Top 5 Historical Placesin Ho Chi Minh City

A Guide for New Expats in Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam

By: Asia Expat Guides

Formerly known as Independence Palace, Reunification Palace is

a landmark in Ho Chi Minh City. It was the

home and workplace of the President of

South Vietnam during the Vietnam War, and

later it became the site of the end of the Vietnam War during the Fall of Saigon on April 30, 1975, when a North Vietnamese Army tank crashed through its gates.

ReunificationPalace

Reunification

Palace

A replica of that tank is now parked on the lawn outside. Be sure to check out the impressively kitschy recreation room, featuring a circular sofa, and the eerie basement, full of vintage 1960s phones, radios, and office equipment, supposedly left exactly as it was found when the North took over. There is also a photo gallery and a propaganda film recounting how the South Vietnamese supporters and American imperialists succumbed to Ho Chi Minh's indomitable revolutionary forces, upon which point the South Vietnamese supporters were forgiven and everyone lived happily ever after. Tours are available and are free, but not necessary.

War Remnants Museum, which documents the brutality of the

Vietnam War, is only a short walk from

Reunification Palace. It primarily contains exhibits relating to

the American phase of the Vietnam War.

The museum comprises a series of

themed rooms in several buildings,

with period military equipment placed

within a walled yard.

War Remnants Museum

War Remnants

Museum

The collection includes halls full of gruesome photographs, a simulated "tiger cage" prison and jars of deformed foetuses attributed to contamination by Agent Orange. An exhibit on the 3rd floor tells the story of the war journalists from all over the world who documented, and often disappeared or died in the war. If you’re not a squeamish person, pay a visit to this unique museum to feel chills down your spine.

You don't know the true meaning of

claustrophobia until you've visited this vast

network of interconnecting

underground tunnels, 30 kilometres from Ho Chi Minh City. Used as

operational headquarters by

Vietcong guerillas during the Tet Offensive

of 1968, they were instrumental in

numerous military campaigns during the

war and played a decisive role in

defeating American forces.

Cu Chi Tunnels

Cu Chi Tunnels

The tunnels were used by Viet Cong soldiers as hiding spots during combat, as well as serving as communication and supply routes, hospitals, food and weapon caches and living quarters for numerous North Vietnamese fighters. The tunnel systems were of great importance to the Viet Cong in their resistance to American forces, and helped achieve ultimate military success.

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