Ho Chi Minh City

Overview

Ho Chi Minh City is the largest city in Vietnam, blending French colonial architecture with a modern urban landscape.

History

The area around Ho Chi Minh City, formerly Saigon, was a Khmer frontier as early as the 17th century. After the French captured it in 1859 it became the administrative centre of French Indochina, and the French architectural legacy survives in good condition. During the Vietnam War from 1955 to 1975 it was the capital of South Vietnam, and was renamed Ho Chi Minh City after reunification in 1975. Decades of rapid growth have made it Vietnam's largest city and economic engine, with a population of over ten million.

Highlights

• •The harrowing images at the War Remnants Museum
• •The imposing Reunification Palace, the former presidential residence
• •The pink colonial-era Notre-Dame Cathedral Basilica of Saigon
• •Local market food and street food culture
• •The energy and chaos of the motorbike flood

Practical tips

• •Try the street-side pho and banh mi
• •Grab is the recommended way to book a car

Practical information

Best time

Year-round

Tickets

War Remnants Museum VND 40,000; Reunification Palace VND 40,000

Opening hours

Sights roughly 7:30 to 17:30; nightlife runs late

Local food

Pho, broken rice and drip coffee

Getting around

Ride-hailing works well in the city, and Ben Thanh market and the Reunification Palace are walkable

Visa

A visa or e-visa is required. Phu Quoc grants Chinese citizens visa-free stays of 30 days, subject to official Vietnamese announcements.

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