Explore Vietnam's largest city
It's a tropical conglomerate of skyscrapers, ancient pagodas, wartime tunnels and boutique hotels.
For glimpses of the past, Reunification Palace was the former South Vietnam's presidential palace, and is now a 5-floor time warp with 1960s paraphernalia. Visiting the Cu Chi tunnels is also one of top things to do in Ho Chi Minh. The history of the tunnels' use by the Viet Cong during the Vietnam War is explained but experiencing the dark, cramped conditions brings another perspective to the conflict.
Cai Dai Temple
The expatriate population hasn't disappeared post war so Ho Chi Minh's bars and restaurants cater to a broad range of local and global tastes. If you're not at ease in the smooth cocktail lounges or latest chic eatery, for classic Vietnamese in an old wooden house in the city centre, try Hoi An. If you do want somewhere stylish to stay though, perhaps consider the now-refined Caravelle Hotel, formerly a stop for wartime correspondents. On holiday in Ho Chi Minh you'll see as much of the city as of yourself.
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