Ho Chi Minh City
Vibrant Ho Chi Minh City
Ho Chi Minh is the heart and soul of Vietnam. Not only the largest city of the country, it is the most bustling, dynamic and industrious centre of commerce, economy, science, technology and tourism, as well as a cultural trendsetter. On April 30, 1975 North Vietnamese troops captured Saigon. The city was subsequently renamed Ho Chi Minh…
Located in the heart of the Mekong Delta, about 1,760 km south of Hanoi, you can fly there in approx 1.5 hours from Singapore and 1 hour from Bangkok.
Vietnam’s most modern and dynamic city, it still retains its old charm with buildings such as Notre Dame Cathedral, the City Hall, the Municipal Theatre, old pagodas, Cu Chi Tunnels and the busy markets of Ben Thanh.
Once affectionately referred to by the French as the Pearl of the Orient, its timeless traditions and beauty of an ancient culture, shaded boulevards, pavement cafes and French-styled buildings help to retain a bygone colonial era.
Reunification Palace:
Built in 1868 to serve the French Governor General of Indochina, the palace comprises of a ground floor, 3 main floors, two mezzanines and a terrace for helicopter landing. It also has a basement with a network of tunnels connecting to the telecom centre and war room and is one of the longest tunnels which stretch all the way to the Revolutionary Museum. The grounds outside contain one of the first tanks to burst through the gates of the palace to signify the end of the Vietnam War.
Ben Thanh Market:
Ben Thanh has long been one of Saigon’s most famous landmarks. Since the French occupation, the market has been one of the biggest markets in the city where everything can be found, local food and fish, domestic products, sophisticated handicrafts and a vast array of clothing and fabrics.
Notre Dame Cathedral:
Usually referred to as a miniature of the Notre Dame in Paris, it is an important building reflecting the colonial influences as well as architecture in Vietnam. Without question, the cathedral itself bears a unique beauty and historic significance, especially as this neo-Romanesque architecture was built with bricks and tiles imported from France.
War Crime Museum:
A must to visit. This museum basically reveals a different side of the stories about wars – the innocent victims of modern warfare.
Cu Chi Tunnels:
Located 70km from downtown Ho Chi Minh are approx 1 hour 45 minutes drive by car.
The entire system is an extensive and intriguing network of more than 200km of underground tunnels used in the French Indochina war and The American war.
Although the tunnels were mainly designed with a fighting role in mind, they also contained a wide array of chambers including field hospitals, meeting rooms, private offices and sleeping quarters for senior officers. To repel attacks and infiltration, the tunnels contained many elaborate booby traps including pits with bamboo spikes, mines and crossbows which would be triggered by trip wires.
Cholon (Chinatown):
Cholon is in District 5 and is a maze of narrow streets, bustling with people. Most of Vietnam’s ethnic Chinese live here and they are the largest single ethnic minority group in the country
