Overview

Ho Chi Minh City's sights are diverse and revealing and range from the infamous Cu Chi Tunnels in the countryside to the thought-provoking Reunification Palace and the bustling Ben Thanh Market. Thien Hau Pagoda and Xa Loi Pagoda are the city's most high profile pagodas and if you have time, a tour of the Mekong Delta is a must.

Cu Chi Tunnels

The Cu Chi Tunnels are one of the big attractions in the region. They were originally built during the French Indochina wars and were extended during the Vietnam War. The tunnels reach for hundreds of miles although tourists can only see part of them. The Viet Cong lived in these passageways for the duration and you can check out their living quarters, kitchens, and command rooms. Tours go regularly from the city.

Mekong Delta

Covering an extensive region to the south of Ho Chi Minh City, the huge Mekong Delta is a beautiful part of the country and well worth a tour for a few days. Mile and mile of rivers and canals criss-cross the region, which is one of dense jungle and open paddy fields - a picture perfect postcard image of traditional Vietnam. You can take a trip from Ho Chi Minh City but will have more options in the Delta towns of My Tho and Can Tho.

Reunification Palace

Also known as Independence Palace, the Reunification Palace takes a look at life for the Vietnamese during the Vietnam War. The entire building has been left as it was, complete with tank number 843 in the front yard, radios and phones used during the war, and period furniture. The war officially ended when the tank parked on the lawn on 30 April 1975. Guided tours of the palace are available and there is also a café onsite.

Cong Vien Van Hoa Park

Of Ho Chi Minh City's many parks, Cong Vien Van Hoa Park is the most popular, with plenty of sporting options and a chance to meet local students. Previously known as Cercle Sportif and used exclusively by the French colonialists, the park features a swimming pool, sports club and tennis courts and is ideal for people watching of an afternoon. Botanists will enjoy the huge variety of Southeast Asian foliage in the park.

Ben Thanh Market

Ben Thanh Market is a must-see sight, even if you are not into markets. It is a bustling hodgepodge of stalls and activity with tourists and locals bumping into each other. The old-style market itself rests in the heart of the city and comes complete with a clock tower. Tourist souvenirs are on one side and food and other local items on the other. You'll need to haggle well to get a good price here.

Thien Hau Pagoda

If you only have time to see one of Ho Chi Minh City's many pagodas, make sure it's this one. Two large turtles look after the sculptures in the walls of the courtyard, which were supposedly left over by an all powerful sea goddess. The pagoda itself is pleasantly located on Nguyen Trai Street in Cholon and has a calming atmosphere with a regular gaggle of worshipers. If you are here in March, be sure to check out the pagoda during the popular Thien Hau Festival.

Xa Loi Pagoda

Xa Loi Pagoda is a lofty structure with seven tiers that is purported to house a Buddha relic. The pagoda, built in 1956, is where hundreds of monks and nuns famously demonstrated against the government in 1963. One of them, Thich Quang Doc, self-immolated himself while sitting in the lotus position. You will also find a Buddhist book publishing centre onsite.

War Crimes Museum

The War Crimes Museum, formerly the Exhibition House of American War Crimes, was opened in haste after South Vietnam fell to the communist north, primarily to show the cruelty inflicted on Vietnamese soldiers by American aggressors. Included in the exhibits is a tiger cage prison and deformed foetuses.

Overview

Ho Chi Minh City gets pretty hot so you may not want to overdo things on the activities front. For cooling off and if you have kids, there are a number of water parks and swimming pools in the city, while Vung Tau Beach is just a bus or boat ride away. Boat trips on the Mekong Delta are popular and there are also some good trekking options around the city.

Beaches

Although Ho Chi Minh City is not on the coast, there are a number of popular beaches within reach of the city where you can enjoy swimming, bathing and water sports. Vung Tau is the nearest and most popular beach and is accessible by bus. You can also get to Vung Tau Beach along the Saigon River via hydrofoil in one hour. Mui Ne is another popular beach within easy reach of the city

Boating

Ho Chi Minh City is all about water, with the mighty Mekong Delta opening up just south of the city. Boating tours go from Ho Chi Minh City and from towns and villages in the region. Trips from My Tho, where waterways stretch off in all directions, offer the best possibilities. The town of Ben Tre is another popular boating area with its numerous islands.

Water parks

Ho Chi Minh City has a few good water parks which are ideal for cooling off when the weather gets seasonally hot. They are also popular with families at any time of year. The main park in town with the greatest number of slides is Dam Sen Water Park (District 11), which features the Space Bowl Slide and good eating. The old Saigon Water Park is now closed but districts 5, 7, and 9 also have water park options.

Trekking

Southeast Asia is excellent trekking country and there are some notable treks within reach of Ho Chi Minh City. You can trek through part of the network of Cu Chi Tunnels used by guerrillas during the Vietnam War while the Mekong Delta also has some notable trekking where you get to overnight in village accommodation.

Martial arts

Karate, judo, taekwondo, laido, and jiu jitsu are all practised in Vietnam and there are several schools in Ho Chi Minh City where you can join in or take lessons. Alternatively, you can simply head for a city park and watch the locals practising of an evening or give it a go yourself.

Dining and shopping

Ho Chi Minh City has Vietnam's best eating, with quality food available in everything from market stalls to street-side cafés and class restaurants. International restaurants can be found alongside authentic Vietnamese eateries and Western fast food joints are never far away. You will also notice many Vietnamese cafés selling baguettes, a hangover from the French colonial days.

The three main cuisines in Vietnam can all be experienced in Ho Chi Minh City, along with a smattering of French colonial leftovers. Some of the best food can be had on the street at one of the many market stalls. These markets buzz with activity day and night and allow you to rub shoulders with the locals and eat for next to nothing.

There are many quality cafés and restaurants along De Tham Street, the main tourist thoroughfare. You will find many international flavours here, including French and other European food, reasonably priced Indian curries and US fast food. Despite the choice, you can't beat a fresh Vietnamese baguette from one of the more casual eateries in this area.

For top-end dining in Ho Chi Minh City there are many trendy eateries in the Western style shopping malls and higher end hotels. Several prominent top-end restaurants are also in evidence in the city. While prices in Ho Chi Minh City's best restaurants are locally outrageous, compared with the West they are cheap.

McDonalds and Starbucks are available for those who hanker for Western familiarity, while coffee and baguettes can be sampled in street-side cafés city-wide. Vegetarians need to look out for restaurants painted yellow, denoting a meat-free zone. The various markets also have vegetarian stalls in them.

There are markets galore selling all types of interesting wares in Ho Chi Minh City, from the natty Vietnamese conical hats and quality silks to mother-of-pearl ornaments and a whole range of interesting souvenirs. Other Vietnam specialities are lacquered paintings and Vietnamese propaganda posters, while an unending supply of copied items, such as clothes, pirated CDs and DVDs, are also widely available.

Market prices are very cheap and the Ben Thanh Market (Chợ Bến Thành) is the city's main trading centre. It is located in the heart of Ho Chi Minh City and is the city's liveliest and most interesting market. Chinatown's Cholon Market is also popular or you may like to head for Dong Khoi Street, which has local handicrafts in a more relaxed setting. The Night Market near Ben Thanh Market is good for shopping but also for food and drink and buzzes after Ben Thanh Market closes.

Shopping for electronics in Ho Chi Minh City is a bit hit-and-miss with the amount of counterfeit items. The main street for electronics goods is Huynh Thuc Khang and neighbouring streets. iPods, camera batteries and digital camera memory cards are all extremely popular although copies are ubiquitous. If something is cheaper than it should be and you are not in an authorised dealership, chances are it will be fake.

Ho Chi Minh City also has its fair share of air conditioned shopping malls, which are great for ducking into to escape the heat and for hassle-free shopping. Diamond department store is the main shopping centre in the city and also comes with a cinema and bowling. Saigon Centre is another good one.

Ho Chi Minh City has a decent collection of quality restaurants, where you can eat everything from traditional Vietnamese treats to French specialities, Japanese sushi, and Argentinean dishes and wines. In addition, all manner of Western palates are catered for in the many steakhouses, and prices are appealingly low.

Overview

Ho Chi Minh City is connected to the outside world by its international airport, Tân Sơn Nhất, generally through the larger Southeast Asian hubs of Bangkok, Hong Kong and Singapore. Ho Chi Minh City is also well connected with the rest of the country by air and rail, while long distance buses make the arduous journey here from Hanoi. Buses and taxis are the main transport options in the city.

Airports

Ho Chi Minh City's Tân Sơn Nhất International Airport is the gateway to Vietnam's second city and the busiest airport in the country. Up to 17 million passengers come through here every year from countries throughout the world although most flights invariably route through another Asian country. There are two terminals at the airport; one for international flights and the other for domestic. Facilities at Tân Sơn Nhất include ATMs and currency exchange, as well as shops with duty-free and restaurants.

Buses, taxis and hotel shuttles provide airport transfers while many hotels provide courtesy shuttles for guests. Taxis are convenient and metered and you will need to pick up a coupon at the taxi rank. If the driver refuses to use the meter, try another vehicle or agree on the price before departing. Bus number 152 runs direct to the city centre from the airport, stopping at the Pham Ngu Lao area and terminating at the bus terminal near Ben Thanh Market.

Public transportation

You can get to Ho Chi Minh City by train from elsewhere in the country although there is only one main north-south line. The station is on Cach Mang Thang Tam (CMT8), which is northwest of the city centre and a taxi ride from the thick of the city. Services run to Ho Chi Minh City from Hanoi although the journey is long and arduous.

Long distance bus travel is tougher than train travel in Vietnam and if you are in Hanoi, it is better to fly to Ho Chi Minh City. There are numerous private bus tour companies in town and services coming into Ho Chi Minh City stop off at Pham Ngu Lao, near De Tham. The main bus operator within the city is Saigon Star Bus, which serves the likes of Ben Thanh Market, Me Linh, and Mien Tay Bus Station. Buses run frequently until 19:00 and tickets can be paid for onboard.

Taxis travel is the most convenient way to get about Ho Chi Minh City at large but make sure you use only metered taxis and instruct the driver to use it. Motorcycle taxis (xe ôm) are also popular and are a faster way to get around town although come with obvious dangers. All riders are required to wear helmets by law and if the driver does not provide you with one, take another bike or risk being fined.

Ho Chi Minh City is also a city of cyclos and while somewhat of a novelty and good for sightseeing, many owners tend to rip-off unsuspecting tourists or motion them to shops where they receive commission. Sticking to taxi travel is a better option. Foreigners cannot drive in Vietnam without a Vietnamese license so if you intend to hire a car, you will need to do so with driver.