Ho Chi Minh City
This is a city that churns ferments, bubbles and fumes. The streets, where much
of the city's life takes place, are a jumble of street markets, shops, pavement
cafes, stands-on-wheels and vendors selling wares spread out on sidewalks. It's
impossible not to be infected by its exhilarating vibe.
In Ho Chi Minh City, there is something invigorating and intoxicating about the
bustling streets and waterside activity (The wide Saigon River meanders through
the east of the city and is the all-important link to the sea).
Dramatic high-rise buildings, their windows sparkling in the sunshine, dominate
the shabby French colonial ones that are tucked away at their feet, while saffron-robed
monks collecting alms walk past glitzy car showrooms and karaoke bars. Street children
laugh constantly as they shine the shoes of businessmen shouting into their mobile
phones, trying to make themselves heard above the cacophony of the thousands of
motorbikes buzzing around the city.
But Ho Chi Minh City is also intertwined with natural forest, vast plains, long
coast and hundreds of rivers and canals.
A trip to Ho Chi Minh City offers you a good experience of warm emotions: the incredible
pride and genuine warmth of its people, the richness of its culture, the depth of
its tradition and the diversity of its landscape. You will be welcomed, celebrated,
and made to feel like family. You will be greeted with smiles, waves and shouts
of "hello!".
In Ho Chi Minh City you cannot miss:
- Dam Sen Park (District 11) for slightly bizarre fun, where you'll find giant animals
made of coconut.
- Fine Arts Museum (District 1) where the decaying grandeur of this French colonial
building houses an eclectic display of art.
- Giac Lam Pagoda (District 10) believed to be the oldest pagoda in greater Ho Chi
Monh City, Giac Lam Pagoda dates from 1744.
- Notre Dame Cathedral (Dong Khoi) built between 1877 and 1883, stands regally in
the heart of the government.
- Reunification Palace (District 1) one of the most fascinating sights in Ho Chi Minh
City, because of its striking modern architecture.
- War Remnants Museum (District 3) is an essential visit; a stark reminder that wars
are never glorious.
- Cu Chi Tunnels two-hour drive northwest out of Ho Chi Minh City brings you to the
area of Cu Chi, famous for its maze of tunnels used by the Viet Cong in the war
against the United States.
- Ben Thanh Market is the city's main market.
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