There are a few sights that are dedicated to the Vietnam War. One of them is the Reunification Palace, the government building that was taken over by the North Vietnamese army in 1975 and left almost untouched since then. The scene where a tank crashes through the main gate of the palace, ending the war, has made the building world-famous. A stunning piece of 60s architecture, the building was the residence of the French Governor of Cochin-China, before the South Vietnamese president Ngo Dinh Diem took over. Unfortunately, the latter was killed in 1963 and his successor Nguyen Van Thieu resided there until 1975. Today the palace is open for visitors with English, French, Vietnamese and Chinese tours taking place unless there are official receptions or meetings.Another reminder or the war times are the Cu Chi Tunnels. They represent the strength and resilience of the Vietnamese people during the wars with the American and the French. The site is an incredible network of over 120 km of tunnels with traps, living areas, kitchens, storage, armoury, hospitals and command centres. The network covers large parts of the whole of Vietnam and is at parts a few storeys deep. The Vietnamese soldiers spent a lot of time there in squalid conditions. Eventually the Cu Chi Tunnels proved to be of a great importance for South Vietnam’s resistance to the Americans and after prolonging the war and helping increase their costs and casualties, the Vietnamese managed to eventually win the war. See the Notre-Dame Cathedral, built by the French between 1863 and 1880. All materials have been imported from France, including the stained-glass decorations, the six bronze bells and the distinctive red bricks, imported from Marseille. The Neo-Romanesque cathedral has been named after the statue of “Peaceful Notre-Dame” in front of it, placed in 1959. The building still serves as a religion institution and mass is held every Sunday – there is a mass in English at 9.30. Although it is in general open for tourists Monday to Sunday, it is going through renovation now (expected to last until end of 2019), so you could only visit during mass. As when visiting any holy place, dress modestly and try not to disturb worshipers. Nearby is the Central Post Office of Ho Chi Minh city another stunning piece of French Colonial architecture.
The Jade Emperor Pagoda is one of the most important worship sanctuaries for the citizens of Vietnam who practise Buddhism or Taoism. It was built in 1909 in the honour of the Jade Emperor (the Taoist God) by the Cantonese community. Its dimly lit corridors, filled with the smoke of joss sticks, lead to a spectacular display of colourful carvings of the Jade Emperor himself, the Goddess of Fertility, the Lord of Hell and more. There is also a tortoise pond in front and visitors are advised to buy a tortoise and release it in the pond in the hope of luck and prosperity. Nearby is the theBen Thanh market. The Cao Dai Temple is also worth seeing – a worship place that honours Lord Buddha, Jesus Christ, Muhammad and Confucius, in addition to Joan of Arc and Julius Cesar in Neo-Gothic, Baroque and Oriental design and is very opulently decorated. Despite of the small number of hindus that live in HCMC, the Mariamman (Goddess of the Rain) Hindu Temple is considered sacred and is also worth a visit.If you would like to learn more about the past and present of Vietnam and Ho Chi Minh City, make sure you see the History Museum, the Fine Arts Museum and the War Remnants Museum. You can't say you have been to HCMC and not do at least one of the following: see a Water Puppet show, go for a late-night Spa treatment or try the indulgent local ice coffee ("ca phe sua da").
