Ho Chi Minh City Sights and Landmarks Guide, Vietnam

Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon) is the largest city and headquarters of Vietnam that has grown to establish itself in the ‘Asian Tiger’ economic slugfest. It is located on the Saigon River and is Vietnam’s major port with a population of over 8 million people. Most of the people in Ho Chi Minh City travel throughout the clogged arteries of the city on about 3 million motorbikes.

Though the city is noisy, crowded and dirty, its business district poses competition to other cities on the globe. There are two seasons the city; the hot and rainy season from May to November and the dry season from December to April.

Ho Chi Minh City structures have French influence

Ho Chi Minh City tourist attractions include the War Remnants Museum, Vietnam History Museum and Cholon, the district famous for its pagodas and exotic stores. Dong Khoi Street boasts of some grand hotels where some date from the colonial era, chic boutiques and shops and numerous restaurants and cafes to taste Vietnam’s famous food.

When in Ho Chi Minh City, a place worth visiting is the Hotel de Ville which is a French colonial building that now houses the local Ho Chi Minh People’s Committee. However this place is closed to the public.

The Museum of Ho Chi Minh City is a few minutes from this hotel where you can see displays of the communist power struggle in Vietnam. The War Remnants Museum was first called the Museum of Chinese and American War Crimes.

Learn more about the American and Vietnam War

This is where you get to see stories of the American and Vietnam War through hundreds of photographs, some of which are not advised for children.

The Reunification Palace is really worth visiting when in Ho Chi Minh City as this was the HQ of the South Vietnamese in their war. The tanks found to the right are the ones that had knocked the gates to indicate the Fall of Saigon on that faithful day, April 30, 1975 to mark the handover of power.

The HCMC Post Office and Notre Dame Cathedral are all sufficient proof and reminders of the French influence in Ho Chi Minh City. Tourists can also attend a mass on Sunday mornings in the cathedral.

The most educational museum that has no propaganda is the History Museum where you get to see 4000 years of the history of Vietnam. It lies just inside the gate that leads to the city zoo and botanical gardens.

A visit to the Ben Thanh Market will satisfy all your shopping needs for the great quality branded goods available here. Even the food area is worth a few pictures if you don’t intend to buy anything while in Ho Chi Minh City.

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• Cholon (Chinatown)
  travel tip by Photoguy posted more then 30 days ago
  This place is the Chinatown of Vietnam. Most of Vietnam’s ethnic Chinese, the largest ethnic minority group in Vietnam, live here. This is a great place to see how the locals go about their daily life. There is quite a number of...
• Ho Chi Minh City Museum
  travel tip by alvingb posted more then 30 days ago
  This museum is great place for tourist to know more about the history of Vietnam. There are many exhibits here that talk about the history of Vietnam. This certainly gives great insights to people to understand this beautiful country....
• Saigon Notre-Dame Cathedral
  travel tip by alvingb posted more then 30 days ago
  The Notre- Dame cathedral is a very famous architecture in Ho Chi Minh City. This cathedral is known to be made of materials that were only imported from France. The interior of the cathedral is simply stunning as it gives a very calm...

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