Vietnam's bustling largest city sets the cultural and economic pace for the country. The former Saigon boasts charming French colonial architecture and wide boulevards, usually thronged and choked with traffic. Taxis are an option for seeing the sprawling city. The War Remnants Museum shows the Vietnam War through Vietnamese eyes. Don't miss the impressive Jade Emperor Pagoda. Go to the frenetic Ben Thanh Market for food, flowers or frogs. Tour through the Mekong Delta, past rice paddies and houseboats.
Restaurants in Ho Chi Minh City
4.5 based on 32,700 reviews
War Remnants Museum is a unit under the Department of Culture, Sports and Tourism Ho Chi Minh City. Located in the museum system of Vietnam, the museum for world peace and a member of the World Council of Museums (ICOM), the War Remnants Museum, the Museum of thematic research, collection , storage, preservation and display of the material, photographs, artifacts on the evidence of the crime and the consequences of the war that the invasion force has caused to Vietnam.Museum store more than 20,000 documents, exhibits and films, in which more than 1,500 documents, artifacts, films have been applied to introduce in eight thematic exhibition frequently. In 35 years, the Museum has welcomed over 15 million visitors at home and abroad. Currently with about 500,000 visitors each year, the War Remnants Museum is one of the only cultural tourism to attract high public credibility at home and abroad.
Definitely worth visiting if you have to stay in Saigon. The museum has three floors of incredible war artifacts and history relating to the French colonisation, Vietnamese attempts of democratic independence and the US occupation. The atrocities levelled upon the Vietnamese population since the French arrived until unification is just unbelievable. The affects of agent orange is even more heartbreaking. The horrors of chemical warfare in WW1 led to a ban on such weapons. The short and long term affects of agent orange far surpass any of the horrors of WW1. To think that a so called social responsible democratically elected government could cover half of Vietnam, swathes of Cambodia and Lao with such an incidious chemical throughout the 60s-70s is unfathomable. Especially when you consider civilians and US/allied troops were also knowingly sacrificed to the affects of agent orange as well. To this day Vietnamese only drink bottled water because of the presence of carcinogenic material from agent orange.
4.5 based on 25,445 reviews
Our fantastic guide Tom, from Buffalo Tours (who I cannot recommend highly enough) collected us in a lovely air conditioned car at 8.30am and we drove to the amazing Cu Chi Tunnels Tom was a wealth of knowledge and explained all about the tunnels and how the Viet Cong lived during the war. As we were leaving the buses and smaller coaches were arriving. We were so lucky to be able to wander quietly almost by ourselves. Worth getting up a bit early on our first day !!
4.5 based on 2,845 reviews
À Ố Show is one of Vietnamese Bamboo Circus performances. À Ố - derives from Làng Phố, which means ‘village and city’. À Ố Show tells a captivating story of the transition from the peaceful life of the countryside to the fast-paced metropolitan life of modern Southern Vietnam. The soul of village life and, in stark contrast, familiar scenes from the city, are beautifully brought to life -- with bamboo! The stunning simplicity of the bamboo props frames an awe-inspiring circus featuring acrobatics, contortion, juggling, and stunting. Throughout the show, both traditional and modern music harmonize richly, performed live with 17 musical instruments. À Ố Show has become a world-renowned circus, critically acclaimed in 11 countries.
If you only have the time to catch one show in Saigon, it has to be the A O Show. And if you do not have the time, do review your schedule and squeeze it into your travel itinerary as you will not regret it. It is truly an amazing production that is well choreographed, filled with energetic performers and makes creative use of simple everyday objects like bamboo poles and baskets to tell a beautiful story of how life evolves for the people in Vietnam from the village to a modern city. To really enjoyed the show, do go for the ‘Wow’ tickets. It may seem abit pricey, but it also offers the best unblock view from the opera house’s balcony seats. Despite deciding to catch the show just the day before, and having read all the other wonderful reviews of the show we decide to splurge to treat ourselves and were rewarded with great center seats. The returns for those ‘Wow’ tickets were priceless as the whole family were blown away by the breathtaking performance and could not stop taking it after the show. The bonus freebie thrown in has to be an informative 15-20 mins pre-show tour of the Opera House by the production crew. They will share with you the history of the place and it’s significance to the history of Saigon. So with the price of one ticket you get to watch a great show and also at the same time learn abit more about this beautiful and historical building. So do not wait or hesitate, do catch the A O Show when you are ever at Saigon or any city where they are performing.
4.0 based on 17,101 reviews
This post office also houses a useful office center with phones and fax lines.
Great to see this working post office (the French Colonial architecture) as a piece of living history where people buy stamps, mail packages, etc. Got to meet and have a wonderful chat with an 88 retired employee who still comes to volunteer and offer stories of the past, another piece of living history. (He used to help service men translate love letters!)
4.0 based on 10,200 reviews
“From Norodom Palace to Independence Palace 1868-1966” explores the century-long history of the building that once served as the seat of the French colonial government in Cochinchina. In 1954, this building was renamed Independence Palace. It subsequently witnessed many dramatic episodes in the rise and decline of the government of Ngo Dinh Diem, the founding leader of the Republic of Vietnam
This is a must see attraction and historic sight!! We loved taking an audio tour of this perfectly preserved government palace .... reflecting the beauty and grooviness of the 1960’s architecture and furnishings from the period. We learned a great deal about Vietnam and specifically South Vietnam history, which was communicated in a very interesting and accessible way and provided a context / understanding for our entire Vietnam tour.
4.0 based on 4,095 reviews
Built in 1898 following the “flamboyant” style of the French 3rd Republic, Saigon Opera House was certified a National Relic & one of the top Ho Chi Minh City attractions. The Opera House hosts cultural entertaining performances, bamboo cirque, contemporary dance, orchestra concerts and government events. Come to the front gate to check availability and ticket to a performance in this iconic building.
AO -an excellent Vietnamese acrobatic show - excellent in a beautiful theatre setting, only 1 hour at a great time of 6pm
4.0 based on 1,599 reviews
Generations ago, Vietnamese puppeteers performed for their rural communities in waist-deep water, bringing to life legends and stories about their region. Water puppetry theaters like Golden Dragon Water Puppet Theater continue that tradition into the modern day and are a fun, family-friendly way to experience a hallmark of traditional Vietnamese culture.water puppet show, which is closely associated with the spiritual life of Vietnamese people, especially in the countryside. The show’s chosen stage is the surface of a water pool. The puppeteers present their clever skills in managing puppets by long bamboo rods and string mechanism under the surface. A traditional Vietnamese orchestra is an excellent music accompaniment. The puppets depict the story from the songs during the show, which reflects the peaceful life of the Vietnamese countryside, so it is not too difficult to understand it.
Thoroughly enjoyed my trip to this theatre to see the traditional Water Puppets show. It is walking distance (10 mins) from the War Remnants museum and was a great pick-me-up after four hours learning about the terrible events and impact of the American War. There are a couple of showings each day - at 5 and 6pm when I visited but probably subject to change, and you can buy your ticket direct at the box office (cash only). The show lasted about 35 minutes and was in Vietnamese, with the singers playing the instruments too. An ancient art in Vietnam, the stories are easy to follow and very entertaining.
4.0 based on 6,135 reviews
Bitexco Financial Tower at a height of 262 meters is the tallest building in Ho Chi Minh City up to date. With design concept is taken from the shape of a lotus bud, the Vietnam national flower, Bitexco Financial Tower is not merely a building which is covered in glass and steel, but also a symbol of beauty and the rapid development of Ho Chi Minh City economy, a key economic region in Vietnam. Bitexco Financial Tower is a typical example for creativity and unique design. One of the tower highlights is the first observation in the city at 49th floors. Saigon Skydeck has opened for all visitors from January 1, 2011. With a full range of services and facilities for visitors, the Skydeck has officially opened to welcome visitors both domestic and international visitors since July, 2011. Visitors have the opportunity to visit Saigon Skydeck, not only enjoy the full sight of the Ho Chi Minh City and Saigon River, but also have the chance to use the facilities and services at this Skydeck. With many activities will be held at the Skydeck during this year, with special offer prices for different customer groups, the Skydeck will be an attractive destination in the journey of Ho Chi Minh City's for both domestic and international tourists.
This is one of the things we enjoyed most in Saigon. The views from the sky deck are truly amazing. Try to book for around sunset but anytime day or night is not disappointing. We incorporated the sky deck with the Heineken tour, a short tour through the heineken process, some fun and games, a go at pouring the perfect pint and a couple of refreshing drinks in the highest Heineken bar in the world.
4.0 based on 1,571 reviews
If you come to Ho Chi Minh city, Nguyen Hue walking street is the best choice for you. It has many restaurants,coffee shops, shopping malls. It is next to Saigon river.
4.0 based on 2,187 reviews
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