Highlights of Ho Chi Minh City

Our selection of the best things to see in Ho Chi Minh City...

Reunification Palace

The impressive Reunification Palace (Dinh Thong Nhat)  is now open as a museum and offers daily tours through the conference rooms, the Presidential Receiving Room, basement tunnels and war room. Everything has been left pretty much as it was on the fateful day of 30 April 1975 when Communist tanks crashed through the iron gates and overthrew the South Vietnamese Government.

Municipal Theatre 

The pink, colonial-style Municipal Theatre (Nha Hat Thanh Pho) was originally built in 1899 as an opera venue and, after a spell as a fortress HQ for the government, is once again a venue for music, as well as theatre productions and gymnastics events. 

People’s Committee Building

Formerly the Hotel de Ville, the People’s Committee Building (UBND-Tran Phu)  is the symbol of the French Colonial era and an outstanding city landmark, ­although members of the public are not admitted. The ornate interior features crystal chandeliers and wall-sized ­murals.

Museum of Vietnamese ­History

The Museum of Vietnamese ­History (Bao Tang Lich Su) documents the evolution of Vietnam’s ­various cultures, from the Dong Son bronze age civilisation through to the southern Chinese Funan civilisation, the Chams and the Khmers. The ­museum is located in a stunning building which is a fine example of French/Chinese hybrid architecture.

War Remnants Museum 

The items on display at the impressive War Remnants Museum (Nha Trung Bay Toi Ac Chien Tranh)  include American tanks, infantry weapons, and the original French guillotine brought to Vietnam in the early 20th century. There are many photos on display showing the distressing effects of war.

Ho Chi Minh City Museum

The Ho Chi Minh City Museum (Bao Tang Thanh Pho Ho Chi Minh) is housed in a white neoclassical structure once known as the Gia Long Palace. Built in 1866, this grand colonial edifice ­contains exhibits ­detailing the history of the city and southern Vietnam with reference to the long struggle for independence.

Fine Arts Museum 

The grand, colonial-era Fine Arts Museum (Bao Tang My Thuat) houses various galleries. The first floor features revolving exhibitions of contemporary Vietnamese art. The second floor contains war art, while the third floor features older art, including statues of the Buddha, and Thai and Khmer sculpture.

Jade Emperor Pagoda 

The small Sino-Vietnamese Jade Emperor Pagoda (Chua Ngoc Huang), aka the Tortoise Pagoda (Phuoc Hai Tu), was built by Cantonese ­Buddhists in 1909 and is one of the city’s most colourful pagodas. There is a weird and wonderful array of wooden statues, some Buddhist, others Daoist-inspired. Look out for the elaborately robed Jade Emperor himself, and the triple-headed, eight-armed statue of Phat Mau Chau De.