus that took me out of town, I remembered a conversation with a man at the temple worshiping with his granddaughter. “Cao Dai is a collection of the best parts of many religions,” the man, Huynh Van Hgoat, 53, had told me.

Despite this, he was doubtful about the future of the religion.

“Ninety percent of believers live in the Mekong,” he said. “Of course I hope the religion is growing, but I doubt it. One day there might be only tourists here.”

A History of Cao Dai

In 1919, Ngo Van Chieu, a lowly Vietnamese civil servant working for the French colonial administration, received a vision of God and, following the heavenly message, began preaching a credo based on the unity of world religions. According to his new doctrine this would be the third alliance between god and mankind, the first coming at the time of the founding of Judaism and Hinduism, and the second around the time that Christianity, Buddhism, Confucianism and Taoism began. Cao Dai would be the third and final alliance, the religion that would unite and prove the unified message of all of these earlier religions.

The new religion followed the Buddhist cycle of reincarnation, drew upon the ethical precepts of Confucianism, had an ecclesiastical hierarchy similar to that of the Roman Catholic church and yet preached the Taoist concept of yin-yang, of two balancing forces, good and bad.

Cao Dai spread quickly through Vietnam, and by the 1950s it was such a force that it was said to command an army of 25,000 in the Mekong region during the turbulent and uncertain days at the end of the French occupation and claim an eighth of the country’s population as believers.

This rapid growth wouldn’t last. After the Vietnam War — during which Cao Dai priests refused to side with the Vietcong, even after their military had been subdued by the South and their pope exiled — the religion had all of its land confiscated. The land around the temple was returned in 1985.

Source: The New York Times

Top 10 places to visit in Vietnam

1. Sai Gon (Ho Chi Minh)

Attractions: Cu Chu tunnel, Chinese town, War remnants museum,Vietnam History Museum, Ben Thanh Market, Notre DameCathedral, Reunification Palace, ...

Ho Chi Minh is a city worth exploring. If you don't think that? You should travel to Saigon.

The best time to travel to Saigon: The best time to visit Saigon is in the dry season – from December to April. Can stay at Eden Saigon Hotel

2. Mekong Delta

Attractions: Homestay, Floating market, Ancient Houses, Pagodas, Khmer peopal pagodas, Eco-National Park, Islands,...

With 13 provinces and 1 metropolitan city (Can Tho), Mekong Delta is the popular place to visit with travellers. If you don't have much time in Vietnam, you should travel to Mekong in one day (Tien Giang, Ben Tre province), 2 - 3 days (Tien Giang, Vinh Long, Dong Thap province, Can Tho City), 3 days - 4days (Dong Thap, Vinh Long, Can Tho, An giang),...

The best time to travel to Mekong Delta (Vietnam): Travel to Mekong Delta are suitable all year round but the best time is the monsoon from June to September.

Cai Rang Floating Market

3. Phu Quoc (Kien Giang Province)

Attractions: Phu Quoc Sea, Phu Quoc National Forest, Suoi Tranh waterfall , Pepper Plantations, Ham Ninh Fishing Village,...

The same size as Singapore, the island of Phu Quoc lies off the west coast of Vietnam's Mekong Delta. A visit to Phu Quoc is a good, affordable opportunity to relax, spend time on the beach, and snorkel or scuba-dive. Get there soon and someday you'll be able to say, "I went there before it was touristy."

The best time to travel to Phu Quoc: The coolest time to go to Phu Quoc is from December to February.

Phu Quoc

4. Mui Ne, Phan Thiet

Attractions: Phan Thiet Harbour, Thuy Tu Temple, The Sand Dunes, Cham Tower, Beaches,...

Phan Thiet and Mui Ne are basically the same destination. Phan Thiet is the biggest town in the area, but Mui Ne is where you're going to end up. Mui Ne is a beachside town with numerous resort-like accomodation.

The best time to travel to Mui Ne, Phan Thiet: The waves are best from August to December, and the wind is best from November to April, so never really a bad time to go.

5. Nha Trang

Attractions: Po Nagar Cham Towers, Nha Trang Bay (islands,…), The National Oceanographic Museum of Vietnam, Beach, ...

Nha Trang has a split personality. One takes the form of a smaller Danang – a bustling Viet namese city humming with commerce but blessed with access to a beautiful beach.

The best time to travel to Nha Trang: Nha Trang has a warm, fair and beautiful climate nearly all year round, with the exception of late October, November and early December.

6. Dalat

Attractions: Bao Dai Palace (The last Vietnamese emperor palace), Da lat Market (night and day)

Dalat Railway Station, Falls: Prenn, Datala,…, Pagodas: Thien Vuong Co Sat (Chinese pagoda), Linh Ung,…

The best time to travel to Dalat: The dry season lasting from November to March, and the rainy season from April to November. During the winter months, the average temperature is 10 C while during summer it is around 20 C. Ideal weather is from November to March, when the air is fresh and cool.

7. Hoi An

Attractions: Hoi An District, Japanese Covered Bridge, CentralMarket, Riverside Museum of History and Culture, ...

The best time to travel to Hoi An: February and April are among the best time to visit Hoi an when rainfall is low and temperatures are pleasant. The temperatures can get hot during summer time and during the rainy season, particularly during October and November, rains can be frequent and heavy. If you can, time your visit to Hoi An for the full moon during on the 14th day of the lunar year each month for the Full Moon festivals, when the town becomes the stage for traditional songs, dancing, games and food, with lanterns lining all of the streets.

8. Ha Noi

Attractions: Hanoi Old Quarter, One Pillar Pagoda, Hoan Kiem Lake, Temple of Literature, Ho Chi Minh's Mausoleum, Museum of Ho Chi Minh, History Museum, Water Puppet Theatre, Hanoi Opera House

The Tran Quoc Pagoda,...

Imagine a city where the exotic chic of old Asia blends with the dynamic face of newAsia. Where the medieval and modern co-exist. A city with a blend of Parisian grace and Asian pace, an architectural museum piece evolving in harmony with its history, rather than bulldozing through like many of the region’s capitals. Hanoi is where imagination becomes reality.

The best time to travel to Ha Noi: The best time to visit Hanoi is from September to December when it isn't so humid. The weather turns quite cold and wet in January and this continues until March. The humidity can prove oppressive from May to the start of September and there's a danger of flooding.

9. Ha long

Attractions: Virgin Cave at Bo Hon Island, Pelican Cave at Bo Hon Island, Floating Villages and Fish Farms, Sung Sot Cave at Bo Hon Island, ...

Ha Long Bay is located in the northeast corner of Viet Nam, 165 km from Ha Noi. In the Province of Quang Ninh. Ha Long Bay covers an area of 1,553 km2 with 1,969 islands, of which 90% are limestone islands. To the west and north west, Ha Long Bay stretches from Yen Hung district in Ha Long city to Cam Pha town in Van Don district; to the south-east and in the south, Ha Long Bay borders the western shore of Tonkin Gulf; to the southwest the Bay borders Cat Ba island (Hai Phong province).

The best time to travel to Ha long: It is possible to visit Ha Long Bay year-round, with the best time to visit from October through April, although during the winter months of December, January and February, the weather can be cool and overcast with low visibility. During the summer months from May to September, temperatures rise and storms are more likely during the rainy season.

10. Sapa

Attractions: Cho Phien (Weekend market): Bac Ha, Coc Ly; SilverWater Falls (Thac Bac); Cat Cat Village; Ta Phin Village and Cave;...

The best time to travel to Sapa: The dry season is from January to June with March to May the best time to visit. Temperatures in January and February are regularly around 0ºC. The rainy season falls in June and August. September marks the end of the rainy season which is a good time to visit then by mid-December temperatures start to fall significantly making this September to mid-December period the best time to be there.

Source: etraveltips