Introduction
Ho Chi Minh City is located on the banks of the Song Gai Gon (Saigon river), above the Mekong Delta, 40 km from the South China Sea. It is the second most important city in Vietnam after Hanoi, and is a leading industrial and commercial centre of Vietnam.

What to do
Ho Chi Minh City has a compelling landscape of buildings reminiscent of French influence, ancient Buddhist pagodas and austere Soviet-style housing blocks. Once there you can spend the day visiting some of its swanky sites-the hotels and office blocks, tree-lined boulevards, and the crowded roads and markets where you can watch girls clad in traditional silk ao dai, cyclos piled with wicker baskets of fruit, strolling Buddhist monks and so much more.

City at a Glance

Latitude 10°47' N Longitude 106°42' E Area 2,090 sq. km Population 7 million Language Vietnamese Religion Buddhism Telephone codes 08

History

The Vietnamese migrated southwards in the 1600s and arrived at a place they eventually called Saigon, which was inhabited by the Khmers of Cambodia. In 1859, the French, sensing commercial opportunities, seized Saigon, which grew into a flourishing commercial centre in French Indo-China and the seat of French colonial administration in Southern Vietnam. The World War II broke out and, in 1954, when the French withdrew from Vietnam, the country was split into two. Saigon became the capital of republic of Southern Vietnam. Soon the Vietnam War followed and the country was reunified in 1975, the war ending with the entry of communist forces led by leader Ho Chi Minh. Saigon was renamed Ho Chi Minh City. The sweeping economic reforms in the 1980s, known as doi moi contributed to its rapid growth.

Weather and Best Season to Visit
Ho Chi Minh has a tropical climate. The best time to visit the city is in the dry season, from December to April. Average temperature hovers around 28 degrees. It drizzles from April through September. Springtime is pleasant as it is cooler and drier.

Attractions
Hoi Truong Thong Nhat (Reunification Conference Hall)
The present Hoi Truong Thong Nhat was the former Presidential Palace occupied for nine years by Nguyen Van Thieu. Designed by a Vietnamese architect, the five-storey building has 100 rooms and chambers which are decorated with the finest modern Vietnamese art and craft.

History Museum
This old museum houses a collection of artifacts from Vietnam's two thousand years of recorded history. It also has a water puppet theatre and a gift shop.

Zoo and Botanical Garden
Covering an area of 33 hectares, the garden was constructed under the charge of a French botanist and consists of many invaluable species of trees brought from India, Thailand, Laos, Cambodia, and other countries. Many rare and endangered animals have also been brought and raised in the zoo.

Ben Thanh Market
The Ben Thanh Market is a treasure house of every commodity under the sun barring perhaps automobiles and real estate. The market is lined with colourful stalls-food stalls, flower stalls, etc.-which are a treat to the eyes.

Notre Dame Cathedral or Grand Cathedral
This magnificent cathedral is located in the heart of the city. It was named Notre Dame with the approval of the Vatican. The neo-Romanesque architecture of this structure, with its two 40-m square bell towers, is a sight to behold.

Vinh Nghiem Pagoda
Crowned with a seven-storey tower, which houses various Buddha statues, this pagoda is noteworthy for its Asian architecture. It also has a bell presented by Japanese Buddhists during the Vietnam War.

Nghia An Hoi Quan Pagoda
This is one of the most lavishly decorated pagodas, with huge coils of incense hanging from the ceiling looking that look like great skeletons of Christmas trees. One can stand quietly along the shady wall inside to observe visitors dropping in for prayer.

Nha Rong Wharf
This three-storey building is situated at the forked junction of the Saigon River. It is a combination of Western and Eastern architecture with the roof decorated by carvings of dragons. Currently, it serves as a memorial to President Ho Chi Minh.

Important Festivals and Exhibitions
Ho Chi Minh observes a lot of folk festivals and ceremonies of diverse natures. There are festivals to commemorate national heroes, folk cultural festivals, spring festivals, as well as prayer ceremonies for good crops. The most interesting festival is the Lunar New Year festival.

Places Nearby
Lai Thieu Fruit Tree Gardens
A little outside Ho Chi Minh City and covering an area of 1230 ha, Lai Thieu is famous for its beautiful orchards. One can sample durian (Durio zibethinus), rambutan (Nephelium lappaceum), jackfruit (Artocarpus heterophyllus), mangosteen (Garcinia mangostana) and other delicious tropical fruits here.

Cu Chi Tunnels
One of the most famous battlegrounds of the Vietnam War, the Cu Chi tunnels lie 30 km northwest of Ho Chi Minh City. The labyrinth of interlinked tunnels have a combined length of more than 200 km that extend as far as Cambodia. Today the tunnels are one of the country's prime tourist attractions, part of a new industry of war tourism.

After Hours
Foreigners need not muse about what to do at night as Ho Chi Minh has an attractive nightlife. Slick bars, discos, pubs and cafés have mushroomed all over the place. Filipino and local bands play live pop music, and Vietnamese crooners belt out their talent and ensure you can binge and boogie all night. Some meeting places are Cong Vien Van Hoa Park, Cach Mang Thang Tam, Son Tra Park, and the Nguyen Thai Hoc.

SHOPPING
Markets are the best place to head for in Ho Chi Minh City as shopping malls and big departmental stores have not yet hit the city. Tourists can go souvenir hunting and collect antiques and beautiful handicrafts from the local markets. Paintings, silk, lacquerware, and curios such as opium pipes, antique watches, French colonial stamps and banknotes, colonial hats, T-shirts, old coins, and stamps are some items worth looking at. The Ben Thanh Market is the most popular market among tourists but others like Binh Tay Market, Thai Binh Market, and Dan Sinh market are also good for shopping.

WHERE TO STAY
Ho Chi Minh is a very modern city and there is no dearth of good accommodation. There are serviced apartments, Chinese-style shop houses and hotels with good facilities. Some hotels like the Omni Saigon and The First Hotel are close to the airport. However, staying downtown is a better option if you have no other business to tend to near the airport. The Renaissance Riverside Saigon Hotel (located near the Saigon River), the New World Saigon Hotel (the biggest in Ho Chi Minh), Caravelle (which boasts of the best location in the city), the Equatorial, the Sofitel Saigon, Saigon Prince, and the Majestic are some options.

WHERE TO EAT

If you want to enjoy some real Vietnamese food, venture away from the hotels to the cheap restaurants and cafés that abound the town. Get to taste the traditional culinary specialties, scrumptious seafood and local whisky. If you happen to have an adventurous tongue, you can dig into sparrows, wild deer and steamed silkworms.

Travel Information
Air Travel resources
The Tan Son Nhat Airport, only 7 km from the city centre, is connected to major cities within and outside Vietnam. Metered cabs are available from the city centre to the airport.

By Land and water
Ho Chi Minh is a major railway junction apart from being an important hub of land and water transport. The National Highway 1 and the Thong Nhat Railway line connect Hanoi to Ho Chi Minh city.

Local Transport
The best way to see Ho Chi Minh is on foot. Metered taxis and motorbike taxis are a good and inexpensive mode to move around town. Though cyclos (pedicabs) are a more exciting way to hang around town, they are gradually taken out from the roads.