Little Paris of the East, eight tourist attractions in Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam

Ho Chi Minh City, formerly known as Saigon, is located in southern Vietnam, on the northeast side of the Mekong Delta and on the right bank of the Saigon River. It was once the capital of South Vietnam and is now a central municipality in Vietnam and the largest city in Vietnam. It is full of French sentiment and is known as the "Little Paris of the East". After Vietnam's reform and opening up, the city has developed rapidly, but it is not as noisy as other metropolises and still maintains Vietnam's unique leisure and romance. Let's take a look at the eight major tourist attractions in Ho Chi Minh City!

1. Central Post Office



The Central Post Office is located in District 1, the center of Ho Chi Minh City, adjacent to the Saigon Notre Dame Cathedral. It is the first post office in Ho Chi Minh City during the French colonial period. It was built in the late 19th century and is a famous landmark in Ho Chi Minh City. Many people visit here every day, and mailing a postcard back home is something almost every tourist does when they come here.



The Central Post Office was designed by the famous French architect Gustave Eiffel and is full of French style. The appearance of the post office resembles a magnificent train station. Walking into the hall, the interior is gorgeously decorated and the dome is full of classical atmosphere. A large portrait of Ho Chi Minh is hung in the most eye-catching position on the wall. On the walls on both sides are old maps of Vietnam. On both sides of the hall are postal service counters.

2. Saigon Notre Dame Cathedral



The full name of Saigon Notre Dame Cathedral is Saigon Notre Dame Cathedral. It is located in the center of Ho Chi Minh City, right next to the Central Post Office. It is one of the landmark buildings in Ho Chi Minh City. It was built in the late 19th century and is a product of the French colonial period. Because it is built with red bricks, it is also called the Red Church. All the red bricks used to build the church were shipped from France and have not faded after hundreds of years.



The cathedral is a typical Gothic building with a symmetrical shape, solemn and magnificent. It is set against the blue sky and white clouds and the surrounding green trees and red flowers, exuding a strong French atmosphere. There are two 40-meter-high bell towers on the front, and the milky white spires soar into the sky. They are designed in imitation of Notre Dame de Paris. In the garden square in front of the church, there is a statue of the Virgin Mary, which is a popular spot for tourists to take pictures.

3. Pham Ngu Lao Street



Pham Ngu Lao Street is located in the old city of Ho Chi Minh City. It is named after Pham Ngu Lao, a national hero of Vietnam. The real Pham Ngu Lao Street is just an ordinary street, and the "Pham Ngu Lao Street" we often say is actually an area consisting of Pham Ngu Lao Street and several surrounding roads. Here, the lives of ordinary Vietnamese people are vivid, and it is a paradise for backpackers.



The streets and alleys here are crisscrossed, and hotels and cheap hostels of various grades are scattered throughout the streets. On the roadside, there are various travel agencies, foreign exchange points, restaurants of various flavors, Western restaurants, bars, coffee shops and local specialty stores. The most important thing is that you can taste the delicious local snacks here, and you can find delicious food even if you go out in the middle of the night.

4. Reunification Palace



The Reunification Palace, also known as the National Independence Museum, is located in a park in the center of Ho Chi Minh City. It was built in 1868. It was once the office of the French Governor-General in Vietnam. It was called "Norodom Palace" at that time. It was destroyed by war during the Vietnam War. It was rebuilt and became the presidential residence of South Vietnam, called "Independence Palace". After the liberation of Saigon in 1975, this palace was renamed "Reunification Palace". At present, the Reunification Palace is a place for government meetings and reception of heads of state. It is also a historical site that can be visited by domestic and foreign tourists.



The Reunification Palace is a four-story white building covering an area of ​​120,000 square meters. It has two side buildings and a basement. It adopts a left-right symmetrical layout design, which complements the surrounding scenery. During the reconstruction, the front of the palace was made to look like the word "Xing" according to Feng Shui, and the word "Ji" from above, in order to pray for the prosperity of the country. The palace is beautifully decorated, with 100 large and small halls, each with its own characteristics.

5. Ho Chi Minh City Hall



Ho Chi Minh City Hall, the full name of the Ho Chi Minh People's Committee Hall, is located in the center of Ho Chi Minh City, 400 meters south of the Central Post Office. It is the government building of Ho Chi Minh City. The City Hall was built in 1902 and completed in 1908. It is a two-story building with a strong French style, with simple lines, a red roof and yellow exterior walls, which looks particularly bright against the blue sky and white clouds.



The design of the whole building is lively and light, and the details are exquisitely decorated. Sculptures with Western mythological figures and French heroes as the main themes are scattered throughout the columns, door frames, eaves and other parts. There is a small square garden in front of the City Hall, and in the center of the garden there is a statue of Ho Chi Minh holding a little girl. Visitors cannot enter the City Hall, and can only take photos with the statue and the City Hall as the background.

6. War Remnants Museum



The War Remnants Museum is located on Wu Wenpin Street in Ho Chi Minh City. It was built in 1975. Its predecessor was the US military intelligence center. It is now the only museum in Vietnam listed in the UNESCO Peace Museum List. The main entrance looks very simple and there is no magnificent building, but it records a very heavy page in Vietnam's modern national history-the Vietnam War. It is an important place for tourists to visit to understand the Vietnam War.



The content of the museum exhibition is divided into two parts: indoor and outdoor. The indoor part uses pictures, maps and texts to describe how the US military killed Vietnamese with advanced weapons and inhumane methods during the Vietnam War. The outdoor part displays the aircraft, artillery shells and various poison gas bombs used by the US military during the Vietnam War, as well as a French-made guillotine, which is chilling to look at.

7. Financial Tower



The Financial Tower is located in District 1 in the center of Ho Chi Minh City. It is also known as the "roof" of the city. It is a large commercial complex integrating office, shopping and entertainment. It is a landmark building in Ho Chi Minh City and the tallest building in Ho Chi Minh City. The Financial Tower is not only a beautiful scenery, but also a symbol of the economic prosperity and development of Ho Chi Minh City since Vietnam's reform and opening up.



The Financial Tower is 262 meters high and has a total of 68 floors. Its design is inspired by the national flower of Vietnam, the "lotus", and the traditional Vietnamese costume "Ao Dai", so that it has a very unique appearance. The complex geometric shape of the tower is composed of an inclined cylinder connected to a semi-truncated cone. The overall shape of the tower is like a huge leaf curled inward and stretched to the sky, evoking people's impression of nature, traditional architecture and woven plants. The observation deck is located on the 49th floor, with a bird's eye view of the entire Ho Chi Minh City and the curved Mekong River.

8. Saigon River



The source of the Saigon River comes from the vicinity of Dang Village in the southeast of Cambodia. It runs through the entire Ho Chi Minh City from east to west and is connected to the Mekong Delta. It is the main waterway of Saigon Port and an indispensable source of life for the development of Ho Chi Minh City. The prosperity of Saigon Port also made Ho Chi Minh City, formerly known as Saigon, the most important port and prosperous metropolis in Southeast Asia.



The Saigon River is the deepest urban freshwater river in the world. There are tall buildings on both sides of the river. You can take a boat trip in the river and see the most modern part of the city. Especially at night, the Saigon River presents another charming scenery. The river bank is even more beautiful with various lights. There are some benches on the river bank. Many young men and women like to come here for dates and enjoy the Saigon River together.

What do you think of these eight tourist attractions in Ho Chi Minh City? Welcome to express your opinions and comments and let's discuss together.