Ho Chi Minh City

Ho Chi Minh City is still commonly known as Saigon. It is Vietnam’s largest city and was the former capital of the Republic of Vietnam (South Vietnam) before the country was unified in 1976 after the Vietnam War.

WHEN TO VISIT

Saigon has 2 main seasons:

• Rain Season: May to November
• Dry Season: December to April

PLACES OF INTEREST

• Jade Pagoda. Dates from 1892 dedicated to Taoism and Buddhism.
  Opening times – 08:00-17:00 daily (entrance free)
• Reunification Palace. Home of the South Vietnamese President during the Vietnam War. This was where the home of the first communist North Vietnamese tanks crashed through the gates on 30 April 1975. Opening Times 07:30-11:00 and 13:00-16:00. Entry 20,000 VND.
• War Remnants Museum. which catalogues that brutality of the Vietnam War. Opening Times – daily 07:30-12noon and 13:30-17:00. Entry 15,000 VND
• Central Post office. Next to Notre Dame Cathedral. The Post Office was designed by Gustav Eiffel in 1886. Open – 07:00-20:00 daily .
• Notre Dame Cathedral. In neo-Romanesque style. Built between 1863-1880 in the French colonial period. Open – 08:00-17:00 daily.
• Ben Thanh Market. Largest market in central Saigon. Open every day.