Five things to do in and around Ho Chi Minh
1. POST OFFICE AND NOTRE DAME CATHEDRAL
A good start to get to know the city is to pay a visit to the post office, designed by a French architect in 1886 and one of the best known buildings in the city. If it was not for the large portrait of Ho Chi Minh that hangs in the back of the room , who was president from 1945 to 1969 of the Democratic Republic of Vietnam, anyone would say that by visiting the infrastructure we have moved away from the Asian country. Opposite this construction is also the Neo-Romanesque Cathedral of Notre Dame , one of the works with the most French architectural traces and one of the few strongholds of Catholicism. Its hours are somewhat peculiar: it is open on weekdays from 8 a.m. to 11 a.m. and from 3 p.m. to 4 p.m.
Notre Dame Cathedral in Ho Chi Minh City
two. THE WAR MUSEUM
The war museum receives more than half a million people every year to know the effects of the years of war between vietnam and the United States. At the entrance there are some tanks and planes used by the military, while inside we will see an exhibition with photographs and texts that demonstrate the brutality of the conflict and the consequences of Agent Orange on the Vietnamese population, one of the herbicides and defoliants used by the US military as part of their chemical warfare. The place remains open from 7:30 a.m. to 12 noon and opens again from 1:30 p.m. to 5 p.m.
war museum
3. THE MARKETS
There are few things that cannot be bought in a Southeast Asian market and Vietnam is no exception. the market of Ben Thanh , located in the center of the city, in the District 1 , is one of the largest and most well-known places to buy handicrafts, brand-name items, and Vietnamese art. Prices are a bit inflated for tourists, but haggling is the order of the day and there are food stalls inside. In the same District 1 is the tan dinh market that in addition to many food options, is specialized in silks and materials to make clothes.
Ben Thanh Market
Four. THE CU CHI TUNNELS
Cu Chi tunnels, located 40 kilometers north of Ho Chi Minh , are an immense connecting network of underground tunnels located in the district with the same name and part of a much larger network of tunnels that underlie much of the country. In times of war these they played a decisive role in numerous military campaigns : were used by vietcong soldiers , in addition to serving as a communication or supply helping to counter the growing military effort of the Americans.
Cu Chi Tunnels
5. THE MEKONG RIVER DELTA
Can Tho It is located just four hours by car from Ho Chi Minh, so it is worth spending a few days, weather permitting, to discover the life of the vendors and farmers in the area, known as the rice pantry of Vietnam. The city is especially known for the Cai Rang Floating Market, the largest in the area. The activity begins around five in the morning and lasts until around noon, so we will have to wake up early to visit it with one of the excursion boats that sail along the river.
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The Mekong River Delta