Saigon Attractions
What to See in Ho Chi Minh City
One factor that makes Ho Chi Minh City exceptional is the contrast between the old and the new.
This is the country’s business center, and there are many areas under development, but there are also many places and buildings from earlier eras that are well preserved.
Here are some musts for a sight-seeing tour of the city.
Saigon Landmarks
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| Cholon |
Cholon (Chinatown)
The district of Cholon comprises Ho Chi Minh's Chinatown. Established in 1879, it was a separate entity from Saigon but was later merged in 1931 by the French colonial government. The Chinese began to settle in Cholon in 1900 and as a result there are a lot of sights to see, such as the Binh Tay Market on Phan Van Khoe Street, Thien Hau Pagoda in Nguyen Trai district, Quan Am on Lao Tu Street, the Cholon Mosque on Nguyen Trai Street and a lot more interesting places.
Ben Thanh Market
The original Ben Thanh Market was built in 1859 but was destroyed when the French invaded and was rebuilt at its current location at Cong Truong Dien Hong – formerly a landfill – in 1899. For anyone on a tour of Ho Chi Minh City this is an essential stop for souvenirs such as T-shirts and handicrafts. The market is very well organized, with stalls grouped in sections according to what they sell.
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| Saigon Opera House |
The Saigon Opera House
The Opera House, also known as the Ho Chi Minh Municipal Theater, is an elegant building at the intersection of Le Loi St and Dong Khoi St in District 1, very close to the famous Notre Dame Cathedral and the classic Central Post Office.
The restored three-storey 1,800-seat Opera House is used for staging not only opera but also a wide range of performing arts including ballet, musical concerts, Vietnamese traditional dance and plays.
The Quoc Tu Pagoda
Located at 244 Ba Thang Hai Street, in District 10, the pagoda is next to a children’s amusement park. Built in 1962, is has seven storeys, though usually only the first two are open. Visitors are welcome to view the beautiful shrine and Buddha statues inside. Around it are lakes and gardens.
Giac Lam Pagoda
Located at 118 Lac Long Quan St in District 5, this pagoda the oldest in Saigon. It was built in 1744 and remodeled in the 19th century and again about 100 years ago. The temple reflects interesting Taoist and Confucian influences in addition to Buddhism. Shoes may be worn in the temple but visitors should take off their hats and refrain from smoking.
Jade Emperor Pagoda
Built in 1909, this impressively colorful, incense-filled Chinese temple contains a plethora of remarkable statues and figures. The intricate architecture is augmented inside by beautiful wood carvings. The Jade Emperor Pagoda is at 73 Duong Mai Thi Luu.
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| Notre Dame Cathedral |
Notre Dame Cathedral Basilica
Built by the French between 1863 and 1880, the Neo-Romanesque cathedral has two 40-metre-high spires dominating the skyline, with a statue of the Virgin Mary out front.
Sunday mass is celebrated at 09:30 and is open to all. The cathedral is in the heart of the city at the intersection of Dong Khoi and Han Thuyen Streets.
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Xa Loi Pagoda
This pagoda, the largest in Saigon, was built in 1956 to contain fragments of bone from The Buddha – Xa Loi means “sacred bones”. The pagoda was a centre of political protest against the regime of President Ngo Dinh Diem and in August 1963 it hit headlines around the world when troops attacked monks and nuns barricaded inside at the start of a campaign that resulted in the deaths of thousands of Buddhists around the country. The pagoda is at 89 Ba Huyen Thanh Quan Street in District 3.
Mariamman Hindu Temple
Built towards the end of the 19th century and dedicated to the Hindu Goddess Mariamman, this interesting temple is also revered by many non-Hindus for its supposed miraculous powers. It is at 45 Ð Truong Dinh, Ho Chi Minh City, just three blocks from Ben Thanh market.
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| Reunification Palace |
Reunification Palace
The former Presidential Palace of South Vietnam became an icon worldwide on April 30, 1975, when TV newsreels showed the first Communist tanks breaking through the gates, followed by a soldier unfurling a North Vietnamese flag from an upper floor balcony, marking the end of the Vietnam War.
There are daily tours of the fascinating interior, with its basement tunnels and communications centre. Reunification Palace is at 106 Nguyen Du, Ho Chi Minh City.
War Remnants Museum
A chilling reminder of the Vietnam War, this museum has an assortment of American military hardware and armaments, plus various other exhibits and photographs all attesting to the hideous suffering caused by war. The War Remnants Museum is at 28 Vo Van Tan St , District 3.
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Revolutionary Museum
The many interesting exhibits inside this beautiful white neo-classical building illustrate the Communist-inspired struggle for independence from French and then American dominance. Construction of the museum began in 1885 and was completed in 1890 under the eye of French architect Alfred Foulhoux. It was put to a variety of uses over the next 90 years before becoming the Ho Chi Minh City Revolutionary Museum in 1978. It is at 65 Ly Tu Trong Street, District 1.
History Museum
The History Museum was built in 1929. It was expanded and thoroughly renovated in 1975, when it was renamed the Ho Chi Minh City History Museum. It houses a good collection of displays and illustrations depicting the cultural evolution of the country from ancient times plus valuable artifacts from Angkor Wat and household implements, clothing, ceramics and weaponry from Vietnam’s past. It is at 2 Nguyen Binh Khiem Street, District 1.
The Fine Art Museum
The 16-room Fine Art Museum exhibits a broad spectrum of exhibits including contemporary paintings, some of which are for sale, along with older, fascinating works of art, including some valuable Cham, Indian and Khmer pieces. The museum is at 97A Duc Chinh street, District 1, just a few blocks from the traffic circle in front of Ben Thanh Market.
Cong Vien Van Hoa Park
Formerly a club for the French colonists, this elegant tree-shaded sports club has numerous tennis courts and a swimming pool which are open to the public for a reasonable fee. There is also a gym and table tennis facilities. In the early morning, there are usually groups of locals practicing the art of thai cuc quyen (slow-motion shadow boxing). The park is at 115 Nguyen Du St, District 1.
Bink Quoi Tourist Village
As the name suggests, this village is tailor-made for package holidaymakers, but nonetheless offers a pleasant choice of activities including water puppet shows, boat rides, and river cruises. It was built in 1994 by the Sai Gon Tourist Corporation on the banks of the Sai Gon River in Binh Thanh District, eight kilometres from the centre of Saigon. Generally considered the largest tourist attraction in Ho Chi Minh City, it has an evening dinner cruise with cultural show.
Zoo and Botanical Gardens
Saigon Zoo was constructed in the 1860s by a French botanist. It has many beautiful plants, flowers and trees and more than 100 species of animals. There is also a temple and a museum. The zoo is at the corner of Nguyen Binh Khiem and Lê Duẩn streets in District 1, not far from the Reunification Palace.
Near Ho Chi Minh City
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| Cu Chi tunnels |
Cu Chi Tunnels
About one hour’s drive from Ho Chi Minh City, this extraordinary underground maze has several levels of tunnels totaling almost 250 kilometres in length. The soil above is between 3 and 4 metres thick, allowing a 50-ton tank to pass overhead without causing the tunnels to collapse.
The network had accommodation, meeting rooms, mess halls, hospitals, an operating theatre, and even a miniature cinema for an underground army of Viet Cong guerrillas who emerged from concealed trapdoors to fight and gradually grind down the will of the French and Americans with their vastly superior firepower.
The complex gives visitors a glimpse of the extraordinary fighting spirit of the Vietnamese people – the same spirit that vanquished the French at Dien Bien Phu in 1954. The connecting tunnels are a claustrophobic 50 centimetres to 1 metre wide – just enough for a person to squeeze through, though some of have been modified to accommodate visitors.
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Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon) hotels and resorts at the best rates, from Five Stars resorts such as Caravelle Hotel or Duxton Hotel Saigon, to budget accommodation like Huong Sen Hotel or Lac Vien Hotel, you are sure to find the accommodation you are looking for.
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The list of things to do and places to see in Ho Chi Minh City is long. If your schedule does not allow you to spend many days in this great city, you should at least take a day tour or a half-day tour. A good way to start the day is to join the local people in Vietnamese-style morning exercise, followed perhaps by a visit to one of the local markets, a lesson in cooking traditional Vietnamese food or a session tasting homemade honey-tea. The city sights are well worth seeing, along with the beautiful pagodas and fascinating museums or perhaps you can take a ride in a horse-drawn carriage.
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