|
Ho Chi Minh Maps & Attractions Guide
Ho Chi Minh maps & Attractions - Things to do
in Ho Chi Minh
|
!
Search & Compare Cheap Ho Chi Minh Hotels, Holidays
& Deals
|
|
?
More Information & Other Links
|
This map is interactive: Click and drag to view the map of Ho Chi Minh.
Zoom in using the controls provided.
Ho Chi Minh
Attractions - Things to do
1. War Remnants Museum
28 Vo Van Tan St, District 3
|
What is it? The disturbing War Remnants Museum highlights
the horrors of modern combat, and especially portrays the suffering
inflicted on the Vietnamese people during the Vietnam War.
Previously called the Museum of American War Crimes, the name was
altered so as not to cause offence to American visitors, but its
displays do tell the story from an anti-American perspective. The
museum houses a collection of weapons, machinery, artefacts and
horrific photographs illustrating the devastating affects of
napalm, Agent Orange and other weapons of mass destruction. One
room is dedicated to biological warfare, including the effects of
the defoliant sprays that were dumped over the country. Another
room looks at worldwide demonstrations for peace and international
opposition to the war. In the courtyard there are tanks,
helicopters, planes and bombs on display.
Hours of Operation: Open daily from 7.30am to 11.45am and 1.30pm to
4.15pm
Phone:(08) 829 5587 |
2. Cholon
|
What is it? Cholon is the thriving warren of streets
comprising the Chinese district of Saigon, first settled by the
Chinese Hoa merchants at the end of the 18th century, and now home
to the biggest ethnic minority community in the country. The
difference in environment is immediately noticeable. The cluster of
Chinese-signed streets is a fascinating labyrinth of temples,
restaurants, exotic stores, medicine shops and markets. The best
place to experience the bustle of trade is at the crowded Binh Tay
Market where the corridors are filled with stalls offering a
variety of exotic produce, from live tethered ducks to nuts and
seeds, as well as other household items. There are several temples
of interest in Cholon, including the colourful Emperor of Jade
Temple, the Quan Am Pagoda with its ornate exterior, Phuoc An Hoi
Quan Temple, its roof exquisitely ornamented with dragons and sea
monsters, and the Thien Hau Pagoda dedicated to the goddess of the
sea.
Hours of Operation:
Phone: |
3. Cu Chi Tunnels
19 miles (30km) northwest of Ho Chi Minh City at Tay
Ninh
|
What is it? The Cu Chi Tunnels system is an underground
network of tunnels dug in the 1940s by the Vietnamese as a place to
hide during the fight against the French. The network was later
expanded and used in the American War. The system consists of more
than 150 miles (250km) of tunnels and unlit offshoots, secret trap
doors connecting narrow routes to hidden shelters, local rivers and
tunnels to the Cambodian border. It was a sprawling city of
improvised hospitals, living quarters, kitchens and fresh water
wells, with some tunnels barely large enough to wriggle through.
The plan was to launch surprise assaults on the enemy, and then
disappear; so successful a hiding place were the tunnels that first
the French and then the Americans struggled against these sudden
attacks in which the assailants seemed to vanish into fresh air.
Today many of the tunnels have been enlarged to allow visitors the
dirty and claustrophobic experience of crawling through a portion
of the underground network, past secret trapdoors and booby traps
laid against invasion. Unfortunately their popularity with visitors
has turned the area into a vicious tourist trap, with hard-sell
vendors a constant hassle among the touring
throngs.
Hours of Operation: Daily 7.30am to 4.30pm
Phone:(08) 794 8820 |
4. Mekong Delta
|
What is it? The delta is a vast network of waterways
formed by the Mekong River, and the surrounding fertile patchwork
of endless green rice paddies, orchards and swamplands is where
most of the country's rice is grown. Not only does the Mekong River
irrigate what is known as 'the rice bowl of Vietnam', but it also
serves as a vital form of transport. A unique way of life has
evolved among the villagers that have lived on or beside the river
for centuries. The best way to experience the delta is by boat,
joining the rowing boats and fishermen, rickety houseboats, ferries
and traditional sampans on the brown water. On the banks are small
villages, vegetable gardens, fish farms and stilted houses. Trading
is carried out between boats at floating markets, where whole
sections of the river are covered by bobbing merchants who
publicize their wares hung from the top of a long bamboo pole.
There are several towns in the region from where visitors can
arrange boat trips if not already on an organised tour. Try to
avoid the rainy season as the tides may be too high for canal
travel. Local food dishes are a speciality and besides seafood
there are opportunities for the adventurous to sample such delights
as snake, eels and bats.
Hours of Operation:
Phone: |
Ho Chi Minh Holidays guide
|
Transport -This hectic city boasts the world's most
chaotic traffic much of which consists of bicycles and motorcycles.
More information at the |
|
|
! Bookmark
Page
| Travel Alerts FREE newsletter - cheap flight alerts + more!
Subscribe now. |
|
