Highlights
The Tunnels
Don’t miss a trip to the tunnel network of Cu Chi, an incredible underground labyrinth filled with numerous trapdoors. Over 250km of passages were dug out beneath the district of Cu Chi alone, to be used as a secret military city in the 1960s – they contained living quarters, field hospitals, weapon factories, kitchens and command centres. Most famously, the tunnels were used as hideouts by Vietcong Guerrillas during combat. Today, certain sections have been made bigger to accommodate western visitors.
Shopping
Rub shoulders with locals in HCMC’s atmospheric street markets, bulging with goodies from premium quality silks and handmade ceramics to war memorabilia, Vietnamese coffee beans and heaps of exotic produce – ones to note include Ben Thanh, Cholon and An Dong. They’re also great places to sample amazing street food. For popular brands and high-end labels, shopping centres include Vincom Center, Saigon Square and Diamond Plaza.
Museums
The War Remnants Museum is a place many tourists feel compelled to visit, offering a truly moving look at the brutal effects of war on innocent citizens, including the notorious My Lai Massacre. The dazzling exterior and interior of the Fine Arts Museum is a breath of fresh air in comparison, a colonial yellow and white building overflowing with magnificent works of art, both period and contemporary, not to mention a striking décor of exquisite tiling and stained glass. Equally splendid is the collection of artefacts in the History Museum, portraying the various cultures of Vietnam from 2,000 BC to the present day.
Places of Worship
Reflect awhile in one of the city’s many temples. Giac Lam Pagoda is considered the oldest (1744) and sits in serene gardens featuring a sacred Bodhi (fig) tree. Much younger (1909) is the Jade Emperor Pagoda, especially atmospheric with a heady smell of incense and all kinds of elaborate statues and carvings. From a similar period, the Phuoc An Hoi Quan Pagoda is adorned with brass knick-knacks, woodcarvings and shades of ochre, red, green and gold. In contrast and located in the Government Quarter, Notre Dame is a neo-Romanesque Catholic cathedral built of brick dating back to the 1880s – Mass is held here every Sunday morning.
Palaces and Post Offices
Reunification Palace is a restored, five-floor tribute to the 1960s, a building where time seems to have stood still since the first Communist tanks arrived in 1975. The basement is filled with vintage phones, radios and office equipment, while outside there’s a replica of tank #843, the one that ploughed through the gates when the war ended. Opposite Notre Dame, Central Post Office is a period classic by Gustav Eiffel, with a grand hall decked with historic maps and a stunning tiled floor, a mosaic of Ho Chi Minh and plentiful wrought iron painted in a trademark shade of green.