Reunification Palace history

Reunification Palace (Vietnamese: Dinh Thống Nhất) formerly known as Independence Palace (Dinh Độc Lập), built on the site of the former Norodom Palace, is a landmark in Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam. It was designed by architect Ngô Viết Thụ and was the home and workplace of the President of South Vietnam during the Vietnam War. It was 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.

In 1858, France launched an attack on Đà Nẵng, starting its invasion of Vietnam. In 1867, France completed its conquest of southern Vietnam (Cochinchina), comprising the provinces of Biên Hoà, Gia Định, Định Tường, Vĩnh Long, An Giang, and Hà Tiên. To consolidate the newly established colony, on 23 February 1868, Lagrandière, Governor of Cochinchina, held a ceremony to lay the foundation stone of a new palace to replace the old wooden palace built in 1863. The new palace was designed by Hermite, who was also the architect of the Hong Kong City Hall. The first cubic stone, measuring 50 cm along each edge, with indentations containing French gold and silver coins bearing Napoleon III's effigy, came from Biên Hòa.

The complex covered an area of 12 hectares, including a palace with an 80-meter-wide façade, a guest-chamber capable of accommodating 800 people, with a spacious gardens covered by green trees and a lawn. Most of the building materials were imported from France. Owing to the Franco-Prussian War of 1870, construction fell behind schedule and was not completed until 1873. The palace was named Norodom Palace after the then king of Cambodia, Norodom (1834–1904). The avenue in front of the palace bore the same name. From 1871 to 1887, the palace was used by the French Governor of Cochinchina (Gouverneur de la Cochinchine); therefore, it was referred to as the Governor’s Palace. From 1887 to 1945, all Governors-General of French Indochina used the palace as their residence and office. The office of the Cochinchinese Governors was relocated to a nearby villa.

World War II
On March 9, 1945, Japan defeated and replaced France in French Indochina in a successful coup. Norodom Palace became the headquarters of Japanese colonial officials in Vietnam. In September 1945, Japan surrendered to the Allied forces in World War II and France returned to Vietnam and Norodom Palace was restored to its position as the office of the French colonists.

After World War II
On May 7, 1954, France surrendered to the Việt Minh after its defeat at the Battle of Điện Biên Phủ. France agreed to sign the Geneva Accords and withdrew its troops from Vietnam. According to the accords, Vietnam would be divided for two years, until 1956. The 17th Parallel would act as the temporary border until a vote based on universal suffrage was held to establish a unified Vietnamese government. North Vietnam was under the control of the Việt Minh communists, while South Vietnam was under the anti-communist State of Vietnam. On 7 September 1954, Norodom Palace was handed over to the prime minister of the State of Vietnam, Ngô Đình Diệm. by a representative of the French presence in Vietnam, General Paul Ély.

In 1955, Diệm defeated former Emperor Bảo Đại, the chief of state of the State of Vietnam, in a fraudulent referendum. Ngô Đình Diệm declared himself president of the newly proclaimed Republic of Vietnam and renamed the building the Independence Palace. According to fengshui, the palace is located on a dragon’s head; therefore, it was also referred to as the Dragon’s Head Palace.

 Vietnam WarMain articles: 1962 South Vietnamese Presidential Palace bombing, Arrest and assassination of Ngô Đình Diệm, and 1963 South Vietnamese coup

On 27 February 1962, two pilots of Diệm’s Vietnam Air Force, Nguyễn Văn Cử and Phạm Phú Quốc, rebelled and flew two A-1 Skyraider (A-1D/AD-6 variant) aircraft towards the palace and bombed it, instead of going on a raid against the Việt Cộng. As a result, almost the entire left wing was destroyed. However, Diệm and his family escaped the assassination attempt. As it was almost impossible to restore the palace, Diệm ordered it demolished and commissioned a new building in its place. The new palace was constructed according to a design by Ngô Viết Thụ, a Vietnamese architect who won the First Grand Prize of Rome (Grand Prix de Rome) in 1955, the highest recognition of the Beaux-Arts school in Paris. He was also a laureate of the Rome Architecture Award.

The construction of the new Independence Palace started on 1 July 1962. Meanwhile, Diệm and his ruling family moved to Gia Long Palace (today the Ho Chi Minh City Museum). However, Diệm did not see the completed hall as he and his brother and chief adviser Ngô Đình Nhu were assassinated after a coup d'état led by General Dương Văn Minh in November 1963. The completed hall was inaugurated on 31 October 1966 by the chairman of the National Leadership Committee, General Nguyễn Văn Thiệu, who was then the head of a military junta. The Independence Hall served as Thiệu’s home and office from October 1967 to 21 April 1975, when he fled the country as communist North Vietnamese forces swept southwards in the decisive Ho Chi Minh Campaign.

On 8 April 1975, Nguyễn Thanh Trung, a pilot of the Vietnam Air Force and an undetected communist spy, flew an F-5E aircraft from Biên Hòa Air Base to bomb the palace, but caused no significant damage. At 10:45 on 30 April 1975, a tank of the North Vietnamese Army bulldozed through the main gate, ending the Vietnam War.

In November 1975, after the negotiation convention between the communist North Vietnam and their colleagues in South Vietnam was completed, the Provisional Revolutionary Government renamed the palace Reunification Hall (Hội trường Thống Nhất).

Ben Thanh Market - introduction and its history

 Love it or hate it, Ben Thanh Market is one of the most recognizable features in Saigon.

Having said that, as far as markets go, Ben Thanh Market tends to bring out the best and the worst in Sai gon markets.

On the one hand, the prices at Ben Thanh are higher than at other markets because it gets so many tourists; many of its stalls are filled with tacky touristy items that you will see every where you go; and you get harassed, grabbed and pressured by sellers like at no other market in Saigon.

On the other hand though, Ben Thanh Market is a hugely vibrant and colorful market.

Some of the other markets around Saigon can be very sleepy at times, especially after lunch, but because of the busy tourist trade in District 1, Ben Thanh Market is always filled with the sounds and smells of commerce as people bargain and negotiate.

And if you are a foreigner the best things about Ben Thanh Market is that most of the sellers can communicate in English to some degree, and even if they can't there is the ever present calculator to help smooth over any language difficulties.

And while many of the shops do contain only tacky touristy items, Ben Thanh Market does also have a good range of clothes shops.

And when the doors of Ben Thanh Market close at about five or six in the evening, the night market starts up outside.

Spilling over into the neighboring streets, the night market is just as vibrant as the inside market, filled with clothes and shoe stalls and a dozen or so semi permanent restaurants.

It is a colorful location where you can rest in the cool evening air and try some Vietnamese food and unwind after a long hard day's shopping or sightseeing.

Historically Ben Thanh market, in a round-about-way, has its origins way back in the 17th century.

At the start of the 17th century vendors would group together on the streets near or around the Saigon River, near where soldiers would land and merchants traveling up and down the river would load and unload their goods for sale.

Over the years this impromptu market became known as Ben Nghe or Ben Thanh Market due to its location near the wharf (Ben) and the Turtle Citadel (or Quy Thanh).

When the French conquered the Saigon Citadel in 1856 though (Saigon at the time was fortress), they rebuilt a large thatch roofed mud-floored Ben Thanh Market near what is today Ham Nghi Street and Nguyen Hue Street (Ham Nghi and Nguyen Hue were canals at the time).

Located conveniently near the wharfs, this market did a rip-roaring trade, but perhaps a victim of its own success and popularity, the thatch roofed market burned to the ground in 1870 in a large fire.

Afterwards the French rebuilt the market in the same location but with steel frames, this new steel framed market became the largest market in all Saigon.

In 1912 under the orders of the Saigon Mayor, Ben Thanh Market moved to a new building located on marshy ground opposite the Quach Thi Trang Square at the end of Le Loi Street.

They named this new market the New Ben Thanh Market.

The old Ben Thanh Market is now popular as the old Market in Ton That Dam Street selling canned goods, drinks and fresh foodstuffs, although it operates on a much smaller scale after loosing much of its area to the treasury office and the Banking Institute over the years.

The New Ben Thanh Market was officially opened in 1914 in a grand ceremony, with throngs of people coming in from nearby provinces to see the new market.

Now only known as Ben Thanh Market this is the Ben Thanh Market you can see and visit today.

While Ben Thanh Market went through a major renovation in 1985 to make it bigger, the clock tower and the southern gate are still the original 1912 building.

Golf in Saigon

Golf in Vietnam goes back to 1922 and today there are more than 10 courses in Vietnam with as many as 30 more under development. The first course in Ho Chi Minh City, the Go Vap Golf Course (which most people call the Saigon Golf Club) opened in the 1950s, and local people are beginning to appreciate the fun of swinging a club.

Others include the Vietnam Golf & Country Club which opened in 1994, and is the best established club in Ho Chi Minh City. With 36 holes, it is a private club, though guests are welcome. It is the closest course to central Saigon, some 20 km (or 30 minutes) from downtown at Long Thanh My Thu Due District.

Song Be Golf Resort has what is regarded as Vietnam’s first international-standard championship golf course. Also opened in 1994, it has 27 holes. The Song Be Golf Course is at 254B Nguyen Dinh Chieu St.

For driving ranges, try the Him Lam Driving Range on 234 Ngo Tat Thanh in Binh Thanh District, on the Saigon River, the Saigon South Golf Driving Range on Nam Saigon Avenue, District 7, or the Rach Chiec Driving Range on Ha Noi Highway, An Phu Ward, District 2.

Suoi Tien Cultural Theme Park

Suoi Tien Cultural Theme Park is a Vietnamese water-filled fantasy land, located rather unromantically next to a rubbish dump 15 kilometres South of Ho Chi Minh City. Suoi Tien, or "the fairy stream," is the world's first water park devoted to Buddhism, specifically the Southeast Asian animistic form of Buddhism. The animism works well for the theme park; instead of Mickey and Daffy, Suoi Tien has chosen the Dragon, Unicorn, Tortoise, and Phoenix as its sacred animals, used thematically throughout the massive water park. Furthermore, workers in golden monkey outfits roam the park taking pictures with visitors and causing "mischief."

The park focuses on Vietnamese history, folklore, and of course on the Buddha himself. Among the parks many features are an oversized golden dragon whose mouth contains a neon haloed shrine to Buddha, avenues lined with pillars in the shape of giant elephant tusks, a swimming pool surrounded by a massive concrete facade of dragons and a giant rotating frog sculpture at the entrance. Particularly delightful are the twelve story face's of the Buddhist sages - with water slides emerging from their beards.

Children might enjoy a dog or turtle shaped boat ride around the island pavilions. But, beware the cutely-named Palace of Unicorns which contains a surprisingly gory house of horrors within. Perhaps the strangest and most unnerving feature of the enormous park is the crocodile kingdom. A pond with over 1,500 live crocodiles, visitors are invited to feed them with raw meat attached to fishing poles. The whole thing is quite impressive and constructed on a huge scale. Although, the lax safety controls -acres of wet, slippery concrete, low hanging stalactites in the cavern water slides, and the bay of crocodiles- remind you that you are not in Disneyland anymore.

Cooking class in Saigon

One of the world healthiest cuisines is Vietnamese cuisine. With rice, herbs and fresh vegetables, Vietnamese meal is deserved with its rank.

If you are love cooking some Vietnamese dishes, there are some cooking classes around Saigon Even when you travel to Saigon just for 1-2 days, you are still able to learn cooking Vietnamese dishes.

1) Caravelle Hotel - Cooking Classes Caravelle Hotel
19 Lam Son Square, Dist 1

The Caravelle Hotel is 5-star hotel in Saigon. It offers 1 day cooking class.

Cooking class start at 8:00 am, all participants leave hotel by Cyclo go to the Ben Thanh Market where Chef assists and advises participants how to hand-pick the freshest ingredients.

After that, all people will return to the hotel kitchen and Chefs will personally walk them through the preparation and presentation of an entire menu: fresh shrimp spring rolls with hoisin peanut sauce, BBQ eggplant, braised river prawn with Vietnamese curry, fried spring roll, beef luc lac, chicken salad with Vietnamese herbs, spicy and sour fish soup, and banana sweet.

The best part of the class is when everyone gets to enjoy the fruits of their labors with a lunch in Caravelle’s Restaurant Nineteen. Recipes are presented as a memento from the hotel.

The Caravelle Hotel Cooking Class Package starts from US$ 45 per person, plus 5% Service Charge and 5% VAT. Classes of minimum 10 participants, 15 maximum, must be booked at least 7 days in advance.

For enquiries, please contact 3823 4999 Ext 27100 or email: fbd@caravellehotel.vnn.vn

2) Vietnam Cookery Centre
 VIETNAM COOKERY CENTER– HOCHIMINH CITY & NHA TRANG BOOKING CENTER
Address: 362/8 Ung Van Khiem St, Binh Thanh District, Ho Chi Minh City, VIETNAM
Tel: +848 351 22 764 Fax: +848 351 22 3764
E-mail: vietnamcookery@expat-services.com

 

Here you can learn to cook some of the most popular Vietnamese dishes. Popular with foreigners, the Vietnam Cookery Centre offers a whole range of courses ranging from a half-day course to an eight-day course.

All participants will go Ben Thanh Market with Chefs. In the market, People will learn how to recognize the different Vietnamese ingredients and be guided in their application. Also, Guests will learn about the classic Vietnamese produce, from fruit and vegetable, to meats and seafood.

For US$ 39 per person you could attend our Morning Course (from 09h30 to 13h00 including Lunch), or our Afternoon Course (from 15h30 to 19h30 including Dinner). Also, you can ask for : In-depth Course, Course for professional Cooks, classes for children. Thematic dinner with cooking shows etc.

 

3) Hoa Tuc Restaurant – Cooking Classes

Hoa Tuc Retaurant
74/7 Hai Ba Trung, Dist 1
Tel: 3 825 84 85
Fax: 3 825 16 77
Email – contact@saigoncookingclass.com

Tuesday to Sunday, 2 sessions: 10:00am-1:00pm Or 2:00pm – 5:00pm (duration about 3 hours).
Adult cost: $ 45. Kids until 10 years old: $ 36.
Only small group: from 1 to 8 people.
Note: payment is required before the class (free pick up at your hotel possible). No refunds.
Current menu, offer a cooking class, 

You need to book 24 hours in advance.

4) Connections - Cooking Classes
Email – info@connectionsvietnam.com

Cook is our cooking class in a Saigon home. We take you to a real Vietnamese family home where you will be a guest for the morning. You will visit the local market to buy the ingredients and then cook the dishes

You will be met at 8am at your hotel by one of our student guides. We like to start the cooking class early so we can get you to the local market whilst it is still busy. You need to take a taxi to the chef’s house somewhere in Saigon (we currently have a number of chefs around the city so journey time and location will vary). After arriving and getting your bearings, you’ll head off to the local market (usually within walking distance) to shop for ingredients, all at a leisurely pace. You’ll then head back to the house to start your cooking, where you’ll eventually devour the results for lunch!

This is not only a normal cooking class; this is a genuine insight into a Vietnamese kitchen and home.

Saigon top Mid-Range Restaurants

Tib
187 Hai Ba Trung, D1 Tel: 829 7242, HCMC
Very popular choice serving up typical dishes from Hue in beautiful surroundings. Personal recommendation!

Chi Nghia
53 Thu Khoa Huan, D1 Tel: 823 5563, HCMC
With a decor of Old Saigon this place serves up great quality local dishes at very reasonable prices.

Com Nieu Sai Gon
6b Tu Xuong, D3 Tel: , HCMC
Popular with locals and tourists alike with a sometimes raucous atmosphere.

121 Restaurant
121 Vo Van Tan, D3 Tel: , HCMC
Great selection of grilled and smoked meats at this lesser known gem of a restaurant.
Gardener in Ho Chi Minh City

Au Pagolac 1
19 Nguyen Dinh Chieu, D1 Tel: 910 4405, HCMC
Fantastic selection of beef dishes created in imaginative ways. Heaven for non-vegetarians!

Cay Gon
12 Ngo Van Nam, D1 Tel: , HCMC
Popular locals joint serving up typical Vietnamese food with plenty Saigon Beer to wash it down with.

Gio Restaurant
33 Nguyen U Di, Thao Dien, D2 Tel: , HCMC
Relaxing locale near the river offering mainly light dishes. Oysters and deer are two of the menu's novelties.

Hong Hai
54 Pham Ngoc Thach, D3 Tel: 829-2977, HCMC
Excellent seafood restaurant with dishes prepared in the style of Nha Trang such as coconut steamed prawns.

Banh Xeo Saigon

That is until a couple of weeks back when I received 2 emailed hints (much appreciated) plus a location suggestion from a real live Saigonite in Saigon. Great – you’re thinking – that’s 3 banh xeo spots to check out. Wrong. All three had independently suggested the same joint – 46A Dinh Cong Trang Street in District 1. This many potty pancake lovers can’t be wrong, surely?

This saliva springing sight fizzin’ away in the frying pan above is the reason why Saigonese flood to this 50 seater outdoor, alleyway eatery. Bean sprouts, shrimps (or pork… hell… you can have both if you like to experiment) chucked in a thin batter. Fry that baby up, flip one side over and serve. I had a bit of a banter with the owner who told me the restaurant opened 50 years ago. It was the first of its kind and remains the most popular in the whole of Saigon. The chef told me her favorite frying pan (she has six permanently on the go on separate charcoal burners) is also 50 years old. Hmmm… maybe she said 5 years old, but I am sure I heard 50. Whatever, it was a mightily knackered pan she wielded at me.

Across the street at 49A there’s a much larger, more modern copycat banh xeo restaurant. Tellingly, it was entirely devoid of customers for the length of my lunch, which was over an hour. What I love about many of these ‘famous’ places in Vietnam is despite heaps of loyal customers, oodles of cash coming in, they never lift a finger to improve the aesthetics of their restaurant. You need to devour this prime pancake as soon as it hits the plate. Don’t hang around for any late dinner arrivals and leave the civilities at home, “Oh no, please, you start.” “Oh no please you should try it first.” Stop it right there. Dive in. Banh xeo pancakes should be crispy on the outside and ever so slightly moist on the inside. Leaving it hanging around too long and you’ve got a soggy savory crepe on your hands and you don’t want that, believe me.

This dish comes with a plate of nine different leaves and herbs. The most important to my mind is this leaf – cai be xanh (mustard leaf) – which can be used to wrap combo-morsels of banh xeo and herb up before a quick dip in some nuoc mam (fish sauce) and down the hatch.

46A Dinh Cong Trang serves up a stormin’ banh xeo and I would highly recommend trotting along if you’re in town. 17,000VND a pancake. Watch the banh xeo movie below. They also serve excellent bi cuon – a herb packed, pig skin rice paper wrap number

The Notre Dame Cathedral

Peaceful and somber, the Notre Dame Cathedral in Ho Chi Minh City is an easy place to escape the maniacal buzz of motorbikes for a few minutes. Constructed by the French in the 1800s, the Notre Dame Cathedral in Ho Chi Minh City appears strangely out of place with its Gothic and Roman-style architecture. Twin towers reaching to 190 feet capture the interest of people strolling by.

No matter your religious preference, one can't help but think of how many prayers for peace, victory, and survival were offered inside the cathedral throughout Vietnam's war-ravaged past.

Construction of the Notre Dame Cathedral in Ho Chi Minh

The entire cathedral in Ho Chi Minh City was constructed entirely with materials brought from France; the red bricks came from Marseille. Most of the original tiles still bear markings from France, although many new tiles have replaced ones damaged during the war.

Notre Dame Cathedral had meager roots as the "Saigon Church" - a small, wooden chuch constructed by French colonists in 1863 on the site of an abandoned Vietnamese pagoda. Termites eventually claimed the structure - which was too small anyway - so bids were accepted for a new design. A French architect named J. Bourad won the contest with his bold, neo-Roman design and began construction on October 7, 1877.

The present-day Notre Dame Cathedral in Ho Chi Minh City was completed on Easter Day in 1880. The prominent twin bell towers were not added until 1895 along with six bronze bells. In 1962 the cathedral was upgraded in status and the name changed from Saigon Chief Cathedral to Saigon Notre-Dame Cathedral Basilica.

A Miracle at the Notre Dame Cathedral

The Notre Dame Cathedral in Ho Chi Minh City was thrown into the spotlight when in October 2005 a statue of the Virgin Mary situated in front of the church reputedly shed tears. The phenomenon attracted thousands of people and stopped city traffic.

The Catholic Church in Vietnam's official stance is that the statue did not shed tears, no matter the claim by scores of witnesses.

Visiting the Notre Dame Basilica

With a central location in Ho Chi Minh City, the Notre Dame Cathedral is easy enough to visit when strolling between popular stops such as the War Remnants Museum and the Reunification Palace. The cathedral occupies a block just northeast of the Reunification Palace at the intersection of Dong Khoi Street and Pasteur Street - near the Central Post Office.

Peaceful green spaces lined with shade trees and park benches lead up to Notre Dame Cathedral. A nice afternoon can be spent walking from Pham Ngu Lao through Tao Dan Park around the Reunification Palace to Notre Dame Cathedral, then returning past the Revolutionary Museum and making a stop at the Ben Thanh Market.

The Notre Dame Cathedral in Ho Chi Minh city is still used for worship; be respectful when a service is taking place and never take photographs of worshipers.

Top 10 Things To Do in Saigon

Before setting out for this trip, I did so much research online on things that Hubby and I can do in Ho Chi Minh City (still called ‘Saigon’ by the Vietnamese) for a very limited 3 days and 3 nights. I even joined the Vietnam Group of Couchsurfers.com just so I can get a grasp of what locals consider their Top 10 Things To Do in HCMC. But in the end, nothing beats actual experience. So despite the many travel tips and friendly advise given by well-meaning folks, we ended up discovering the Vietnamese capital on our own. So here is our version of the Top 10 Things To Do in Vietnam.

1. Eat Pho.

The Vietnamese concoction of rice noodles, chicken, pork or beef meat, various herbs and sprouts in deep bowls filled to the brim with delicious broth is surprisingly filling, and to my delight, healthy! I never thought I could eat so much Pho in my life! I’ve had it for breakfast (which in my opinion is the best time to eat it), lunch and dinner. I’ve had it in the comforts of our hotel’s restaurant; along the famous Backpackers Street while perched precariously on a stool beside a makeshift noodle stall; and inside Ben Tanh Market, slurping the hot soup among locals. A regular bowl costs about 15-20,000 dong or roughly $1 and is served with a plateful of mint herb and sprigs of spring onion. Drink with a refreshing glass of iced jasmine tea and burp with delight.

2. Ride a boat down the Mekong Delta…

…but book a tour through a trusted tour agency. They will take care of everything and even include lunch and a couple of food-tasting sessions for a whole-day tour. We booked our tour online two weeks prior to our trip through Sinh Café. The nice thing about Sinh Café is that they don’t ask for your credit card information. Just confirm the booking and make sure you show up and pay the fee 15 minutes before the tour.

3. Drink coffee by the roadside.

One of the most gratifying experiences I’ve had during the trip is sitting on one of those plastic stools, sipping hot but extremely sweet coffee, while watching the early morning activities unfold right before my eyes.

The minute you set foot in Saigon, the first thing you’ll notice is the hordes of motorcycles that crowd downtown. The second is the countless number of coffee shops lined up along the streets and roadsides. The Vietnamese love sharing a glass (yup, they serve coffee, hot or cold, in glasses not cups) with their friends. They brew their coffee using stainless coffee filters called phin, a traditional technique passed on to them by the French. You can also enjoy your cup laced with condensed milk and filled with ice.

4. Walk to everywhere.

Saigon is a small city and to truly appreciate it, just slip into your most comfortable walking shoes and explore it by foot. Hidden in its little nooks and crannies are shops just waiting to be discovered.

5. Appreciate the beautiful French architecture of the Notre Dame Cathedral, Post Office and many old townhouses.

In the mid to late 19th century, Vietnam was colonized by the French. From them the Vietnamese inherited the beautiful architecture sprinkled all over Saigon. The Central Post Office was designed and constructed by the great Gustav Eiffel in the late 20th century and is one of Vietnam’s pride and joy. It’s also a stone’s throw away from the Notre Dame Cathedral, another structure built by the French.

6. Cross the street despite the motorcycles.

It is easy to get intimidated by the motorcycles coming right at you at any given time of the day. But they are relatively harmless as long as you cross the street with confidence. Here’s the trick: cross the street in slow motion. There’s a greater chance that you will get run over if you sprint your way to the other side of the street. Walking slowly allows the bikers to slow down and thus, maneuver their way easier around you. It takes a while to shrug off the fear but once you’ve done a couple of successful crossings, you will be walking the streets of Saigon like a local pedestrian in no time.

7. Squat-walk a few meters inside the Cu Chi Tunnels.

But if you’re claustrophobic, forget it! The Cu Chi Tunnels, which was for a time the home and base of operations of the Viet Congs, are so small that spending a few minutes inside may render you breathless. So if you’re not fond of narrow spaces, just enjoy the Cu Chi Tunnels tour from above ground.

8. Visit the War Remnants Museum.

You can’t pass this one up. But be prepared for an emotional experience. Let’s put it this way… if the War Remnants Museum was given another name, it would be this: the Look-At-What-The-War-Has-Done-To-Vietnam Museum.

Definitely not for the faint of heart, the exhibits scattered all over the building’s four floors let one get a glimpse of how gruesome war can be. But please, keep your eyes and mind open.

9. Drink snake-laced gin.

From the moment he set eyes on them, Hubby, who always loves a good drink, was instantly mesmerized by the bottles of gin filled with angry-looking snakes (I brought home a couple of bottles from my last two trips). That’s why drinking at least a jigger of the evil-looking concoction ended up in his Vietnam to-do list.

10. Support the local entrepreneurs…buy local products.

Vietnam has a wide variety of products—beautiful embroidered linens, intricately hand-woven fabrics from indigenous tribes, lacquered bowls and trays, handcrafted souvenirs and a whole universe of candies, biscuits, tea and coffee products. It will be a shame if you can’t bring home any one of these. Understandably, tourists are often intimidated to shop for souvenirs especially since haggling can be so stressful. That’s why I suggest that you stay away from Ben Tanh Market. I know, I know… Ben Tanh is often on the list of must-visits but you don’t need to blow all your money there. There are smaller shops that offer the same prices, if not cheaper. If you’re staying for a couple of days, window-shop first to find out where you can get the best deal.

Saigon is a wonderful, developing city electric with rapid changes. And no matter how many times I’ve been there, it seems that there’s always something new to see and discover.

(Source:http://pinaytraveller.com/http:/archives/tag/pinay-traveller)

Saigon's top 10 cafés

 Ho Chi Minh City may look like an unforgiving urban jungle, but resting just below the surface are dozens of wonderful hideaways, where an ice cold fruit blend, a sumptuous salad and a sparkling cocktail create a welcome distraction from the world outside. Our man in Saigon, Jon Hoff, twirled the caffeine dial to 10 and delivered this list of his top ten spots to chill out in Saigon.

La Fenetre Soleil
Probably Saigon's ultimate lounge lizard spot, having a variety of agreeable lazy-chairs, sofas and even a double bed to sprawl across. The small establishment, reminiscent of a living room in an aging French chateau, has two large windows that allow light to spill in across the wood beam floor, while the exposed brick walls rise up to meet the high ceiling. The menu boasts a fare which matches the atmosphere -- light and airy. A wide range of fruit juices and shakes accompany salads, sandwiches and crepes. Don't be put off by the decrepit staircase that leads up from La Fenetre Soliel's discreet entrance.

Highlands Coffee
This chain has a number of locations through Saigon, though perhaps the most comfortable is found on Nguyen Du, in the shadow of the Saigon Trade Centre. While this location, is perhaps not best for chilling out at lunchtime due to the crowds, come the evening it's a far more sedate scene. The modern interior offers plenty of sofas and armchairs for you and your mug of coffee and the outdoor wooden decking is a relatively quiet spot which provides some fine people watching. The fare is contemporary Asian and Western cuisine -- the usual assortment of drinks is meliorated by a tasty range of Italian sodas.

Illy Cafe
Another popular Ho Chi Minh City coffee chain, founded by the Italian Illy, is the aptly named Illy Café. One particular branch sits adjacent to the Lion Restaurant in Lam Son Square. Despite its central city location the courtyard outside is surprisingly secluded -- and the comfortable indoors area moreso. Find here ambrosial cold coffee drinks laced with amaretto, almond and other alluring ingredients, all starting at 39,000 VND, along with an extensive Italian based menu, including a good value set lunch. WiFi available.

Café Park Bach Dang

For an altogether less pretentious experience, take residence in a deckchair down by the Saigon River. The Café Park Bach Dang provides basic outdoor seating, with a view across the river to Thu Thiem. Seemingly a world away from the trendy bars and stylish cafes which sit just down the road, this is the perfect spot to amble through a few pages of novel whilst taking in scenes of daily life. None of the items on the bare-bones menu will set you back more than 15,000 VND. Ca phe sua da, a traditional Vietnamese iced coffee with condensed milk, is our favourite.

Juice
Three-level Juice serves surprisingly excellent juices, shakes and smoothies, starting at around 30,000 VND and wheatgrass shots for 20,000 VND a pop. The bill of fare here has a health focus and the selection of delicious salads is refreshing. Each floor of Juice has comfortable seating and WiFi connectivity is available throughout. The sofas on the top level were designed for afternoons lost in a book or surfing the web. Located in the heart of District One, Juice is a good place to drop the shopping bags or guidebooks for a couple of hours.

Hideaway
Secreted in a beautiful colonial building tucked away just a few metres off Pham Ngoc Thach St, Hideaway encourages slobbery with an ample supply of sofas and soft seating throughout. The complex consists of a small outdoor courtyard and two interior areas, including a pleasant dining area. While Hideaway is a great spot to chill out, the prices may jolt you from your slumber -- their drinks are super pricey, starting at 25,000 VND for a Coke and smoothies for 60,000 VND. The food is also on the pricey side, but is mouth-wateringly good, including pastas, salads and hot and cold sandwiches.

I Box Café
The venerable I Box Café is a bit of a Ho Chi Minh City institution, and while it sounds like you might go there to play computer games, the opposite is the case. Possibly the most enigmatic café in town, its lavish decorations, plush seats, eclectic music and ambient lighting all come together to create an intimate atmosphere unlike anything else you'll find in Saigon. The wide-ranging carte compliments an original drinks selection, and the fantastic ice cream concoctions will have you keeling over in sugar bliss. Not only a great place to drift off in a daydream, it also has WiFi.

Café Song Me
An inclusion to recognise the fact that Vietnamese coffee shops can be awesome hang out spots, Café Song Me is well worth a look in. Nary a brash roadside monstrosity in sight, Song Me is set back from the street in a shady, secluded corner, with ornate decorations and plentiful green leafy plants to re-oxygenate your pollution-weary lungs. A little hard to find, take Hoa Hung St off of Cach Mang Thang Tam St in District 10, and turn off left roughly halfway along. Famed for its water-features, customers can sit on tables completely surrounded by water, as small troughs weave their way along the floor. Alternatively, skip across the pools to reach somnolent sofa areas. Food is average, so stick with the reasonably priced drinks.

Le Petit Café

The predictably-sized Le Petit Café proffers an enclosed ground floor, an atrium complete with water feature and a first floor balcony. While no food is available come the evening, a small Vietnamese breakfast and lunch menu will keep the hunger pangs at bay while the sun still shines. The upstairs area, littered with cushions and low tables could make for a perfect afternoon siesta, but unfortunately word is out and you'll rarely have it to yourself.

Creperie & Cafe
Creperie & Cafe gets a mention as a Saigon chill out joint due to its fantastic street-side seating area. It's hard to believe that you're in the heart of Saigon yet the traffic is but a distant rumble. Shaded under large parasols and gazing over swaying trees, Creperie & Café counts Notre Dame Cathedral, Le Duan Park and Reunification Palace among its neighbours. If that doesn't impress you, the food certainly will -- mains range from 70-180,000 VND, but the specialty are the savoury crepes, ranging from 60-90,000 depending on the filling.

The address:
Café Park Bach Dang – 10B Ton Duc Thang St, next to Bach Danh Ferry Terminal, District 1. Daily 24 hrs.
Café Song Me – 125/2 Hoa Hung, District 10. T: (08) 865 2075. Daily 07:30-23:00.
Creperie & Cafe - 5 Han Thuyen. District 1. T: (08) 829 911. Daily 07:00-11:00.
Hideaway – 41/1 Pham Ngoc Thach, District 3. T: (08) 822 4222. Daily 08:00-Late.
Highlands Coffee – Saigon Trade Centre, 37 Ton Duc Thang, District 1. T: (08) 910 5689. Daily 07:00-23:00.
I Box Café - 135 Hai Ba Trung, District 1. T: (08) 825 6718. Daily 07:00-23:00.
Illy Cafe - 11-13 Lam Son Square, District 1. T: (08) 827 5946. Daily 07:30-23:30.
Juice - 49 Mac Thi Buoi, District 1. T: (08) 829 6900. Daily 07:30-22:00.
La Fenetre Soliel – 135 Le Thanh Ton, District 1. T: (08) 822 5209. Daily 10:30-24:00, Sun 10:30-19:00.
Le Petit Café – 189 Hai Ba Trung, District 3. T: (08) 827 7868. Daily 06:30-24:00

The Cao Dai Temple

Cao Dai Temple The exterior of the Cao Dai Temple.

Cao Đài (Vietnamese: About this sound Cao Đài (help·info)Chữ Nôm: 道高台) is a syncretistic, monotheistic religion, officially established in the city of Tây Ninh, southern Vietnam, in 1926. Đạo Cao Đài is the religion's shortened name, the full name is Đại Đạo Tam Kỳ Phổ Độ (Great Religion [of The] Third Period [of] Revelation [and] Salvation). Concerning the term Cao Đài, literally, Cao means "high" and Đài means "dais, as in a platform raised above the surrounding level to give prominence to the person on it." Figuratively, it means that highest spiritual place where God reigns. Caodai often use the term Đức Cao Đài (Venerable Cao Dai) as the abbreviated name for God, the creator of the universe, whose full title is Cao Đài Tiên Ông Đại Bồ Tát Ma-ha-tát (translation: Cao Dai [the] Ancient Sage [and] Great Bodhisattva Mahasattva). According to Caodaiists, the full title was purposefully chosen by God because within it are representations of the Three Teachings: Saint, Sage and Buddha.

Inside the Temple

Caodaiists credit God as the religion's founder. They believe the teachings, symbolism and organization were communicated directly from God. Even the construction of the Tây Ninh Holy See is claimed to have had divine guidance. Cao Đài's first disciples, Ngô Văn Chiêu, Cao Quỳnh Cư, Phạm Công Tắc and Cao Hoài Sang, claimed to have received direct communications from God, who gave them explicit instructions for establishing a new religion that would commence the Third Era of Religious Amnesty.

Adherents engage in ethical practices such as prayer, veneration of ancestors, nonviolence, and vegetarianism with the minimum goal of rejoining God the Father in Heaven and the ultimate goal of freedom from the cycle of birth and death. Estimates of the number of Cao Đài adherents in Vietnam vary, but most sources give 2 to 3 million[citation needed]. An additional 30,000 (numbers may vary), primarily ethnic Vietnamese, live in the United States, Europe, and Australia.

War Remnants Museum

Of all the museums in Vietnam that chronicle the gruesome events of the wars with France and the USA during the 20th century, this is the hardest hitting. As such it’s the one must-see museum in Saigon, but with the proviso that it is not for the squeamish. The display of war planes, tanks and exploded ordnance outside is dramatic enough, but the photographs and jars of deformed foetuses on display inside make it clear what a nightmare this country experienced during the war years.

At the back of the museum is a reconstruction of the ‘tiger cages’ that were built on Con Dao Island by the French to imprison and torture the Viet Minh. Of course, these were late used by the South Vietnamese army to do the same despicable thing with the Viet Cong.

As you might expect, there’s a patriotic tone to the display, though the final gallery focuses on the anti-war movement and leaves visitors wishing these conflicts could have been avoided. 28 Vo Van Tan, (08) 3930 5587, open daily 07:30 to 12:00 and 13:30 to 17:00, fee 15,000D.

Saigon nightlife - night life guide to Ho Chi Minh City

The popular Crazy Buffalo bar
In this seething city of over seven million souls there is plenty to do after dark. But because of a midnight curfew over most of the city, you shouldn’t leave it too late before heading out. A typical night out in Saigon might begin with some shopping, followed by a fancy dinner, and then drinks and dancing if you’re in the mood.

For traditional types of entertainment, such as Vietnamese dance or drama, find out what’s on at the Municipal Theatre (04 3829 9976) or at the Conservatory of Music (04 3824 3774). Or you could buy tickets for a show at Binh Quoi Tourist Village which lies eight kilometres outside the city. Most hotels can arrange tickets, costing around 150,000D, which includes a boat trip to the site, as well as dinner either on the boat or at the village and a show of traditional music and dance.

As Vietnam’s commercial capital, Saigon has plenty of opportunities for shopping, and many markets and malls stay open till late at night for the benefit of visitors. A good way to combine shopping and eating is to wander round Ben Thanh market buying souvenirs, then settle down at one of the many seafood restaurants that open around the market in the evening.

For a bit more upmarket experience, cruise one of the city’s shopping malls, then stop off with your purchases to sample the fare at a buffet dinner in one of the big hotels. These encompass a wide variety of cuisines and are a great bet for families with fussy kids as there’s bound to be something they like

f you fancy an evening of passive entertainment, consider a visit to the cinema. A couple of convenient locations are Diamond Plaza Cinema (08/3825 7751) and Galaxy Cinema (08/3920 6688), located at 230 Nguyen Trai, near De Tham. Give a call to find out what’s showing.

For most people, however, enjoying Saigon’s nightlife involves heading for a crowded bar which either has a live band or disco, and the chance of dancing. For many years the city’s most infamous venue has been Apocalypse Now (2C Thi Sach), which attracts a mix of locals and foreigners to its dance floor.

It’s busy up till midnight, but single males need to beware of predatory females who have a knack of ensnaring their prey – thus the bar’s infamy. Other venues where you can shake your stuff are Seventeen Saloon (103A Pham Ngu Lao), where Filipino and local musicians play energetic covers of classic rock songs.

he most popular discos in town are the America, on the third floor of the Windsor Plaza Hotel and Cage, situated at 3a Ton Duc Thang, down an alley near the river. If you are set on escaping the midnight curfew, you’ll need to head for De Tham, where Go 2 (187 De Tham) and Eden (236 De Tham) both stay open till the small hours.

Weather in Saigon and Ho Chi Minh City tourist seasons

Situated just 10 degrees north of the equator, Saigon is firmly in the tropics and as such the weather is hot and humid. Unlike Hanoi over 1,700kms further north, it does not experience four seasons – just a rainy season (from about May to November) and a dry season (from around December to April).

The temperature hardly varies throughout the year, with maximum figures of around 32°C and minimums of around 22°C. December is usually the coolest month, while May is the hottest and best avoided unless you are comfortable with the tropics at their most brutal.

Because of the slightly cooler weather and lack of rain, the months of December and January constitute the high season for tourism in Saigon. At this time of year it can be difficult to find a room and many hotels and guesthouses hike their rates by 30-50 per cent.

However, since there is so little variation in temperatures throughout the year, and tropical rain is often limited to a short, sharp downpour each day, there’s no real problem about visiting at any time of year, and when occupancy rates are down, most lodgings will drop their rates.

Relative humidity in Saigon hovers around 80 per cent for most of the year, and while not as extreme as some places, when combined with the heat it can drain your energy very quickly, especially if you are not used to the tropics.

The implications for spending your time in Saigon should be evident – don’t try to fit too much into one day. Some of the city’s sights are far from the centre and can take a long time to reach, especially given the clogged-up nature of the city’s streets.

Shopping in Ho Chi Minh City

Filed under : Saigon FoodSaigon or Ho Chi Minh City as it is known today is the veritable cliché –A shopper’s paradise. The main feature of shopping here in the capital of Vietnam is that it is tourist oriented, almost everything on offer is meant for consumption by the hordes of visiting tourists. Having at least a basic knowledge of bargaining would serve you well here as there are many eye catching items on display, from the usual touristy fare to elegant antiques and souvenirs.

The shops in Ho Chi Minh City or anywhere else in Vietnam are far from being drab; they are a riot of colour from extensive decorative work to the colorful knick knacks on display, the color is an enticing prospect for tourists. The streets of the city are lined with small outlets selling indigenously produced toys, souvenirs and clothing most of which are very reasonably priced. Shopping in Vietnam is a mix of small vendors peddling locally made handicrafts to large western style department stores selling much more up market fare.

The main open air markets in Ho Chi Minh are Ben Thanh Market, the Night Market and the War surplus market. The biggest of the lot is the Ben Thanh Market, which is instantly recognized by the large clock tower near the traffic circle. It is a large old school open air market with hundreds of narrow alleyways that have store fronts. Due to regular patronage by tourists the market has now morphed into a tourist attraction, many stalls now sell Vietnam t-shits and counterfeit branded jeans, caps and souvenirs.

The Night Market is located almost right next to the Ben Thanh Market is usually open after 5.00 pm. This market also features a few food stalls where tourists can experience some local cuisine and try a local drink. However, the most interesting market of all is definitely the War Surplus Market; this market is sometimes referred to as the American Market or “Cho Cu”. Many military items left over from the bloody American campaign against the Viet Cong rebels, that ended with large losses of life on both sides can be seen here. American war gear such as old military uniforms, GI helmets, US Marine t-shirts and old army knives can be bought here. This might be an interesting place to visit for collectors and Vietnam War veterans, though the authenticity of the ware cannot be verified.

For long stay travelers that visit Ho Chi Minh City for business purposes an excellent accommodation option are the Ho Chi Minh serviced apartments that are located in the heart of the city.

Cu Chi Tunnels

Location: Cu Chi Tunnels are located approximately 70km northwest of Ho Chi Minh City centre in Cu Chi Rural District.
Characteristic: Cu Chi Tunnels consist of more than 200km of underground tunnels. This main axis system has many branches connecting to underground hideouts, shelters, and entrances to other tunnels.

Cu Chi District is known nationwide as the base where the Vietnamese mounted their operations of the Tet Offensive in 1968.The tunnels are between 0.5 to 1m wide, just enough space for a person to walk along by bending or dragging. However, parts of the tunnels have been modified to accommodate visitors. The upper soil layer is between 3 to 4m thick and can support the weight of a 50-ton tank and the damage of light cannons and bombs. The underground network provided sleeping quarters, meeting rooms, hospitals, and other social rooms. Visiting the Cu Chi Tunnels provides a better understanding of the prolonged resistance war of the Vietnamese people and also of the persistent and clever character of the Vietnamese nation.

For a place that’s physically invisible, the Cu Chi Tunnels have sure carved themselves a celebrated niche in the history of guerilla warfare. Its celebrated and unseen geography straddles – all of it underground – something which the Americans eventually found as much to their embarrassment as to their detriment. They were dug, before the American War, in the late 1940s, as a peasant-army response to a more mobile and ruthless French occupation. The plan was simple: take the resistance briefly to the enemy and then, literally, vanish.

First the French, then the Americans were baffled as to where they melted to, presuming, that it was somewhere under cover of the night in the Cuu Long (Mekong) Delta. But the answer lay in the sprawling city under their feet – miles and miles of tunnels. In the gap between French occupation and the arrival of the Americans the tunnels fell largely into disrepair, but the area’s thick natural earth kept them intact and maintained by nature. In turn it became not just a place of hasty retreat or of refuge, but, in the words of one military historian, "an underground land of steel, home to the depth of hatred and the incommutability of the people." It became, against the Americans and under their noses, a resistance base and the headquarters of the southern Vietnam Liberation Forces. The linked threat from the Viet Cong - the armed forces of the National Liberation Front of South Vietnam - against the southern city forced the unwitting Americans to select Cu Chi as the best site for a massive supply base – smack on top of the then 25-year old tunnel network. Even sporadic and American’s grudgingly had to later admit, daring attacks on the new base, failed for months to indicate where the attackers were coming from – and, importantly, where they were retreating to. It was only when captives and defectors talked that it became slightly more clear. But still the entries, exits, and even the sheer scale of the tunnels weren’t even guessed at. Chemicals, smoke-outs, razing by fire, and bulldozing of whole areas, pinpointed only a few of the well-hidden tunnels and their entrances. The emergence of the Tunnel Rats, a detachment of southern Vietnamese working with Americans small enough to fit in the tunnels, could only guess at the sheer scale of Cu Chi. By the time peace had come, little of the complex, and its infrastructure of schools, dormitories, hospitals, and miles of tunnels, had been uncovered. Now, in peace, only some of it is uncovered – as a much-visited part of the southern tourist trail. Many of the tunnels are expanded replicas, to avoid any claustrophobia they would induce in tourists. The wells that provided the vital drinking water are still active, producing clear and clean water to the three-tiered system of tunnels that sustained life. A detailed map is almost impossible, for security reasons if nothing else: an innate sense of direction guided the tunnellers and those who lived in them.
Some routes linked to local rivers, including the Saigon River, their top soil firm enough to take construction and the movement of heavy machinery by American tanks, the middle tier from mortar attacks, and the lower, 8-10m down was impregnable. A series of hidden, and sometimes booby-trapped, doors connected the routes, down through a system of narrow, often unlit and invented tunnels. At one point American troops brought in a well-trained squad of 3000 sniffer dogs, but the German Shepherds were too bulky to navigate the courses. One legend has it that the dogs were deterred by Vietnamese using American soap to throw them off their scent, but more usually pepper and chilly spray was laid at entrances, often hidden in mounds disguised as molehills, to throw them off. But the Americans were never passive about the tunnels, despite being unaware of their sheer complexity. Large-scale raiding operations used tanks, artillery and air raids, water was pumped through known tunnels, and engineers laid toxic gas. But one American commander’s report at the time said: "It’s impossible to destroy the tunnels because they are too deep and extremely tortuous."

Today the halls that showed propagandas films, housed educational meetings and schooled Vietnamese in warfare are largely intact. So too are the kitchens where visitors can dine on steamed manioc, pressed rice with sesame and salt, a popular meal during the war, as they are assailed with true stories of how life went on as near-normal, much of the time. Ancestors were worshipped there, teaching was well-timetabled, poultry was raised – and even couples trusted, fell in love, were wed, and honeymooned there. But visitors have it easier: those re-constructed tunnels give the flavor of the tunnels but not the claustrophobia and the sacrifice of the estimated 18,000 who served their silent and unseen war there with only around one-third surviving, the rest casualties of American assaults, snakes, rats and insects.
Now the unseen and undeclared No Man’s Land is undergoing a revival, saluted as a Relic of National History and Culture with its Halls of Tradition displaying pictures and exhibits. The nearby Ben Duoc-Cu Chi War Memorial, where the reproduced tunnels have been built, stands as an-above ground salute to a hidden war.

General Information

Geography

In the core of the Mekong Delta, Ho Chi Minh City, formerly known as Saigon, is second the most important in Vietnam after Hanoi. It is not only a commercial center but also a scientific, technological, industrial and tourist center. The city is bathed by many rivers, arroyos and canals, the biggest river being the Saigon River. The Port of Saigon, established in 1862, is accessible to ships weighing up to 30,000 tons, a rare advantage for an inland river port.

Climate

The climate is generally hot and humid. There are two distinctive seasons: the rainy season, from May to November, and the dry season, from December to April. The annual average temperature is 27ºC. The hottest month is April and the lowest is December. It is warm all year round.
History
Many centuries ago, Saigon was already a busy commercial center. Merchants from China, Japan and many European countries would sail upstream the Saigon River to reach the islet of Pho, a trading center. In the year of 1874, Cho Lon merged with Saigon, forming the largest city in the Indochina. It had been many times celebrated as the Pearl of the Far East. After the reunification of the country, the 6th National Assembly in its meeting of the 2nd of July, 1976, has officially renamed Saigon, Ho Chi Minh City. The history of city relates closely with the struggle for the independence and freedom of Vietnam.

Tourism

Today, Ho Chi Minh City is the big tourism center in Vietnam, attracting a large of visitors to Vietnam. Ho Chi Minh City has various attractions as Ho Chi Minh Museum, formerly known as Dragon House Wharf, Cu Chi Tunnels, system of museums, theatres, cultural houses... Recently, many tourist areas are invested such as Thanh Da, Binh Quoi Village, Dam Sen Park, Saigon Water Park, Suoi Tien, Ky Hoa..., which draw numerous tourists.

Despite its quite recent past, Ho Chi Minh City nevertheless possesses various beautiful buildings, displaying a characteristic combination of Vietnamese, Chinese and European cultures. These include Nha Rong (Dragon House Wharf), Quoc To Temple (National Ancestors’ Temple), Xa Tay (Municipal Office), Ho Chi Minh Municipal Theatre as well as many pagodas and churches (Vinh Nghiem, Giac Vien, Giac Lam, Phung Son pagodas...). After more than 300 years of development, Ho Chi Minh City presents many ancient architectural constructions, famous vestiges and renowned sights. It is remarkable for its harmonious blending of traditional national values with northern and western cultural features.

Transportation

Ho Chi Minh City is the main junction for trains, roads, water, and air transportation systems for domestic trips and for foreign destination.
Roads: Ho Chi Minh City is 1,730km from Hanoi, 99km from Tay Ninh, 30km from Bien Hoa (Dong Nai), 70km from My Tho, 125km from Vung Tau, 168km from Can Tho, 308km from Dalat, and 375km from Buon Ma Thuot. The City has National Highway 13 which connects Vietnam with the rest of Indochina.
Train: Thong Nhat express train connects Ho Chi Minh City and Hanoi, vie many provinces in Vietnam.
Air: Tan Son Nhat International Airport, 7km from center of city, is the biggest airport with many domestic and international routes. There are flights from Hanoi and Danang to Ho Chi Minh City and between the City to many regions as well a lot of countries on over the world.