Ho Chi Minh City
(Saigon) Vietnam
Ho Chi Minh is the largest city in Vietnam and the business
centre of the country. The whole city is vibrant and full of
character. Everywhere you will see street vendors, office
workers, businessmen and the hectic traffic. Chic new cafes and
bars, high rise office buildings, hotels, apartment blocks,
colourful shops and markets, temples and pagodas - you will find
them all in Ho Chi Minh City.
The most popular location for tourists in Ho Chi Minh is
District 1 in the centre of the city. You will find many hotels,
restaurants, shops and Internet cafes in this area. To the
south-west is District 5, Cholon, the Chinese district.
The Zoo and Botanical Gardens on Nguyen Binh Khiem make a
pleasant change from the bustle of the city, and can be combined
with a visit to the nearby history museum. Ho Chi Minh Museum at
Nguyen Tat Thanh in District 4 houses many of Ho's personal
effects. It is from here that Ho Chi Minh left Vietnam in 1911
beginning 30 years of excile.
Reunification Palace will be remembered by many from the
dramatic news reel footage of the North Vietnamese crashing
through its gates on 30th April 1975. Perhaps the most striking
aspect of the palace is that it is preserved almost as it was 27
years ago.
Temples, Pagodas
and Other Places of Worship
Giac Lam Pagoda,
built around 1744, is the oldest in Ho Chi Minh City and has
escaped the renovation work that has transformed many of
Vietnam's other structures. Phuoc Hai Tu (Jade Emperor Pagoda)
is filled with colourful statues of fantastical divinities and
grotesque figures. Many of the temple walls are lined with wood
panels depicting the torments awaiting evil people after they
die. Notre Dame Cathedral is located in the government sector of
District 1. It's two 40 metre high towers dominate the
surrounding skyline.
Saigon Water
Park
Located on Kha Van
Can in the Thu Duc District Saigon Water Parks boasts dozens of
pools and water slides, and a wave pool. A taxi ride from the
city centre will cost $4 to $5, allow another $5 for the
entrance fee. Best time to visit is midweek since it is very
popular with Vietnamese at weekends when it can get a little
crowded
  
Binh Quoi
Tourist Village
This is more of a
park than a village. It includes a swimming pools, boat rides,
water puppet shows, tennis courts, river cruises and amusements
plus ethnic music and shows. The village also has a guesthouse
and bungalows. Ask at your hotel or a travel agent about one of
the organized tours to Binh Quoi.
Cu Chi Tunnels
Tom Mangold and John
Penycate in their book "The Tunnels of Chu Chi" described this
place as 'the most bombed, shelled, gassed, defoliated and
generally devastated area in the history of warfare'.
Despite all of this the Americans were unable to dislodge the
North Vietnamese troops. Both sides suffered an appalling number
of casualties in the process. Crawling through the narrow
tunnels it's difficult to imagine how anyone could endure months
of living beneath the earth. The tunnels are located between
30km and 50km from Ho Chi Minh City centre. Best way to get
there is on one of the organized tours (ask at your hotel or a
travel agent).
Can Gio Beach
This is not one of
the white sand beaches that can be found all along the coastline
of Vietnam. It's an island in the Saigon river formed by silt
washing down from upstream. The area is a large mangrove swamp
that that houses several shrimp farms. You can visit the
mangrove park and nearby museum. Can Goi is about 60km from the
centre of Ho Chi Minh City and the journey will take about 2½ to
3 hours each way.
Located on Nguyen
Trai in Thu Duc District around 15km from central Ho Chi Minh
City. Expect to pay around $50 for a round of golf and $10 to
use the driving range. There is also tennis courts and a
swimming pool.
Mekong River cruise
You can do day trip or 2 day overnight boat cruise aboard Le Cochinchine
from Saigon or explore the lush mekong from Saigon to Angkor wat 7 day
trip
more information can be found at
www.lecochinchine.com
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