The Top 10 Things to Do While Visiting Ho Chi Minh City

If you are planning a visit to Vietnam, you are probably wondering what the top 10 things to do in Ho Chi Minh City are. Hence and as a former resident of Ho Chi Minh City, here is my list of the top 10 things to do while visiting Ho Chi Minh City.

1. Visit the newly refurbished War Remnants Museum.

Housed in the former home of the US Information Service and once known as the War Crimes Museum, the War Remnants Museum offers visitors the official Vietnamese view of the Vietnam War. Nevertheless, its three floors of exhibits are well worth visiting to give you an idea of just how destructive the Vietnam War was along with the lingering effects from the use of Agent Orange. In fact and near the entrance to the museum, there will usually be several people who purportedly suffer from the effects of agent orange and you will be encouraged to donate to a fund intended to help them.

War Remnants Museum

2. Take a tour of the Reunification Hall.

Formerly the home of South Vietnam’s Presidents, the Reunification Hall looks the same as it did when North Vietnamese tanks crashed through the front gates at the end of the war. On display are momentos from the war and all the trappings of power left behind by South Vietnam’s last Presidents.

Reunification Hall

3. Eat Pho.

A staple of Vietnamese cuisine, Pho is a Vietnamese noodle soup served with rice noodles and your choice of either beef or Chicken plus a whole plate of greens that you can throw into the bowl after its served to you. Pho is commonly available from street food vendors, at coffee shops and at restaurants dedicated to serving Pho.

The famous "Pho"

4. Have a “Banh Mi” Sandwich.

A legacy of French rule, the “Banh Mi” (in Vietnamese, “Banh Mi” means bread) sandwich combines both French and Vietnamese ingredients to make one very tasty sandwich. Be warned though: If you order one from a street food vendor, he or she will likely use their bare and probably unwashed hands when making you your Banh Mi sandwich!

5. Drink Coffee.

Besides being one of the world’s leading coffee exporters, coffee drinking is very much a part of Vietnamese culture. In fact, no visit to Vietnam will be complete without having either a hot or iced Café Sua – strong coffee served over a thick layer of sweetened condensed milk at the bottom of the cup.

6. Have drinks at the Rex Hotel’s rooftop bar.

Once the site of the “Five O’Clock Follies” where US military offers gave their briefings about how they were winning the Vietnam War, the Rex Hotel’s rooftop bar remains a popular watering hole for expatriates and tourists alike.

7. See a water puppet performance.

Originating from the Red River delta around Hanoi water puppetry is a uniquely Vietnamese form of entertainment that is often now staged in water filled tanks inside theaters. In order to tell a story, water puppeteers stand in the water hidden behind a screen and then maneuver their puppets through the water without the use of strings to the sounds of a live musical orchestra.

Water puppet performance

8. Do a day trip to the Cu Chi Tunnels and Cao Dai Holy See.

In the backpacker district, you will find countless one day tour offerings to the Cu Chi Tunnels, which were used by the Vietcong during the war, and the Cao Dai Holy See, the colorful center of a unique home grown religion that combines both Asian and Western elements.

 Cu Chi Tunnels complex

 

Cao Dai Holy See Temple

9. Visit the Mekong Delta.

Likewise, visitors can opt for a one day or a multi-day tour of the vast Mekong Delta where residents still live in stilt houses or on boats and shop in floating markets. There are even specialized tours for fans of Marguerite Duras’ book “The Lover” to see locations that appeared in the book and later in the movie.

10. Rent or ride a motorbike.

Finally and if you don’t find it dangerous enough just crossing a street given the millions of motorbikes in the city, why not just rent one and join them! On the other hand, you will also find someone on nearly every street corner who, for the right price, will take you to where ever you wish to go on their motorbike.

Source: Blog of Asia

US TV station highlights Vietnam’s tourist attraction

KPVI News 6, the local NBC (National Broadcasting Company) affiliated television station for Idaho, has advised Americans to tour Vietnam to get to know “Southeast Asia's rising star".

According to the TV station, as the world discovers more of Vietnam's treasures, this Southeast Asian country is climbing higher on travellers' must-see lists. A Vietnam tour is often the most effective way to take in the best of this fascinating country's attractions including the highlands of the far north and the beaches of the south.

One pillar pagoda in Hanoi, Vietnam

In its website, KPVI News 6 writes that travellers won't want to miss Hanoi, Hue, Da Nang and Ho Chi Minh City.

In Hanoi, Vietnam's capital, its citizens are justifiably proud of that long history. However, most visitors find that Hanoi isn't just stuck in the past - it's a forward-thinking metropolis even though it's filled with the elegantly crumbling vestiges of French colonial architecture and dotted with ancient temples and pagodas.

The best historic sights are the One-Pillar Pagoda, built in 1049 to resemble a lotus bud; and Hoa Lo Prison, which might be more recognizable by its other moniker, the Hanoi Hilton. One of the country's delightful folk traditions with an evening at a water puppet theater performance, which have been held for centuries, is advisable.

Also according to the website, few visitors to the former imperial capital of Hue are disappointed. The city's incomparable art and architecture make an impression with the grandeur of former imperial residences and temples. Ones should visit the Citadel and take part in Hue's legendary cuisine, which is renowned throughout the country as being uniquely refined.

Citadel, Hue, Vietnam

Da Nang is described as Vietnam's appeal as a relaxing beach destination; a bustling, lively city, with ample opportunities to shop and play in the waves and a reputation for great food.

Ho Chi Minh City, also known as Saigon, is an essential stop. Its reputation is that of a pulsing, vibrant metropolis that is always on the go. It's more modern than Hanoi, but there are still plenty of historic sights to see - like the History Museum, Saigon Notre Dame Cathedral and Giac Vien Pagoda - between stops at the city's many shopping boutiques and great restaurants.

Notre Dame Cathedral, Ho Chi Minh, Vietnam

KPVI News 6 concludes that many travellers find that Vietnam fits well into a longer itinerary that also takes them to other popular Southeast Asian destinations like Cambodia and Thailand.

Source: VOVNEWS

Vietnam: A land of beauty rises among memories of war

A 15-minute drive and 20-minute boat ride from Dalat, you can climb into a makeshift seat atop an elephant and begin a bumpy and pleasant ride into the jungle, guided by a tiny, barefooted man who straddles the elephant’s head with ease.

Tea and English

Sometimes I remember the story beginning as we stepped out of the airport, greeted by a wave of oppressive humidity and hundreds of Vietnamese holding signs for someone named “Nguyen.” Getting into a Vietnamese taxi that wove its way through a sea of cars and bikes and motorbikes that would’ve terrified us had we not been too tired to care after the 17-hour flight. But in reality, we spent our first two hours in Vietnam trying to leave the airport. Trying to convince the customs officers that, although we did attend a Baptist university, we weren’t there to convert the defenseless masses. Our first encounter with a communist nation.

The entrance to Tan Son Nhat airport, Ho Chi Minh, Vietnam

Most visitors to Vietnam have come to experience what they imagine is a culture about as foreign to their own as any still in existence. But what most Vietnamese are anxious to show visitors is how well they can speak English. As we walked into an English class at a university in Ho Chi Minh City, the topic for the day was the impending threat of helmet laws for motorbike riders. Riders who maneuver traffic everyday that makes New York or even Rome look like the Disney’s Autotopia. Most Vietnamese couldn’t afford a helmet if they wanted to buy one, let alone pay the fines imposed if this law passed and they didn’t. Still, the conversation took a strange turn. “Helmets look funny,” one boy complained. “Yes,” another girl chimed in, “When you get to your date, your hair not look pretty.” Consensus was that the law shouldn’t pass.

After class, students migrate to the nearby “Tea & English.” If you appear foreign or let slip a word of English, expect to make new friends. For them, learning the language means they can get a job at a hotel or restaurant or shop — and maybe, one day, get to America.

The other side of the war

Visiting the Cu Chi Tunnels is often on the list of things to do for the first-time visitor to Vietnam. Before going down into the tunnels, government employees acting as tour guides lead you into a room where you sit in neat rows, staring at the ever- close- of Ho Chi Minh’s head floating on a backdrop of red until the video begins. The video gives the history of the Trail, explaining how it was built and the decisive role it played in the war.

Next, visitors stop to pose for photos on top of a rusty American tank; meanwhile, the tour guide explains how the Vietnamese stopped this tank in its tracks, killing the soldiers inside. Adding to the feeling of being in a war zone is the constant gunfire from the nearby shooting range — open to tourists for an additional fee — and the sound of mock land mines detonating if your foot trips one of the wires strung across the path. You then get a taste of travel down in the tunnels, which were clearly not sized for American frames. As you bend and squat and scrape your elbows on the jagged rock walls, you imagine Vietcong plots being hatched in the underground meeting room. Be sure to visit the souvenir/snack shop that finishes off the tour.

Chance encounter in a college town

Two lakes, a famous pagoda and one large waterfall draw many tourists to Dalat, six hours northeast of Ho Chi Minh City. There, in spite of its renown as the honeymoon Mecca of the nation, one feels a bit more as though they’re in their imagined Vietnam. Tiny women with brown, wrinkled skin waddle down the dirt roads balancing a stick with baskets of bread and vegetables on either side. Conical hats are everywhere and fewer people speak English, though enough to help the steady stream of tourists get by.

Xuan Huong Lake, Dalat, Vietnam

The street market in Dalat is an experience unlike any other. Thousands of people pack the street so tightly that, when looking down on the scene from the balcony of a nearby restaurant, the ground is hardly visible. When you are in the middle of the throng, you are being called in every direction: “Flowers!” “Pigs’ feet!” “Baskets!” “Fish!” The vendors lines the road, further excited by the sight of what they can only assume are wealthy foreigners. The meat market can be a bit overwhelming for the faint of heart. Nevertheless, this singular experience is worth getting up at 6 a.m. to witness (and hear and smell...).

A 15-minute drive and 20-minute boat ride from Dalat, you can climb into a makeshift seat atop an elephant and begin a bumpy and pleasant ride into the jungle, guided by a tiny, barefooted man who straddles the elephant’s head with ease. Plastic sheets are provided to protect you from the rain that comes without warning and exposes the surrounding jungle for its most vibrant of greens. After a 45-minute ride, with only a brief interruption to adjust the seat that’s begun to slide around to the belly of the beast, you’ll arrive at scattered bamboo homes lining a creek that swells by the minute with the falling rains. There, you may choose from one of several one-room “cabins” planted firmly on the ground, or you can bravely venture into the “tree house” towering 30 feet in the air.

Saying goodbye

Throughout the trip, the fact that you are in a Communist country is difficult to forget. And with that farewell, I said a regretful goodbye to the nation of Vietnam.