Bitexco Financial Tower : Tallest Skycraper in Saigon

This is the tallest skyscraper in Ho Chi Minh City. It is located at Ha Trieu, Ho Tung Mao and Ngo Duc Ke Streets. If you are familiar with Benh Thanh market then you would definitely see it from there and going to the tower is just a breeze of walking.  There are 68 floors in this building excluding the 3-floor basement. This tower measures 882.56 feet and holds the record as the tallest building in Vietnam in 2010. However at present, Keangnam Hanoi Landmark Tower is now the tallest building in this country (since January 24, 2011).

This tower in not only used for office spaces and as a convention center but is also used for tourism. From a distant view, you can easily notice the helipad facility of the building, which is located on the 50^th floor. Just below that floor (49^th floor), there is an observation deck where visitors can see the 360-degree view of the city but visitors can’t enter this floor without buying a ticket that costs around 10 USD. 

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Coconut candies: Sweet treat for a sweet tooth

Sweets are not really in my favorite list. Probably because I am not one of those people who are born with sweet tooth. It is quite strange because most people would say that everyone is a candy lover with me as the exception. That doesn't make me abnormal right? I'm just different. The inclination that I would eat candies and similar stuffs is so rare. If ever that I would, it would just be either for a taste test or out of courtesy, or both. I am not fond of eating foods that are overly sweet for the following reasons:  

To ward off...

1. Diabetes. My family has this long history of diabetes. I could still remember my grandparent's (in the father side) ordeal from this genetic disorder many years ago. Bottom line is I don't want to suffer the same dreaded disease. My body reacts so differently after eating sweets. Whenever I consumed a lot, I feel so thirsty afterwards. I am not sure if this is really the body's normal reaction to it or could it already be an early symptom of the disease. 

2. Cavities. They are visible pits or structural damage in the teeth. Some people just don't mind about them  but I do. Our mouth can be considered as an ecosystem. It is an ecosystem of microorganisms, which feed on sugar. When you eat candies and failed to brush your teeth soon after, they will have a feast! Aside from its unsightly effect,  cavities could also lead to more serious dental problems like toothache, gum disease and etc. We don't like that, right?

Ironically, this blog post is not about convincing you to avoid sweets but on the contrary it is about an introduction of a new candy, which I happened to discover yesterday. Everyone meet  'mut dua'! 

According to my colleague, mut dua is the vietnamese translation for coconut candy. Obviously, it is made from coconut strips and sugar with the addition of milk and some food colorants. They sure look colorful and vibrant in the outside and they taste yummy too. One thing that I kinda like about mut dua is the taste... not too sweet, just perfect. So anyone who does not have a sweet tooth like me can tolerate some  substantial amount without the minus guilt. I think this could be a nice valentines gift. It just cost around 150,000 VND ($ 7) per kilo, so it doesn't hurt much on the budget. Happy valentines day everyone! 

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