Ho Chi Min City
Now one of the fastest growing tourist destinations around so get there quick before mass tourism takes over. People of my generation remember Vietnam infamously for the war here in the 1960-70s. That event is still remembered with the many museums and memorials that recall the atrocities and events that happened. The unique underground tunnels used in the war, and the war machinery used are still here. Now they are tourist destinations, but for me, the unique Vietnamese/French colonial style of the many architectural/historical buildings in Ho Chi Min City, is what stands out.
The City Hall is resplendently restored, along with a central Cathedral and old railway station, still with its portrait of Ho Chi Min on the wall. Nearby is one of the tallest buildings in Vietnam with its viewing deck – always a sucker for a viewing deck me. You can now visit the famous Presidential Palace that saw the last evacuation after the fall of the city during the Vietnam War. Centrally, you can indulge in the many restaurants in the main and business district of the city. Between the Palace and the Cathedral is a peaceful park to get away from the heavy din of the incessant scooters seen and used in their thousands everywhere in the city.
Vietnam and my S E Asia tour
I visited Ho Chi Min City in Vietnam (often abbreviated to HCMC) during my month-long tour of South East Asia.
On this trip I also spent time in Singapore, Indonesia, Brunei, Philippines, Cambodia and Malaysia. It was an amazing time of differing cultures, sights, sounds and smells and remains my most magical long-stay venture so far.
Read how you can combine several of these countries into a easy tour and get the most of the region while there.
Click below for my trip and reviews of these places.
Arrival at Ho Chi Min City airport.
Unless you have arranged prior transport, you will need to get into the centre for your hotel.
This is so easy and something I had read about, but had my reservations if it worked. However.in reality it was more than easy and very well organised.
You head towards the official taxi booths in the main concourses after arrivals and security/passport. You tell them where you want to go (they all speak good English) and they will give you a rate to use their taxi Co (I saw about 3 main taxi companies using this system).
Most even have the rate to central HCMC displayed on their advertising board anyhow and I was surprised at how inexpensive it was
They will write your destination hotel and price on a ticket slip, take the payment and hand you the slip. They direct you to the taxi driver’s car outside nearby at their official taxi stand. You hand/show the slip to the driver and he takes you to your destination.
The trip is pre-paid so there is no haggling, trying to find money at the journey’s end, fear the driver is taking you the long way to increase the cost etc . Tip him at the end if you feel so, tip amounts here are so inexpensive anyhow and voila, you at there !
Cars were in decent condition with friendly drivers. The airport is only about 7 km from central HCMC but taking into consideration the city’s heavy traffic it can take around 20 mins in good traffic but around an hour in rush hour.
Where I stayed in HCMC
I stayed at the Aristo Saigon hotel, which proved to be an excellent choice. Click here for hotel info on booking.com. I was concerned about distances to the places I wanted to visit and this one seemed quite near to them all. In fact I never even needed to use a tuk-tuk as I walked to everything I needed from here. Thus, its central location is ideal for sightseers like me. It was also incredibly quiet in what is a very street traffic noisy city.
They arranged for a car to return me back to the airport and I could have gotten it arranged for collection but I wanted to try the airport taxi system.
The rooms were some of the best I had stayed in, in S E Asia and the staff were extremely helpful. They helped me arrange a tour out of the city to My Tho and Ben Tri to see the Mekong delta area and villages and a full day’s captivating tour. Click here to see details of that trip.
The breakfast was enormous and plentiful in a top floor setting with a small view over nearby rooftops. The fact that it came included in the room rate was even better! It doubled as a restaurant in the evening and had a cocktail list of wonderful concoctions – needless to say each meal started with a different cocktail for me! Service was great, friendly and inviting.
There is even free use of the small spa , which I didn’t have time to do and a massage service in the spa or in your room.
The wifi was very good, with no issues at all. They have a laundry service and after 2 weeks on the road travelling – this was now my 6th city in a row of visiting – I need stuff washed as it had done its maximum times of wear. They did my laundry and had it all back the next day, freshly washed and ironed to perfection.
Be warned, HCMC is noisy because drivers honk their horn, or even worse the scooter drivers use their high pitched beep, at every opportunity. I had heard this and being a light sleeper was wary of a disturbed sleep. However, I mentioned this in advance and they advised me that they had allocated me a room at the back that overlooks houses and gardens !
Now, call me biased for this hotel but this is just luck. This hotel offers upgrades for Expedia Gold Members, which I am. These are allocated on arrival, if available. Luck would have it that upgraded rooms were available. So my booked basic room was upgraded to an Executive room.
However as the Executive rooms face the street I had concerns over traffic noise, so they happily upgraded me further to a two room suite – fabulous !
I did ask to see a basic room (called deluxe) just to see the difference and they were the same style, and just as nice and comfy, but obviously smaller and one room not separate lounge and bedroom.
My point is the rooms are really nice and I would have been very happy to have stayed in the deluxe room, as to be honest, I was impressed with what they class as a basic room. Staff however are so welcoming and helpful and this is what makes a great hotel.
What to see and do in HCMC.
The city visits are so easy to complete as they are all within walking distance – by walking I mean 20 mins or so of each other ……… and I love my walking.
However do check websites for opening times as I found that some places closed on certain days, only open morning/afternoon, or have a long lunchtime closure. That could seriously mess up your plans of you have arrived on the wrong days with only a day or limited opportunity so to see stuff.
I luckily had seen this so planned what I wanted to see on which day and which afternoon accordingly and got the maximum out of my short visit to this city. I factored in a day tour to the Mekong delta on a day when several places were closed.
My hotel was a mere 4 mins walk to the main museum , 8 mins to the Cathedral and a few more to the Reunification Palace and park. Such a great location.
Vietnamese Dong Currency
Now, you may ask what currency do they use in Vietnam, when you come to pay for eg entrance fees etc, Well, it is the Vietnamese Dong.
A word of caution. though, the exchange rate to the dollar/Pound/Euro are mind boggling figures. For example :
1 Vietnamese Dong equals 0.00003 pound – yep miniscule!
30,000 Vietnamese Dong is 1 British pound.
So when you come to pay for fees, food etc pay attention to the number of zeros on the price. One entrance fee was over 100,000 Dong and that kind of number was confusing at first to work out the actual price in UK pounds for me. I got used to counting in multiples of 30,000 to understand these crazy prices!
My room rate of £36 per night was over a million Dong ! The money I had taken with me in Dong meant I was a (Dong) millionaire several times over !
The zeros on the end of everything is astounding. Dong is generally used as the main currency but some places, like restaurants, accept US dollars. The rate, however, would not be as good as a bank exchange rate. My tour guide only wanted payment in US dollars so best to take some USD with you as I did, just in case.
Scooters everywhere !
Just like I found in Indonesia, scooters by far outnumber the number of other vehicles on the road – often 10 to 1 .
They arrive and leave at junctions in their hundreds, like a massive scooter convoy. Some can be unnecessarily noisy, so long-time street walking near busy roads can be shattering to the ears after a while.
Add to this the Vietnamese habit of sounding their beeper for no reason and every little reason and a cacophony of noise can assault you daily.
Not as bad as I was to find out later in Cambodia however. Bikes also have huge parking areas, often on the side of the pavements. Be prepared to give way to bikes mounting the kerb and going onto pavements to park, often in a “mini scooter city” as below outside a particularly popular café !
Thong Nhat Park
My first place to visit was just a 7 min walk from my hotel along surprisingly wide, clear and reasonable maintained pavements. This was a welcome relief as the pavements of Manila, and Bali had been somewhat frustrating in their constant blockages of cars and store merchandise.
I soon arrived at what is the central park of Ho Chi Min City and is a veritable green oasis in what is a hot and humid conurbation.
The intense greenery, high trees and small shrubs provide shade from the sun on hot days. The lawns and small planted flowers and plants lend themselves to a serenity and the opportunity to rest on the many park benches.
The nearby traffic, zooming by and the city inhabitant’s incessant need to beep horns constantly – why I never found out – can still be heard here, but at a reduced level. For a public space in S E Asia it is relatively well maintained and is a welcome relief for a pitstop.
Walk on down through the length of the park to the next place to see. You will emerge from the park and ahead of you will be your next port of call.
Reunification Palace
This has several names. It was once the presidential Palace of a divided North and South Vietnam. Often called Independence Palace, it seems to now be referred to as the Reunification Palace, now that the capital of the re-unified country is in Hanoi in the north. Click here for official website.
The exterior shows a white modernistic 1950s style building, functional, airy and with a Asian theme in its upright window pillars styled like bamboo trunks. It is distinctly un-presidential, apart from its size and appears more like an important office complex.
However the grandness of its front lawns, stone and metal fretworked outer walls, fountains and circular, majestic drive-up gives away its use.
The walk up from the entrance gate means that you can explore the gardens and outer areas first. These must not be missed as they contain equipment, artillery machines, tanks and aircraft used during the Vietnam war by both sides in the war.
Remember this Palace-now-museum is basically a memorial to that war and how the Palace was set up and used as a command centre. The grounds even contain the very tank – tank 843 of the North Vietnamese Army – that was used to smash down the Palace gates in 1975. By entering the palace complex, this tank effectively signified the end of the Vietnam War of 1955-75.
The interior rooms are huge and opulent but in a functional and minimalist style of the 1950-60s
Each room has a colour theme and matching modern oriental style furniture complemented by wall artworks, again of a modern oriental interpretation. Carpets were sumptuous and rugs, with Chinese flower pattern, graced the rooms and added to their style.
You could imagine Presidents of foreign lands being received in these gracious rooms. The open plan style of the whole Palace lent itself to cooling breezes through the open windows and wide corridors.
Walking around the Palace you notice the highly polished marble floors and how one room leads to the next, without sealed doors. You cannot actually go into each room but the spaciousness of the open walkways, rather than doors mean that there is plenty of space to admire them from afar.
The ceilings are high which means light floods in everywhere from outside, The windows have vertical columns stylised in the shape of bamboo poles that give the building even more of an oriental fee. Windows overlook the dancing waters of the central fountain and out to the park I walked through to get here.
Other floors contain the war operations rooms and are adorned with maps of the time showing troops movements on them. Operations desks are set up as they were at the time and the very phones used at the time are still in place.
It feels weird to be standing in the rooms from where the horrific war was conducted, yet if feels so peaceful now in this modern and non combative atmosphere.
The top floor of the building shows a helicopter of the period and beside it declarations that this is from where the last helicopter left the palace, as the tanks swept into the grounds. I remember as a teenager – showing my age now – seeing those scenes on TV and now I was standing here on the site in real life . An earie feeling.
From here it was a walk back through the park I had come through to reach the Palace and then a turn towards my next place to see which, was already in sight across the road.
Notre Dame Catholic Cathedral
Or to give it its full title “Catholic Cathedral-Basilica of Our Lady of The Immaculate Conception of Saigon”! – quite a mouthful so let’s just call it the Cathedral.
So, why have I chosen to go to a Cathedral in S E Asia? There are tons of these back in the UK and Europe and I’ve seen most of them
Well, it’s because of its settings, classic European design and how well it has been looked after, bang in the centre of the city.
It is part of the French colonial history period of Vietnam (those colonists certainly got around in SE Asia !) It dates from 1880.
It was built entirely of French imported materials – red bricks from Toulouse, roof tiles from Marseille and glass windows from Chartres. A truly French affair. Today it stands out bizarrely with this red/terracotta colour that looks alien to the surrounding white or more modernist stone and glass buildings.
Two bell towers were added in 1895 both 58m tall and Romanesque in design.
A granite statue called “Our lady of Peace” was placed at the front in 1959 and ever since the Cathedral has been called Our lady or Notre Dame in French.
This building just boldly juxtaposes against its surroundings and for me looks out of place. I suppose I was not expecting something so “European and Christian” in HCMC but it is nevertheless an imposing building.
The gardens opposite and the large religious statue gives it a peaceful air, despite being surrounded on all sides by hordes of heavy traffic of beeping, noisy scooters and cars.
It was closed for renovations on my visit and these were due to go on until 20119/20 so check all is open before you visit.
In general, the Cathedral is open to visitors from Monday to Saturday, between 8 AM to 11 AM and 2 PM to 4 PM. If you have a chance to take a look inside, then remember to enter the side entrance, which is open every day while the main entrance opens only during Sunday Mass.
Ho Chi Min city Post Office.
Now, I’m not one who usually needs to go to a Post Office. In this age of technology I would actually have to work out where my nearest Post Office is to post a letter as I never use them but here I visited it for a different reason.
It was completed in1891 during the French colonial period and has all those hallmarks of a grand euro/eastern building of the times. Painted yellow, it stands out against any crowd – and there are a fair few crowds there inside too !
The post office is still in operation and you can go in and buy postcards and other merchandise to send to friends back home as a touristy thing to do, instead of sending them an Instagram selfie or email.
The reason to come here is to admire the building not only from the outside but also the inside. The sweeping driveway to the front is still there and inside the several domed ceiling is beautifully painted and maintained. There is a classic picture of Ho Chi Min himself on one wall, but look up and admire the vaulted roofwork.
To one side, underneath a huge wall map of Vietnam are classic dark wood phone booths, straight out of past history, that are still in use. The little original clocks tell the time in different time zones around the world and makes the whole building feel like a wonderful throw-back to the 1940s.
There are small gift shops for post cards and souvenirs and the weird thing is that you will probably notice that over 50% of the people here are tourists seeing this amazing building. I loved it and am glad it is still in use in this digital age.
Retrace your footsteps back to the area in front of the Cathedral’s main entrance and ahead of you, going down to the river is the route to take to the next site.
Old CIA buildings
I’ll briefly mention and show a couple of photos of these buildings. Largely forgotten nowadays and repurposed, the buildings for me and anyone of my generation, would be remembered from the TV footage of the Vietnam War.
It was here that the Americans carried out their intelligence operations under the C.I.A and the American Govt aided the South Vietnamese in the war effort. I remember the TV footage of the last helicopter leaving this building from the rooftop taking the last few govt people from the city as it fell to the Viet Cong.
It was harrowing to see the line of people wanting to get on the craft but being left behind as so few could be airlifted. The buildings today have been remodelled into residential units and offices and even schools and govt buildings. There is no indication today, at the sites, of their former use, so guesswork is largely needed to identify them.
Blink and you would walk past them without ever knowing their past unfortunate history and to many people today it would be something they would know very little about.
Vincom Shopping Mall
Continue on down the street and on the way, on the left, you will suddenly see the twin-towers of the Vincom Centre Shopping Mall and The Parkson Mall opposite. If you want to see what Vietnam has developed itself into, since the tragic Vietnam War, go inside both of these.
One is a huge, tall office and shopping complex of heavy. solid. twin-tower glass and steel complex, enough to rival any Western city. The other is also an up-market shopping centre, mainly fashion clothing of high end brands at much cheaper prices that you would find in Europe.
Good for the experience and a reminder to oneself to bring an empty suitcase on my next visit here to fill up with genuine designer clothes at half the price I would pay for them in the UK !
I’m showing it here, not because I am a lover of massive shopping malls (ok, I am rather), but because I was seriously impressed by the city’s development and ability to now be one of the leading “power house” areas of S E Asia and this shows why.
Ho Chi Mon City Opera House
Carry on down the street after seeing the twin shopping malls (or after you have visited inside for some retail therapy). for a few minutes further. Here you will come across yet another remnant of the French colonial times and a somewhat unexpected building in this city.
The Opera House or Municipal Theatre, as it is also called, is not overly grand but definitely of a French style of the 1879s when it was completed. It actually housed the country’s Parliament from 1956 -75 and was restored to a theatre in 1998.
Its pastel pink/stone/cream colours, with grey slate roof, does make it stand out against the surrounding area. It is here that several grand hotels are located along with many elegant large buildings from the colonial days.
City Hall, Ho Chi Min City
Just go back a few metres from the opera House and turn left and you will see City Hall, or “The People’s Committee Building of Ho Chi Minh City”, to give it its official title.
This is another French colonial building of the 1900s, elegant in style and marvellously maintained. At night it is illuminated and makes a wonderful backdrop for a photo.
You can’t go inside the building as it is still a working local government office. However, walk around the area and see the towering buildings of commercial capitalism against the offices of what is supposedly still – officially – a one-party Communist State.
Nguyen Hue Street
City Hall faces the newly created, lengthy Nguyen Hue Street, with its bars, shops, cafes and street furniture of trees, plazas and fountains. This street has kinda become the Champs Elysee or Oxford Street of Ho Chi Min City.
It has an impressive array of statues and a wide central boulevard walkway on which pedestrian at night take their evening stroll, mixed in with a bit of high end shopping.
Major street events are held here on a regular basis and families flock here as a kind of street entertainment area. Parts are quite beautifully maintained with planted shrubbery and trees, with newly paved pedestrian areas.
However for me at night the increasing number of neon lights and multi-coloured bulbs adorning so many buildings is beginning to give it a tacky air. Great for people watching and seeing what the locals get up to in the evening.
Old Colonial Buildings
In the area around the Opera House are some of the more picturesque and imposing old French Colonial buildings from the 1900s.
Many are ex hotels, many still are grand hotels and others have been refurbished into apartments or business premises. They all still harbour the style of shuttered windows, wooden frames, large windows, oriental carved uprights and the large almost block like feel to these regal buildings.
They are also invariably painted white and shine in the bright sunshine. Just a few that caught my eye are here – including a small Hindu Temple !
The fact that the city has managed to maintain these building in situ when there must be enormous pressure commercially to redevelop these sites, is admirable. They often have huge skyscraper next to them, dwarfing them and removing a lot of sunlight. This just gives them a darkened, shaded area to survive in.
I not sure how much longer many will survive given that these often 3 storey buildings are on prime financial and commercial land. They could easily be replaced by any one of the twenty storey plus buildings going up around them at amazing speeds. We shall see.
My last visit of the day was to see the business/skyscraper area of the city. Ho Chi Min City is not particularly well known for its tall buildings but it does have one that stands out.
Bach Dang Harbour Garden
I headed to the river down Nguyen Hue Street and at first diverted left to see the central plaza (call it a massive traffic island that you could hardly get across the road to !).
This area overlooks the Sai Gon River, not particularly pleasant as it shows mainly ugly high-rise apartment blocks and an empty long riverbank on the other side. They have however turned the area in front of the river into a pleasant park, with shady trees and bushes displaying remnants of military equipment from the Vietnam War. Weird!
In the centre of the traffic roundabout is an island which is quite green and well maintained, If only it was easy to get across the road to it, as there are no crossings. Here is a statue on a pedestal depicting a legendary 13th-century military leader called Tran Hung Dao.
On the nearby waters edge is the riverboat station for trips up and down the river, with several large open-air cafes that seem to have seen better days.
Opposite are the tall skyscrapers of the area and general modern office blocks and high class hotels.
Nearby here – and clearly visible in the distance – was the next place I wanted to visit.
Bitexco Financial Tower
This building at 68 floors tall was the tallest building in Ho Chi Min City until 2011, With its viewing platform at the top, and its distinct cone shape with exaggerated helipad stuck to the side, it can be seen from most parts of central Ho Chi Min City. The entrance ticket is not cheap by Vietnamese standards and as I entered there was no queue at all. Click here for Bitexco website
When I’ve visited other similarly famous tall buildings I’ve often had to book in advance (Burj Khalifa in Dubai) or stood in a long queue (Empire State Building in New York). Here I breezed in, got my ticket, and went straight into the waiting lift. I went up alone in the lift in what felt like strange circumstances, Where were the massive crowds?
Exiting at the top, I was met with huge panoramic floor-to-ceiling windows and a view across the city for miles.
The views were outstanding as it was a fairly clear day and I could see to the city limits and along the Sai Gon River. The scenery is not particularly amazing as HCMC is not a really tall city. I could see where recent development had sprung up quite densely and in a somewhat ugly form.
The opposite side of the nearby river was void of any real buildings so gave the city a pretty lopsided view of concentrated works and then pasture land. It kinda reminded me if the Pudong area of Shanghai 30 years ago when it was empty and now houses the massive buildings of the city in a new development area.
In fact the curve of the river and size of the parcel of land in question, pretty much matched that of Pudong.
I stayed for around 20 minutes to take it all in, wondering what the city would look like in 30 years time if I ever come back.
War Remnants Museum, Ho Chi Min City
My last day in Ho Chi Min City was to be spent at one location only. It was the easiest of all to get to as it was literally a 4 minutes walk away – hence why I chose the hotel that I did.
I had read up about this place and whilst I knew I wanted to see it, I had every reason in my mind not to go due to the effect it may have on me. Whilst I was sure that it would educate me and give me further insight into this devastating War I also knew I would not enjoy the experience it would have on my senses. Many have said the same after visiting it.
The Museum is hard to describe as it is partially an historical account of the run up to, during and after of the Vietnam War 1955-7. A protracted 19.5 years of war between American/South Vietnamese forces and the Vietcong Army of North Vietnam that devastated Vietnam.
It also serves as a memorial to those killed and also is an educational tool to understand the War’s perspective from the people of the country it happened in and their reflection on the events.
It caused 3 million deaths (2 million of whom were civilians), over 2 million injured and thousands displaced, tortured, and even born with birth deformities from the chemicals and substances used in the war ordnance.
The Museum is housed in a large modern stone block building with a massive display forecourt at the front. This houses innumerable items of war machinery from aircraft, tanks, helicopter and armoured vehicles to heavy guns and display bombs.
The machinery was in very good condition and had been obviously cared for and repainted. Many looked like they could be started up again ready for use – heaven forbid !
I did find it somewhat distasteful when I kept seeing various tourists getting selfies from their partners touching the machinery as if they were lovely statues.
I found the tourists who then did sexy pouts and overexaggerated body positions holding onto them disrespectful. It seemed they had no idea that these were once machines responsible for killing hundreds of often innocent civilians or they chose to trivialise it in their pouts for instagrams.
I took no photos inside the museum. There were signs saying no photography but I had no intention (for once) of flouting the rules and sneaking some in when no-one is watching. Click here for the official website of the museum
The interior is of a slightly strange design. More akin to a large school as it has a large central atrium that rises through the several storeyed building. Each floor covers various aspects of the war and are themed and there was even an educational/learning centre on the top floor.
It houses several thousand images, photos, journalist reports, documents and some political propaganda posters of the past ages.
Have no doubt – the theme is very anti-American showing the aggression, torture, murder, fighting in situ and reports from newspapers of the time.
Graphic war images – be aware!
Many of the photos are quite horrific – be warned – it does not hold back on showing photos and images of dead and mutilated bodies, war footage, plane bombings and even the extreme birth defects caused by the use of the Agent Orange chemical in the bombing runs.
The rooms also contain exhibits of guns, mortars, shells etc used during the war. The images of the torture instruments – barbed wire cages in which prisoners were crammed, left on the bare ground and exposed to the day sun and also guillotines and feet shackles.
There were times when I had to move away and regain my composure in a corner, especially when seeing the full colour photo of about 20 villagers who had been massacred.
Their faces and bodies were blood splattered and were lying in pools of blood. It was an horrendous scene of dead and mutilated women, babies, kids who had been shot and left in a pile where they fell on a field road. It is harrowing at times.
I can be tough when needed but this museum, as expected, moved me to shock and gasps. It left an indelible impression on me about the horrors and injustice of war…… but I am glad I have seen it, despite my emotions severely saddening me.
Enough said – definitely go there but be prepared.
My thoughts on Ho Chi Min City
So, my time in Vietnam comes to an end now, Tomorrow I am headed out on a coach over the border to Phnom Penh in Cambodia.
My stay in Ho Chi Min City and visit to the Mekong delta, (click here for that visit), were better than I was expecting. The country feels more developed than say The Philippines and Indonesia. There is clearly huge wealth, (despite it being a Communist country) and affluence here and a chasm also between the rich and poor.
There is a well maintained and quite organised feel to the city (I eventually got used to the noisy scooters!) and actually walking about the city was pleasurable and easy on wide pavements.
The colonial buildings were beautiful, reminding me much of the Chinatown area in Singapore and the modern skyscrapers are …. well …. impressively tall and stylish.
HCMC has impressed me a lot and there was still more to see that I didn’t have time for.
I am now looking forward to seeing what Cambodia shows me tomorrow.
Oct 2017.
Below are some related posts on nearby places to visit. Click on the pic to view.
Malaysia – Kuala Lumpur to Singapore by train
Kuala Lumpur to Singapore by train I had read about train journeys through the jungles of SE Asia and always remember the [...]
Malaysia – Kuala Lumpur
Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia This city hosts the tallest twin towers in the world (.....the tallest single tower lies elsewhere). As a building [...]
Cambodia – Angkor Wat Siem Reap
Angkor Wat and Siem Reap, Cambodia You are in the middle of the jungle .... why are you here ? Like millions [...]
Cambodia – Phnom Penh to Siem Reap by bus
Phnom Penh to Siem Reap by bus I had to travel from Phnom Penh to Siem Reap, where I was to visit [...]
Cambodia – Phnom Penh
Phnom Penh, Cambodia Here was where I had one of the most captivating walk-arounds of a site on my whole S E [...]
Vietnam – Ho Chi Min City to Phnom Penh by bus
Ho Chi Min City to Phnom Penh by bus Why catch a flight between these two cities and just see the inside [...]
Vietnam – My Tho and Ben Tre
My Tho and Ben Tre, Vietnam Here I took an organised day trip out to the Mekong delta towns of My Tho [...]
Singapore
Singapore Singapore is a city of an eclectic mix of cultures, races and religions that melt into fabulous rainbow of surprises. From [...]
Hcmc is a place I would love to visit and especially take my dad. He fought early in the war and I think going back under more peaceful times would do him a world of good.
I would guess that Vietnam has changed a lot and it will an adventure for him to see the change. HCMC in parts feel like a mini-Manhattan with its skyscrapers, that I’m sure your father would never had imaginedwould be there now – if he was in HCMC then. The Vietnamese are very welcoming people and I imagined anti west sentiment due to the war but it’s not there.
The museum sounds a lot like the 9/11 Museum in NYC. Difficult and emotional but very important to see nonetheless. I think the curators are probably right for it to have an anti-American stance, though I guess it depends how it’s presented. Like, does it just come across as America were the “bad” guys or does it go out of its way to vilify America? The former is likely accurate. Even possibly the latter depending on how it’s done.
I found it very interesting that the taxi would only accept USD even from a Brit. I wonder why that is (exchange rates or just how common USD is throughout the world I imagine).
The feeling is “just show it as it was “, which can be harrowing due to the infettered lengths each side went to to win the war. Yep, it’s anii-American and shows only a little of the oppposing side’s actions. It sets out to show the horrors of war in general and uses the Vietnam War as an example close to home. Of the hundreds of visitors there I heard only a couple of American accents.
I think there’s a general sense in America that either we aren’t welcome there or that it would uncouth to visit.
I found that whilst the War is part of their history and they must never forget it, the Vietnamese generally have a “forgive and forget” attitude about it now.
Spent a couple of weeks in Ho Chi Minh City and this brought back some great memories. The war remnants museum was an eye-opener and we learnt a lot from it.
I still have nightmares at the thought of trying to cross the roads with those mopeds just gooooo
Lol. you are certainly right with those mopeds. I’ve never experienced that before but now I know how to stop a horde of mopeds from my time in HCMC. As you say, you just go and somehow they manage to go around you. I enjoyed my time there – wish I could have spent a couple of weeks there like you did.
Wonderfully in depth, as always. Vietnam is so beautiful and we’re both really eager to visit one day. We’re pretty sure we’ll absolutely love it, and it’s definitely somewhere we’d consider basing ourselves for a month or a few to slow travel from. We’re hearing travel restrictions have recently been eased a bit, which is great news for anyone hoping to visit soon. It’s a bit wild, but also very practical and honorable, that those CIA buildings are now residential and office buildings. Very symbolic of rising above, and progress on the heels of tragedy. (sorry to pinpoint only that one aspect of this wonderful place, but it struck me)
A fantastic article, thank you!
Ive read lots on how HCMC is becoming a favourite stayplace among digital nomads – I even looked at it myself and apartment prices were very reasonable. The city atmos is commercial but fun and there’s so much to see outside of the city too. Unfortunately I got to see only a sliver of non-HCMC Vietnam on a trip out and my coach trip to cross the Vietnam/Cambodia border. The central coast and Hanoi would defo be on my list to see when I get back there someday.
Very much enjoyed this post as it brought back memories of our trip to HCMC. We saw many of the sights that you did and our impression was that of a lively and energetic city with lots of interesting architecture. The Reunification Palace and War Remnants Museum were fascinating as they gave another perspective on the history and the horrors of the war. We had spent some time in Vietnam prior to reaching HCMC so had learned a technique to cross the road whilst avoiding the scooters (don’t wait for anyone to stop, walk forward slowly, stop if you need to, never step back). And yes, it’s nice to be a (Dong) millionaire, if only temporarily!
LOL. I eventually learned that very same techique about six months later when visiting Alexandria in Egypt. I had to cross main roads many times and with no crossings in sight I just went for it. I perfected the technique just as you say and it works, Cars and scooters slow down to avoid you on the road even though they have right of way. I did the same action several times and got quite confident in stepping out into traffic after that. So fat, touch wood, I’ve not been knocked down! With so many zeros on the end of prices I heard many stories of people getting prices wrong in converting currency- very funny. HCMC is somewhere I’d love to revisit to see more of this fascinating city.
I can always count on you to leave a detailed post about tons of places! The museum sounds really interesting. We have only been getting into museums really recently. Also, looks like a beautiful city in general. Love the pictures of the skyline
I like that you always try and see an observation deck, as this is something I would try to see, too. I wouldn’t be too interested in the communist/ war history and skip those parts. I would be more intrigued by it’s modern touch and explore the direction in which the city wants to develop to in future. Did you try to ride one of the bikes, too?
Carolin | Solo Travel Story
I would never have ridden a scooter – they were crazy! Nearly got knocked down by one who decided to drive on the pavement to avoid the traffic jam ahead of him! I’m a sucker for an observation deck – you see the layout of the city in one go and it really gives you a feel for the size and arrangements on the ground.
Did you find that traffic was crazy or overwhelming? I think it’d be fun to do a scooter, but not if it’s super crazy driving! The War Remnants Museum sounds pretty cool though – and I’m not a huge museum person. But I feel like it’s an important part of theirs (and USA’s) history to learn about it more before I visit.
The traffic was pretty crazy at times and somewhat heavy with scooters, who seemed to beep incessantly. At least they stop at red lights and respect crossings unlike many countries, so I could cross the road! I wouldn’t ride a scooter as they were a bit fast and scary at times, but there are plentiful scooter taxis. Maybe one day! The Vietnam War defines so much of what happens today – there are still mines in remote places.
I think I would love it here on the architecture alone. Notre Dame Catholic Cathedral, a little piece of France in Vietnam, the Post Office, I would definitely want to see the interior as you recommended and the modern tower in the financial district. Three unique architecture buildings in the same city. Oh, yes, I think I would like it there.
I enjoyed HCMC more than I was expecting. It was so much more grander, cleaner and better organised than I imagined. café society was big here and every street corner seemed to have wonderful coffee shops. I really liked the city.
It’s amazing how places we’ve never been tell us so much, from the history that has been passed down to us. I am very curious about Vietnam, especially about the culture. Thank you very much for the very detailed review.
The more recent past (Vietnam War) still holds sway over much of what happens today. The Museum to that war was a stark reminder. Life outside the city is very different however with a vibrant commercial sense and eco-feel.
I much preferred Hanoi to HCMC which I found a bit more cosmopolitan (same as Shanghai over Beijing), but it was an interesting place to explore. Personally I loved being a millionaire here, you’re right the currency is crazy. I also went to the war museum. Very difficult at times but a must do here in my opinion. I was sick when I was here and it was the end of my trip so I might not have given it the chance it deserved so for that reason looking at your post makes me think I’d like to go to HCMC again some time and do a few more things
I toyed around with going to Hanoi too. I had heard from several travellers that it was a better city but I just didn’t have the time for both. HCMC fitted better in the schedule so I ended up missing out on Hanoi. I always had to double check when handing over notes as there were so many zeros on them that you could easily pay too much and not realise it.
It sounds like you had a great time and you lucked out choosing the hotel you did. Being able to walk to the sights is much better than battling the traffic. It’s great that you were able to go to the war museum…I doubt I’d be able to bring myself to go there.
I did enjoy HCMC and one day hope to get to Vietnam’s capital, Hanoi. The great hotel was the icing on a fabulous stay here.
HCMC surprisingly has a lot to see and do, from gardens to cathedrals, museums, parks, and city halls. Even the colonial style buildings are pretty intriguing in HCMC, loved it!
Thanks for your comments. It is certainly a great city to explore, as always I wish I had more time, as I missed out on the two big markets and a river trip. Maybe next time
Oooh I want to go to Ho Chi Minh City. Love the hotel bedroom and the French-inspired architecture!
The amount of French Colonial buildings surprised me – in that they still existed and many are so beautiful. That hotel was charming and I thoroughly recommend it for anyone wanting to be in the centre of town , with greats services and quality.
I could only imagine what a city like Ho Chi Min can inspire with just so many people and so many things to do! Vietnam seems like an amazing country and one I must visit one day! Thanks for the great overview!
Am glad it has inspired you to visit, there is so much there to explore and that was just one city.