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What are the must-see attractions in Ho Chi Minh City?

The former capital of French Indochina, the southern capital of Vietnam, the huge city of Ho Chi Minh City is still a center of attraction in Southeast Asia. People come here in search of work, adventure, educational recreation and simply for the Asian flavor that is present in abundance in this city full of contrasts. What is Ho Chi Minh City, or as it is commonly called, Saigon? Let's walk along its streets and plunge into the history, religion and simply beauty of this wonderful city.

Today's Saigon (Ho Chi Minh City) has more than 9 million inhabitants. This number includes the population of the city itself and adjacent rural communes administratively belonging to Saigon. Its area is 2095 square meters. km, the population density is very high - about 3700 people/sq. km.

Saigon produces 17% of the national GDP and 40% of export products. Here are the headquarters of many multinational corporations, the largest banks in Vietnam and regional offices of foreign ones.

The city is in a constant state of construction. New office and industrial complexes, luxury hotels are being built, parks are being created and new areas are being developed.

Tourists do not ignore the legendary Asian metropolis. Everyone will find entertainment here to suit their taste - from cultural and educational tourism to nightlife.

Museums

There are more than a dozen museums in the city, each interesting in its own way. Which one to watch is up to you.

Palace of Independence

One of the first places where tourists are taken on an organized excursion is the Palace of Independence. Although the second name suits it better - Reunification Palace. It was here that the act of reunification of North and South Vietnam was signed. The history of this building is tightly woven into the historical events of the mid-twentieth century. Built by the French in a colonial style, it became the residence of South Vietnamese President Ngo Dinh Diem. Several attempts were made on his life. One of them is an air raid organized by two officers of the Republic Air Force in 1962. As a result, the building of the Palace of Independence was destroyed.

Its new appearance is very reminiscent of a building from the USSR era, so in appearance it does not look like a palace at all. In 1975, it again fell into the category of iconic places in Saigon. This is the year of the final withdrawal of American troops and the capture of Saigon by North Vietnamese troops. Thanks to an Australian photojournalist, the tank that broke through the gates of the Independence Palace becomes a symbol of the fall of Saigon. It is still located in the same place and is a historical landmark along with the Palace itself.

The museum's exposition includes furnishings from the late 60s, an office, antique telephones and other means of communication, military equipment on the territory of the Palace and a whole network of underground tunnels connecting the Palace of Independence and the Ho Chi Minh City Museum.

This museum is worth a visit for everyone, but especially for those interested in the culture and traditions of Vietnam. Its building has a long history, starting with the fact that it was once the residence of the French governor of the province of Cochin, then the office of the French High Commissioner in Saigon, then the Supreme Court and the revolutionary museum. It was later renamed the City Museum.

South Vietnamese Women's Museum

Vietnam History Museum

Vietnamese history is inextricably linked with the evolution of cultures throughout Southeast Asia. The most ancient valuable relics and artifacts date back to the Dong Son culture of the second millennium BC. e. The following presents the development of the early states of Bapnom and Champa, the Khmer and Vietnamese small nations. There are exhibits from Cambodia's Angkor Wat, Buddha statues, and the mummy of a Vietnamese woman who died in 1869. Many exhibits are related to China. Here you can watch traditional water puppet theater performances and buy souvenirs.

In terms of the richness of its exhibition, it is hardly inferior to the National Museum of Fine Arts in Hanoi. The museum building itself is noteworthy. This is a colonial mansion, pierced by many arches, with balconies opening onto cozy courtyards. There are 16 exhibition halls on 4 floors. Works of art include painting, ceramics, lacquer painting, sculpture, ancient Buddhist works, woodblock prints.

The first floor is dedicated to the exhibition and sale of works by Vietnamese and foreign artists. The second is dedicated to contemporary art, which largely reflects the events of the struggle against French colonialists and the American War. The third floor contains works dating from the 1st to the 20th century.

Ho Chi Minh Museum

Uncle Ho is the most legendary historical figure of the 20th century. And the most revered. It was under his leadership that the reunification of two irreconcilable republics on the territory of Vietnam took place. It is to him that the country owes its socialist system. His portraits are on all Vietnamese banknotes.

The museum is divided into two parts. The first floor is a collection of the leader's personal belongings. The second is a gallery where his photographs from different periods of his life are exhibited.

This is a remembrance of the war crimes committed against the Vietnamese people. The exhibits, full of tragedy, do not leave anyone indifferent. It used to be called the Museum of Chinese and American War Crimes. The naturalism of the exhibition clearly demonstrates the cruelty with which they were committed. Here are presented the instruments of murder and torture to which the Vietnamese communists were subjected, documents, including photographs and videos.

Tim Page is a legendary war photographer. He compiled a large selection of photographs of victims of the American-Vietnamese War on both sides. Here are adults and children mutilated by napalm and phosphorus bombs, the consequences of the use of poisons and toxic substances with a description of their effects.

Religious sites

Vietnam is a country of three religions and many beliefs. The metropolis of Ho Chi Minh City has absorbed them all and provides the opportunity for each of its residents to practice their faith in temples and pagodas, cathedrals and houses of worship.

Notre Dame de Saigon or Notre Dame Cathedral of Saigon

The hallmark of old Saigon is the Notre Dame de Saigon Cathedral. It was built by the French according to the design of their architect J. Bourg. An exact copy of Notre Dame Cathedral was built in just 6 years - from 1877 to 1983. Every last stone and nail was delivered from Europe. The architectural style is neo-Romanesque with Gothic elements. The temple is decorated with traditional stained glass windows. The interior space is organized as in an ordinary Catholic cathedral. Stained glass windows and a marble altar with figures of angels give it extraordinary beauty. The bell tower has six bells, which ring simultaneously only on the feast of the Nativity of Christ.

It was built at the end of the 19th century on the ruins of an ancient temple discovered as a result of excavations. Its foundation dates back to the beginning of our era - the era of Funan, a state that was then in the territory later inhabited by the Vietnamese. The temple is active, services are held here three times a day. Many temples in Vietnam are associated with animal legends. This one is dedicated to the white elephant.

Legend has it that one day it was decided to move the temple to another place. And all the relics and treasures, including the bell, were loaded onto the back of a white elephant. After walking a few steps, the elephant stumbled, and the entire load scattered at the temple gate and into the lake. The superstitious monks took this as a sign that the temple should remain in its old location. All the relics were picked up, but only the bell could not be recovered from the bottom of the lake. And now local residents claim that bells can be heard from there every full moon.

Mariamman Temple

This is a Hindu temple, the only one functioning in the city. The Mariamman Temple is a place of pilgrimage for followers of Hinduism in Vietnam, where they come on major religious holidays from all over the country. Legend says that this place is endowed with magical powers - anyone who crosses its threshold is healed of illnesses.

The initiator of the construction of the temple dedicated to Mariamman, the goddess, mother of all living things, was the Tamil community living in the suburbs of Saigon. The temple was built with their donations at the end of the 19th century. The Tamils ​​are still a large part of his flock. The temple is small, but very cozy and beautiful. Built in traditional Indian style, it attracts not only tourists, but also local residents.

This pagoda is a symbol of the “Buddhist revival”. It was built in the 70s of the last century, when the persecution of the Buddhist faith ended. The temple was built jointly by the Japanese and Vietnamese, so its architecture exhibits the simplicity and harmony of traditional Japanese religious architecture. The multi-tiered 40-meter tower is a chapel. There is a bell with a diameter of 2 meters.

The adjacent squat structure is the main building, in the depths of which there is an altar with a statue of Buddha surrounded by disciples. The smaller tower is a kind of columbarium where urns with ashes are located. At the pagoda you can buy souvenirs and admire an exhibition of works by Vietnamese artists.

We have collected for you the most interesting sights of Ho Chi Minh City - the largest city in the southern part of Vietnam, which has a lot of ways to have fun. Some people prefer to go to museums, some prefer to go to a zoo or water park, and others like to wander through markets. Our review has an option for everyone!

Reunification Palace (Independence Palace)

The Reunification Palace can be reached on foot from the main tourist street of the city, Pham Ngu Lao. The journey will take you about 20-30 minutes. The Reunification Palace or, as it is also called, the Independence Palace is a symbol of the end of the Vietnam War. A North Vietnamese army tank approached this building in 1975, signaling the fall of the Saigon regime.

Bitexo Financial Tower

The tallest building in the city is accessible to visitors. You can go up to the observation deck of the tower, located on the 49th floor. It offers panoramic views of the city and the Saigon River. Bitexo Tower was built in 2010, the height of the 68-story building is 262.5 meters. There are many offices of famous companies here, as well as a restaurant with a magnificent view.

US War Crimes Museum (from tolerance renamed to War Relics Museum)

It is also called the Museum of War Victims, the Military Museum, the Museum of Military History.

This museum is located near the Palace of Independence. The museum's exhibits encourage visitors to reflect on the horrors of war. Photographs showing the cruelty of war, the recreated environment of cells and torture chambers - all this is not a spectacle for the faint of heart. But people who visit this museum begin to appreciate the peacetime in which they live more. The museum is truly impressive.

Ho Chi Minh Museum

Museum of Vietnamese History

The history of this museum goes back almost a hundred years; it was opened in 1929 and is considered one of the most famous museums in the country. The Museum of Vietnamese History displays exhibits from archaeological excavations: ceramics, figurines, religious objects and everyday items that were used by the people of Vietnam in different eras.

Notre Dame de Saigon Cathedral

Walking through the historical center of Ho Chi Minh City, you definitely won’t miss this cathedral, built in the French colonial, neo-Romanesque style. Materials for the construction of the cathedral were brought from the French city of Marseille. And the mechanism of the clock installed on the facade of the building was made in Switzerland. In front of the cathedral there is a square in which there is a marble statue of the Mother of God.

Ben Thanh Market

Tourists from all over the world come here to buy Vietnamese souvenirs. In the evening, many trading pavilions open outside the market building and trade moves there. Here you can buy not only standard souvenirs, but also clothes, shoes, tea, coffee, dried fruits and much more. Not far from the market is Ben Thanh Street Food Market, where you can have delicious food at reasonable prices. In addition to Vietnamese dishes, the food market also offers Indian, American and other world cuisines, delicious smoothies and craft beer.

Jade Emperor Pagoda

This pagoda with a beautiful name was built at the beginning of the 20th century in honor of the supreme god of the sky. Daylight enters the temple through the roof covered with Chinese tiles. Subtle rays of light penetrating inside and the smell of incense make the atmosphere of the temple mysterious. The centerpiece of visitors is the majestic statue of the Emperor, as well as the turtle pond, around which children usually gather.

City Zoo

In addition to small animals, Ho Chi Minh City Zoo also has Asian black bears, various species of monkeys, including large orangutans, crocodiles, snakes, tigers, lions, elephants and rhinoceroses. Visitors spend a lot of time watching giraffes and deer. The zoo has created good conditions for animals: non-dangerous fauna are kept in special areas, while predators and reptiles live behind glass walls.

Dam Sen Water Park

And even though there is no sea in Ho Chi Minh City, you can still enjoy hot days in this city! Both children and adults will enjoy going to the water park and riding the water slides! A waterfall, a pool with artificial waves, a huge pool with small slides for kids and extreme rides for the most daring - Dam Sen Water Park has it all.

Bui Vien street

The main tourist street in Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon) is called Bui Vien. In the evening and at night, life is in full swing here. People from all corners of our planet gather to drink a little (or a lot) of Vietnamese beer and relax after visiting the sights. Restaurants and bars put tables and chairs right on the sidewalks, barkers attract visitors to massage parlors, and salespeople to shops with T-shirts with a map of Vietnam or a Vietnamese star on them.

Parallel to Bui Vien Street is another popular street among travelers - Pham Ngu Lao, where there are many budget hotels, travel agencies and bus companies where you can buy tickets to almost any part of the country.

Suoi Tien Amusement Park

A distinctive feature of this park is that it is not only entertaining, but also religious. The park covers an area of ​​more than 50 hectares and is constantly expanding and being completed. There is a water park, attractions, a crocodile farm, a 4D cinema, ATVs, a Harry Potter scare room, a dolphinarium, a winter palace with artificial snow and a theme park with working pagodas and religious Buddhist statues. You can buy a ticket for 100,000 VND to the park and then pay only for the most interesting attractions and areas, or buy a combo ticket, which costs more.

Main Post Office

The Saigon General Post Office is a striking example of French colonial architecture, which is not only a cultural monument, but also still serves its main function. This is a working post office where you can send postcards to family and friends. But the main thing, of course, is the architectural features of the building - arched windows, stucco molding, multi-colored tiles on the floor, green shutters and patterned gate bars at the entrance.

Ho Chi Minh City Museum

The museum's exhibition is dedicated to the history, culture and nature of the city. Among the exhibits are jewelry, porcelain, ancient money, and household items of the past. Much attention is paid to the period of the Vietnam War. In the courtyard of the museum there is military equipment (airplanes, tanks) and old car models.

Monument to Ho Chi Minh and the City Council building (city hall, town hall)

The monument is located on a large, well-kept square. This is the front part of the city and the magnificent flower beds are always pleasing to the eye. At night, the square is illuminated beautifully. Travelers from different countries of the world gather at the monument. Celebrations and performances are held here on weekend evenings. Near the square there are famous boutiques and hotels.

The City Council building itself is interesting, with a red tiled roof, decorated with arches, columns, stucco moldings and bas-reliefs.

If you decide to visit Vietnam, be sure to stop in Ho Chi Minh City, whose attractions provide an opportunity to get acquainted with the history and culture of the country.

Ho Chi Minh City is a city in the south of the country, located on the banks of the Saigon River. Founded 300 years ago, today it combines the luxury of expensive restaurants and modern skyscrapers with the unique atmosphere of an Asian metropolis. So that you know exactly what to see in Ho Chi Minh City, we have compiled the TOP 8 attractions of this city. Read the description of each place and create your own travel itinerary!

In the heart of the business district, a 15-minute walk from the city center, rises the 68-story Bitexco skyscraper, 262 meters high. There are many offices of prestigious companies in this building, but the reason for its fame lies elsewhere. On the 49th floor of the financial tower there is an observation deck that offers a panoramic 360° view of the entire Ho Chi Minh City.

The cost of visiting this attraction is $10 (includes a bottle of water and binocular rental), and is open 24 hours a day. A few floors above there is a cafe with panoramic windows and a souvenir shop. At the entrance to the tower, you are photographed near the green wall and offered the opportunity to buy this photo with a changed background (an image of the building during the day or at night) in A4 format on paper/glass.

1. Pay attention to weather conditions. The tower is located at a high altitude, so if you go in cloudy/rainy weather, you won’t be able to look at all of Ho Chi Minh City; the view of the city will be partially hidden.
2. You won't have to pay an entrance fee if visiting this attraction is part of your city tour. Prices for such organizations are lower than for individual tourists, so a shared excursion is a good way to save money.

Cuchi Tunnels

Located in the village of Kuchi, these tunnels are the most vivid reminder of the events of the Vietnam War. This place is a settlement of partisans who fled from enemy soldiers and defended their land. Civilians dug long tunnels (total length - 300 m) and lived there with families. To protect themselves from the American military, they set traps, made very small narrow passages, and placed poisoned metal lances everywhere. Upon arrival, you will be greeted by a guide who will briefly tell the history of the war and show a 10-minute film about those events, after which he will show the area and tunnels.

To get to the village, you need to take bus number 13, you can get on it at the central bus station and get to the Cu-Chi Tunnels stop. Travel time is about 1.5 hours.

The cost of visiting the attraction is $4. There is a souvenir shop on site where you can buy a map of Ho Chi Minh City with attractions in Russian. For an additional fee, you are allowed to shoot weapons from those times.

1. Nutrition. Although you will be treated to lotus tea at the entrance, and there is a drinks area on site, it is better to take some food with you, as visiting the tunnels along with the two-way road can take about 5 hours.
2. Start your day with this attraction. The last minibus leaves at 17:00, so in order not to waste money on a taxi and have time to get around everything, it’s better to come here in the morning.

If you ask local Vietnamese where to go in Ho Chi Minh City or what to see in Ho Chi Minh City in 2 days, the answer will definitely include the Museum of War Remnants. This place seems very violent and unsuitable for visiting, especially with children, but it is a must visit. The museum is well worth a visit, it reminds us of the cost of the war and explains why the locals are so proud of this victory.

The three-story museum displays dozens of types of weapons, hundreds of cartridges, airplanes and tanks of that time. But the main exhibits here are photographs. Each photograph tells about the events of the war, be it chemical bombings or armed battles. The essence of these photos is clear even without captions, which are still written under each photo in English.

• Opening hours: every day from 7:30 to 17:00 (break from 12 to 13).
• Price for one – $0.7. The museum is located in the very center of the city.

At the end of the 19th century, French architects added a piece of Parisian charm and European culture to Vietnam. The city's opera house, a beautiful columned building, attracts tourists with both its exterior and interior. If you like cultural attractions, be sure to go see some production.

The cost and time of visiting varies depending on the ticket price for the show.

Advice: You can visit the theater only during performances; excursions are not available. In order not only to spend money on a ticket, but also to watch the production, follow the repertoire before arriving in the city. European music and dance groups often come here on tour, and mass festivals are held here - Saigon Opera House offers many interesting events.

Central Post Office

The main post office of Ho Chi Minh City is the real pride of the city. The beautiful French-style building surprises with its appearance both inside and outside. Here you can not only use postal services and send home a postcard with views of Vietnam for $0.5, but also exchange currency and buy high-quality souvenirs at a very low price.

• Located opposite Notre Dame Cathedral, a 5-minute walk from the Ben Thanh local market.
• Entry is free and open from 8am to 5pm every day.

Prices on the page are for January 2018.

Central Square of Ho Chi Minh City (Ho Chi Minh Square)

The central square in front of the city council building, which combines the cultures of three countries - France, Vietnam and the USSR. Next to architectural masterpieces in the style of 19th-century Paris are modern buildings decorated with Vietnamese attributes, and nearby stands the office of the Communist Youth League with its symbolic hammer and sickle. This place is not included in excursions, since tourists love to visit this attraction of Ho Chi Minh City on their own, spending several hours on it.

This is a great place for walking with children, as beautiful flowers and unusual trees grow throughout the territory, there are fountains, many benches and several sculptures.

Advice: It is better to visit the central square in the evening, when the lights are on. If you want to soak in the atmosphere of the Vietnamese people, you should come here on the Eastern New Year, when many local residents gather in the park, when ordinary life stops and people remember long-standing traditions.

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Museum of Illusions (Artinus 3D Art Museum)

Do you want to go back to your childhood, forget about your problems and really have fun? Then you need to visit this museum of illusions. This is a very good, positive place where you can relax even with children.

The building is conventionally divided into rooms, where each wall has huge paintings that create a 3D effect. Take a lot of photos with different backgrounds so that your friends viewing the photo will think that you desperately got an elephant out of the jungle, almost got hit by a large sneaker, and even had an interesting conversation with a large chimpanzee.

At the entrance you are greeted by friendly employees, from whom you can purchase a ticket ($10) and various drinks.

The museum is open from 9 am to 6 pm on weekdays and until 8 pm on weekends.

1. Don't forget to take your camera and good mood.
2. Go on a weekday, preferably not in the evening, to avoid crowds of tourists and long queues to the installations.

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Notre Dame Cathedral

Another proof that Ho Chi Minh City is not called the Paris of Vietnam for nothing. This cathedral is a relic of French colonialism, and although it is not aimed at tourists, it is the most popular temple in the city. In the evenings, creative and loving young people gather here - the former sing songs accompanied by various instruments, the latter relax on benches. In addition, Notre Dame is a traditional location for wedding photo shoots.

The building is made in a neo-romantic style with Gothic elements; in front of the entrance there is a large statue of the Virgin Mary, who stands on a snake (a symbol of the fight against evil) and holds a globe in her hands.

The attraction is located a 15-minute walk from the central city market.

• You can look at the cathedral inside for free.
• The temple is open only at certain times: on weekdays from 4:00 to 9:00 and from 14:00 to 18:00.
• Every Sunday at 9:30 am there is a general mass in English.

1. Watch your clothes. If you want to go inside, you must look the way you should according to Catholic law. Girls need to take a scarf or stole with them, and do not wear short shorts or skirts.
2. If the main entrance to the church is closed during business hours, you can use the side gates.
3. Visit the beautiful park located nearby. This is a great place to go with children.

In Ho Chi Minh City, the sights are worth your attention, but the most interesting things are on the streets, where life is in full swing and you can watch the locals.

All attractions of Ho Chi Minh City mentioned on the page are marked on the map in Russian.

Video: a walk around Ho Chi Minh City.

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Are there any sights in Ho Chi Minh City that you can see and visit in this, the largest city in the south of Vietnam - a question that is of interest to many travelers traveling to this country, either on a tour from a travel agency or on their own.

Ho Chi Minh City is rich in attractions, dating back to completely different times, since it is not only the largest city in Vietnam, but also one of its oldest cities, located on the shores of Saigon.

Google Maps / google.ru

As any guide to the historical places and cultural monuments of Ho Chi Minh City, bought at a kiosk or taken from a hotel, will tell you, both in Russian and in any other language, the city itself was called Prey Nokor until the 17th century and was a provincial Cambodian settlement.

In the 17th century, as a result of territorial wars between modern Cambodia and Vietnam, this area fell to the Vietnamese, and they named the city Saigon, the same name as one of the most beautiful rivers in Asia, on the banks of which it was located.

Under the rule of the colonial authorities, namely France, the name did not change, which cannot be said about the general appearance of city streets and markets. It also did not change during the American military aggression. And after 1976, that is, after the unification of the Northern and Southern parts of the country, Saigon lost its status as the capital and its own name, becoming Ho Chi Minh City, but continued to remain the largest and most interesting place in the southern part of the country.

What to see?

Looking at the map of attractions, one cannot help but notice that everything that is offered for sightseeing by tourists can be divided into some kind of groups:

1. Traditional national objects.
2. Legacy of colonial times.
3. Objects associated with the time of “friendship” with the Soviet Union and recovery after American aggression.
4. Modern facilities.

If you explore the city in 1 day or 2, then it makes sense to mark it on the map and visit those places that are nearby, within walking distance. And if you stay here for ten days, then it is more optimal to explore the sights of Ho Chi Minh City, guided by their conditional affiliation with a particular historical period. You can book a tour of the places you like using websites and.

Prince Roy / flickr.com

But, no matter which route of sightseeing in Ho Chi Minh City is most convenient for you to use, here you must visit the following places:

• museums;
• colonial buildings;
• pagodas;
• markets;
• parks;
• skyscrapers;
• "cultural" objects.

Of course, you can’t see everything in one day or even in one week, but the most interesting things that give an idea of ​​the city, its history, and the current way of life can be obtained by getting acquainted with its most interesting sights.

Museums

The list of museums in every ancient and large city that continues to actively live and develop is always quite large, Ho Chi Minh City is no exception. But among everything that is offered to tourists, it is worth highlighting such museums as:

1. City Museum.
2. Historical Museum.
3. Women's Museum.
4. Museum of the Consequences of War.

Of course, it would be logical to start exploring the city by visiting the museum of the same name.

Based on the name, most travelers expect to see an ordinary local history museum, with boring, meager and dusty exhibits, completely incomprehensible in the absence of a guide.

Jorge Láscar / flickr.com

But here everything is completely different, the huge collection is “divided” into 134 topics and you can explore the halls with exhibits on your own, focusing on what is more interesting.

The museum is located in the city center, on Ly Tu Trong 65. The doors of the halls are open daily from 8:00 to 17:00. The cost of visiting for foreign tourists is 15 thousand dong, which is a little less than one dollar.

Historical Museum

Many tourists visit either a museum telling about the history of the city or a museum introducing the history of Vietnam, believing that their exhibitions will be very similar and it is enough to see one.

But here these are completely different collections. The Museum of the History of the Country will not repeat, but to some extent complement a visit to the city museum. Its halls will be of interest to absolutely everyone, especially to those who are fascinated by ancient “pre-state” Asia, since there is a very detailed exhibition dedicated to Cham culture as a whole.

The museum doors are open every day except Mondays from 8:00 to 11:00 and from 13:30 to 17:00. The cost of visiting for foreigners is the traditional 15,000 VND, and the museum is located on Nguyen Binh Khiem 2, next door to the zoo.

In addition to the exhibition, here every day you can see a unique spectacle - a performance of the national water puppet theater. Performances start at 14:00, 15:00 and 16:00, the cost of viewing the performance is 50,000 VND.

Women's Museum

In Vietnam, the attitude towards women is quite strange for a European; it successfully combines equality in all matters and treating a woman not as a “comrade”, but as a lady.

For example, “March 8” is celebrated here on a grand scale, but not as the day on which feminists in the 19th century achieved the opportunity to participate in elections and not as a date on the calendar when you need to buy flowers, but rather as a real holiday, the same like, for example, New Year.

It is better to visit this place on the second or third day of exploring local attractions, since there is no historical load or information in the exhibitions located on three floors. Rather, the exhibits subtly illustrate everything related to Vietnamese women, their interests, appearance and much more, from ancient times to the present day. In general, the museum is very similar to the similar Women's Museum in Hanoi.

The doors are open to everyone from Monday to Friday inclusive, from 7:30 to 12:00 and from 13:30 to 17:00, there is no need to pay for entry, inspection is available without payment to everyone.

The museum is located on Vo Thi Sau 202, it is quite far from the historical center, you will have to travel by bus or taxi. A trip by transport will cost 5,000 dong; you need to get off at the stop of the same name. A taxi ride will cost from 30,000 to 52,000 dong, depending on where the car “starts” from. You can use the services of a pedicab, but you will have to look for them if you do not drive away from the markets.

This place will be of interest to anyone who is at least a little familiar with the history of relations between Vietnam and the USSR; in addition, all the exhibits here tell both about the life of the country’s leader himself and about the formation of the Communist Party in Vietnam. In general, the construction of one-on-one exhibitions is reminiscent of the Soviet museums of V.I. Lenin.

The museum is surrounded by a wonderful park abutting the embankment, and you can visit it every day, except Mondays, from 7:30 to 11:30 and from 13:30 to 17:00 for 10,000 dong.

The building is located on Nguyen Tat Thanh 1, this is the most central “tourist” area, so you don’t have to use transport.

Museum of the Consequences of War

In many guidebooks this place is called the “War Crimes Museum”. In principle, this is what you need to see in Ho Chi Minh City.

The exhibitions are dedicated to the years of American aggression and its consequences, which are still visible today, and they tell about this time in a completely different way from how it is shown in Hollywood films.

The building, built in an architectural style easily recognizable by every Soviet person, is located on Vo Van Tan 28, next to the Reunification Palace. This is in the central part of the city.

Doors are open daily from 07:30 to 12:00 and from 13:30 to 17:00, entrance fee is 10,000 VND.

Colonial legacy

There is no need to specifically look for the heritage of the times of French rule, because it is almost everywhere. Most tourists do not pay attention to these attractions, preferring to go to Buddhist pagodas, believing that French buildings and cathedrals can be seen in Europe.

But this is not entirely true, the colonial style, of course, is in many ways similar to what you can see in Paris and what you can see in Algeria or New Orleans, but the difference between local buildings and what the French built in other corners of the planet, is very noticeable. This is especially true of late Gothic and early Baroque, the influence of traditional local architecture gives these buildings and churches a unique uniqueness.

You need to look in the very first days at the local Notre Dame - Saigon Notre Dame Cathedral, the cathedral is made in the late Gothic style, but it was built when Art Nouveau was already in full swing in Europe, replacing Rococo and Baroque, that is, three stylistic eras after the relevance of Gothic. The building is truly unique in appearance; there is simply no other Catholic church like it in the world.

Prince Roy / flickr.com

Entrance is free, as the church is active. Of course, you need to behave accordingly, turning off all gadgets or at least the sound on them and the flash. In addition to examining the decoration, here you can listen to the organ and generally feel the mixture of two completely different cultures of the West and the East.

The cathedral is located in the center of the city, a few minutes walk from the Ben Than market, in principle, its sharp gray roof-spiers, similar to “witches’ hats”, can be seen from everywhere, and from the market itself you can also see the red towers of this temple.

Also, you don’t need to pass by the post office, train station, municipality building and many others, besides, you don’t have to pay for the entrance to colonial buildings, which are now functioning for their intended purpose, and there are signs on each of them telling in sufficient detail about their history these buildings.

Pagodas

Ho Chi Minh City is a city of an endless number of small lakes. Almost each of them has its own legend, and nearby, in the shade of the trees, there is a temple complex.

You definitely need to go to the “turtle”, that is, to the large Taoist temple complex of the Jade Emperor, interesting because it combines the functions of a temple and a public place where you can play chess (for some reason, most Vietnamese pensioners play chess), read newspapers, do yoga and so on.

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The pagoda complex is located in the center, on Mai Thi Luu 73 and is always open, from early morning to late evening. It is not necessary to pay to enter the territory, but there is a collection of donations. But the entrance to the pagoda, where there is a large straw turtle, is paid.

You should also see Buddhist pagodas, the most interesting of which is the Jacques Lam Pagoda. The complex is located outside the central “tourist” area, in the Tan Binh quarters, on Lac Long Quan. The temple complex is open every day from morning to evening, no entrance fee is required, but it is customary to leave donations.

Even if your time to visit the city is significantly limited, you should definitely visit its markets. A visit to any of them will allow you to feel the real life of Vietnam, and no museum or temple can give this.

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• Cho Ben Thanh - Ben Thanh market, with an abundance of national crafts and souvenirs, is located in the very center of the city map and is officially open from early morning to seven in the evening, but after 19:00 trade simply moves to the street part, not stopping until dawn.
• Binh Tay is the Cha Lon market, located in Chinatown, and has a less “tourist” bias. This is where you need to go for ointments, herbal infusions and many other things that are not available anywhere else - not only in Ho Chi Minh City, but in the whole country. The shopping arcades are open only for the first part of the day, and you can get to them by bus No. 1 from the Ben Thanh market. In addition to “medical” goods, here you can buy any things and absolutely everything that comes to mind; this is where Russian “shuttles” once went, bringing goods not from China, but from Vietnam.

Parks and skyscrapers

Ho Chi Minh City has a huge number of simple parks, but there are also themed ones, for example, the zoo. If you are visiting the city for more than one day, you should definitely go here. Such a zoo cannot be seen either in Thailand or in China, much less outside of Asia. In addition to animals and incredibly beautifully decorated enclosures and the entire territory, there is a pavilion with butterflies and a botanical garden. It takes about half a day to explore the zoo, but it's worth it.

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Entrance costs 12,000 VND for locals and 50,000 for foreigners, the price includes a detailed map booklet and a bottle of water. Doors are open daily from 8:30 to 16:30. There is a discount for children, regardless of whether they are foreigners or not, a child ticket costs 6,000 VND.

There are many cafeterias, benches, fountains and children's playgrounds on the territory.

The zoo is located on Nguyen Binh Khiem 2, you can get to it by buses No. 19, No. 52, No. 616 from Ben Thanh market.

In addition to the zoo and other themed recreational places, such as an amusement park and a water park, it is worth paying attention to the lakeside walking area of ​​Pham Ngu Lao, located on the street of the same name.

This is the very center, and not only the embankment is interesting, but also the adjacent blocks with buildings from the 16th to the 19th centuries, and in numerous alleys pagoda roofs and houses in the colonial version of the Baroque are intricately mixed.

Here you can take very beautiful and, in principle, unique photographs, since tourists, as a rule, simply do not get to these places in two or three days of time in Ho Chi Minh City, preferring to visit a mausoleum, a museum, a couple of pagodas and something else that is replicated by tourists guidebooks such as Observation Point and Chinatown.

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As for observation platforms, Ho Chi Minh City can “boast” of its skyscrapers, some of the most modern and beautiful not only in Asia, but throughout the world.

You need to pay attention to the “BITEXCO FINANCIAL TOWER”, the Biteksko skyscraper with an observation deck. It is interesting because it is built in the shape of a lotus bud.

The height of the building is 68 floors, rising 262 meters. The observation deck is on the 49th floor and has a 360 degree view. It is open daily from 9:30 to 21:30, but the ticket office closes at exactly 20:45. In addition to the site, on the 50th floor there is a wonderful restaurant with a bar, which has built-in panoramic windows.

The cost of visiting the observation deck for foreigners is 200,000 VND. The skyscraper is located on Ho Tung Mau 36, it is in the center, a five-minute walk from Ben Than market.

Video: Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam.

Cultural leisure

If you spend more than a day or two in the city, the question will inevitably arise about where you can go in it, besides museums, pagodas, parks and markets. Ho Chi Minh City is rich in such places, and there is something for every taste.

It is worth visiting the local opera house, which, in addition to traditional performances and classical opera, regularly hosts performances of the acrobatic show A O Show, in many ways similar to the legendary Cirque du Soleil.

The theater is located in the center, on Cong Truong Lam Son 7. The cost of tickets is completely different, depending on what kind of event to attend, therefore, while walking around the city, it makes sense to go to the box office and find out directly on the spot what will be shown and how much the ticket costs .

You should also pay attention to the water puppet theater; you can watch its performance either while visiting the Museum of Vietnamese History or bypassing its halls.

Monkey Island (Can Gio) is also interesting. It is located in the Ho Chi Minh City suburb of Vung Tau and will take a whole day to visit. You can get to the monkeys by buses departing from Ben Thanh market every hour in the morning and marked with a large sign.

The cost of visiting is quite high - 230,000 dong; there are no stalls with water and snacks located everywhere on the territory; on the contrary, the traveler will be greeted by a “cultivated” jungle, so water and any snacks, if you cannot do without them, must be taken with you.

It is also worth buying something for the monkeys, because they are much more willing to climb on the shoulders and generally make contact with people who have given them something tasty, so it will be easier to take a photo with them if you have a bribe with you.

In addition to all this, there are still many unusual and very interesting places in the city, for example, the Cu Chi tunnels - a network of ancient catacombs, known since the times of the historical wars with the Cambodians and received a “second” life during the time of US aggression and much more, besides what is listed in tourist brochures.

In general, Ho Chi Minh City is a very interesting and quite quiet city, compared to more “promoted” tourism destinations, but it has absolutely everything for those who want to spend their holiday in an interesting and unusual way, both as part of an independent trip and when purchasing a tour.

In the Vietnamese city of Ho Chi Minh City you can find entertainment for every taste. Among other things, special attention should be paid to the sights of Ho Chi Minh City. There are not very many of them in the city itself; you can see everything in 1-2 days.

Ben Thanh Market

One of Ho Chi Minh City's most famous attractions is Ben Thanh Market, located very close to the tourist area of ​​Phan Gu Lao. This is a great place to buy Vietnamese products, art and other souvenirs. There are plenty of spots inside the market where you can try a taste of Vietnamese street food or just cool off with a drink after shopping.

Ben Thanh Market is quite large and difficult to navigate, especially for the first time. Therefore, it is better to visit this attraction in the morning or evening, when the stuffiness that is usual for Ho Chi Minh City is not so noticeable. When darkness falls, the perimeter of the market opens numerous restaurants and cafes, and the choice of street food is becoming even larger.

Where is it located: the market is located in district No. 1 and is limited by Ham Ngh, Le Loi, Tan Hung, Le Lai streets (see location on the map above).

In a quiet corner of the center of Ho Chi Minh City, Notre Dame Cathedral is a bastion of Catholicism in predominantly Buddhist Vietnam. The cathedral was built by French colonists back in the nineteenth century.

At Notre Dame Cathedral, also known as Cathedral of Our Lady of Saigon, and now services are held, but in general, in our opinion, it is not particularly interesting and is not much different from other Catholic cathedrals. Visitors can go inside, but the space available to explore the church is very limited.

Literally across the street from Notre Dame Cathedral there is a post office building, which, by the way, often attracts more tourists than the cathedral itself. This very beautiful structure of French architecture is probably the oldest post office in Southeast Asia.

The post office building in Ho Chi Minh City was designed by Gustave Eiffel- the same one who created the Statue of Liberty and the Eiffel Tower. The post office is distinguished among others by its arched windows and wooden shutters, as it was in its heyday at the end of the nineteenth century.

The building still performs its former functions today - if you wish, you can even send a postcard from Ho Chi Minh City to any point in the world. A variety of Vietnamese souvenirs are also sold here.

The post office is open daily from 7:00 to 20:00. The entrance is free.

Observation deck at the Bitexco tower

Among the attractions of Ho Chi Minh City is the observation deck on the tallest building in the city - Bitexco Financial Tower. The 68 floors of this 262-meter building house offices, shops, restaurants and even a helipad.

The main attraction of the tower is the observation deck (Sky Deck) on the 49th floor, which offers impressive views of the city. To go upstairs, you need to use one of the sixteen available elevators. At the site you can use the services of a guide (in English), as well as information stands that will tell you about main attractions of the city, which can be seen from the observation deck of the Bitexco Financial Tower. Feedback from visitors is the most positive.

• Opening hours: 09:30 – 21:30.
• Ticket price: 200,000 VND for adults and 130,000 VND for children.

Ho Chi Minh City Zoo

The Saigon Zoo and Botanical Garden was founded on the banks of the Mekong River more than 100 years ago and is one of the oldest zoos in the world. Currently, the zoo features more than 550 species of animals and birds, and the botanical garden has more than 1,830 species of trees and 260 plants.

One of the features of Ho Chi Minh City Zoo that you will definitely like is that many of the animals are not behind thick glass, but only behind small bars. Some birds even roam freely around the zoo.

• Opening hours: 07:00 – 18:00 (ticket offices open until 17:00).
• Ticket price: 50,000 VND.

War Victims Museum

This place is also known as American War Crimes Museum, was opened in Ho Chi Minh City in 1975, shortly after the end of the Vietnam War. Here are numerous photographs of military operations, equipment and equipment used, including a helicopter, a tank, a fighter plane and even an aerial bomb weighing 6,800 kilograms. All this equipment was used by the Americans against North Vietnamese troops during the war.

• Opening hours: daily from 07:30 to 12:00 and from 13:30 to 17:00
• Ticket price: 15,000 VND

Palace of Independence

When a tank belonging to the North Vietnamese army demolished the gates of the Independence Palace in April 1975, it marked the end of the Vietnam War, which had lasted nearly 30 years. So this place became iconic and is now famous as one of the main attractions of Ho Chi Minh City.

Now the palace looks exactly the same as it did in 1975 - there are even two real tanks nearby, which were used during the assault on Ho Chi Minh City and the palace itself. Inside you can see spacious halls and secret rooms, antique furniture and a command bunker with eerie corridors.

• Opening hours: from 07:30 to 12:00 and from 13:00 to 16:00.
• Ticket price: 30,000 dong.

Sights of Ho Chi Minh City on the map

The map below shows all the main interesting places in the city:

These are the main attractions that can be seen directly in Ho Chi Minh City. There are also many interesting places in the surrounding area (for example, the Ku Chi tunnels, Cao Dai Temple and others), but getting to them is more difficult. We will write about such attractions in a separate article.