Ayşe Akalın
Vibrating with energy, innovation and traffic – endless streams of traffic – Ho Chi Minh City, formerly known as Saigon, is the economic heart of Vietnam and the beating pulse of the country’s southern region. A freewheeling, cosmopolitan metropolis, Saigon brings together the old and the new in the most compact of spaces. Here, French colonial architecture meets glass towers, and street vendors sit side by side with high-end restaurants. Walking through its bustling streets, you sense both the city’s history and its boundless future.
The city’s main landmarks are well-known and worth every visit: the War Remnants Museum, the Notre Dame Cathedral Basilica, and the iconic Ben Thanh Market. Yet Ho Chi Minh City is much more than its highlights; it is a place to wander, to pause, and to watch life unfold in front of you.
Begin your exploration on Đồng Khởi Street, the city’s elegant boulevard. Here, the red-bricked Notre Dame Cathedral stands proudly, its twin bell towers watching over the neighborhood since the late 19th century. Just across lies the Central Post Office, a masterpiece of Renaissance architecture often mistaken as the work of Gustave Eiffel. Step inside and you’ll find a soaring arched ceiling, Victorian-era phone booths, historic maps lining the walls, and a giant portrait of Ho Chi Minh overseeing the room. It remains a functioning post office today—why not buy a postcard and mail it from here, as travelers did a century ago?
A short walk away, the Saigon Opera House awaits, an ornate building that adds a touch of Parisian charm to the city’s modern skyline. Continue to Nguyen Hue Walking Street, the city’s grand promenade stretching from City Hall to the riverfront. In the afternoon, families, couples, and groups of friends gather here to stroll, chat, and watch the city glow as neon signs flicker to life. At the northern end, the majestic French colonial City Hall, now home to the People’s Committee, dominates the view—a postcard-perfect backdrop for any evening walk.
No visit to Ho Chi Minh City would be complete without stepping into history. On the site of the old Norodom Palace stands the Reunification Palace, once the residence and workplace of the President of South Vietnam. Architect Ngô Viết Thụ’s 1960s design is striking, with its airy corridors and wide meeting halls. Walking through the preserved rooms, you can almost hear the echoes of critical decisions made during the Vietnam War.
Just nearby, the War Remnants Museum offers a stark, unflinching perspective of that same era. With powerful photography—including Nick Ut’s Pulitzer-winning “The Terror of War”—and relics of battle such as tanks and fighter planes, the museum is not easy to visit, but it is deeply important. It’s a place that lingers with you long after you leave.
At the very heart of HCMC lies Ben Thanh Market, a buzzing labyrinth that has stood for more than a century. Its history dates back to the 17th century, when it began as a riverside market, before moving to its current location under French colonial rule in 1912. Today, under its iconic clock tower, the market is a microcosm of Saigon itself—colorful, chaotic, and endlessly fascinating.
Inside, narrow aisles overflow with everything from silk scarves to lacquerware, fragrant spices to robust Vietnamese coffee. The aroma of sizzling bánh xèo and freshly baked bánh mì fills the air, drawing visitors toward the food court at the market’s heart. Sit down on a small plastic stool, order a bowl of phở, and enjoy the city’s rhythm as vendors call out prices and tourists bargain for souvenirs.
Liberty Central Saigon Riverside Hotel
17 Ton Duc Thang Street, Sai Gon Ward, Ho Chi Minh City
Ngon Restaurant
160 Pasteur, District 1, Ho Chi Minh
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