Places to visit in Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam
29 places to visit in Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam, each with LOQAH's carefully crafted stamp of its own: Ben Thanh Market, Bitexco Financial Tower, Cu Chi Tunnels and more. Stand at any of them with the app open and the stamp is yours, confirmed on site, in your Ho Chi Minh City volume.
7 Famous places to visit · 22 Hidden gems
Famous places to visit in Ho Chi Minh City (7)
-
Ben Thanh Market
One of the oldest surviving buildings in central Saigon and a symbol of the city, its clock tower facing a busy roundabout. Inside are stalls for food, cloth and souvenirs, and after dark the streets around it turn into a night market.
-
Bitexco Financial Tower
A 262.5 metre tower of 68 floors, shaped like a lotus bud, that was the tallest building in Vietnam when it opened in 2010. A helipad juts from its side and the Saigon Skydeck looks out over the river.
-
Cu Chi Tunnels
Part of a huge network of hand dug tunnels under the countryside northwest of Saigon, used as a base during the Vietnam War. Visitors can crawl through stretches of the narrow passages and see the hidden kitchens and trapdoors.
-
Independence Palace
The former home and workplace of the president of South Vietnam, designed by the architect Ngo Viet Thu and now a public hall and museum. Its rooms, from the state chambers to the basement command centre, are kept much as they were in the 1970s.
-
Landmark 81
A supertall skyscraper beside the Saigon River and the tallest building in Vietnam. Developed by Vinhomes, its stepped glass tower holds homes, a hotel and an observation deck near the top.
-
Notre Dame Cathedral Basilica
A red brick cathedral built by the French between 1877 and 1880, its two bell towers rising 58 metres over central Saigon. The name Notre Dame dates from 1959, when a statue of Our Lady of Peace was set up in its forecourt.
-
War Remnants Museum
A museum on Vo Van Tan Street in central Saigon given over to the First Indochina War and the Vietnam War. Aircraft, tanks and artillery stand in the courtyard, with photographs and documents in the halls.
Hidden gems in Ho Chi Minh City (22)
-
Binh Tay Market
The largest market in Cholon, a wholesale hub built around a courtyard under tiled Chinese roofs. Before 1975 it was called the new Cho Lon market, to set it apart from the older one it replaced.
-
Can Gio Mangrove Forest
A vast mangrove wetland on the coast about 40 kilometres southeast of central Saigon, listed by UNESCO as a biosphere reserve. Its tidal channels shelter rare wildlife, among them troops of macaques and saltwater crocodiles.
-
Cholon
The Chinese quarter of Saigon, a separate city until the two grew together in the mid 20th century and often called the largest Chinatown in the world by area. Its streets are packed with assembly halls, temples, herb shops and wholesale markets.
-
Christ of Vung Tau
A giant statue of Christ with arms spread wide, standing on Mount Nho above the sea at Vung Tau. Begun by the Vietnamese Catholic Church in 1974 and finished in 1994, it is climbed by a long stairway from the shore.
-
Con Dao Prison
A prison complex built by the French in 1861 on the largest island of the Con Dao archipelago, later used by successive governments. It closed after 1975 and is now a national historical relic whose cells and courtyards are open to visitors.
-
Con Son Island
The largest island of the Con Dao archipelago, far off the southern coast, with forested hills dropping to quiet bays. Much of the island and its surrounding sea lie inside a national park.
-
Dam Sen Park
An amusement park of 50 hectares in the west of Saigon, most of it lakes, trees and gardens. Rides and shows sit among the greenery, and it has long been a family day out for the city.
-
Dragon House Wharf
The original commercial port office of Saigon, finished in 1863 where the Ben Nghe Channel meets the Saigon River. Dragons sit on its roof ridge, and today it is a branch of the Ho Chi Minh Museum.
-
Ho Chi Minh City Hall
A cream and yellow French colonial building at the top of Nguyen Hue Boulevard, the seat of the city government. A statue of Ho Chi Minh stands in the square before it, and the facade is lit up at night.
-
Jade Emperor Pagoda
A smoky temple founded by the Cantonese merchant Liu Daoyuan, mixing Taoist, Buddhist and Confucian worship under one roof. Its dim halls are crowded with carved figures of gods and spirits, and turtles swim in the pond outside.
-
Mariamman Temple
A Hindu temple to the goddess Mariamman, built in the late 19th century by Nagarathar traders from Tamil Nadu. A colourful gopuram rises over the street near Ben Thanh Market, and many Vietnamese come to pray here too.
-
Museum of Ho Chi Minh City
A grand colonial mansion once known as Gia Long Palace, set in two hectares of gardens near the Independence Palace. It now tells the history of the city, and its white columned halls are a favourite backdrop for wedding photos.
-
Nguyen Hue Walking Street
One of the oldest thoroughfares in Saigon, now a wide pedestrian boulevard running from City Hall down to the river. In the evenings it fills with families, street performers and people out to watch the fountains.
-
Saigon Central Mosque
A white mosque with four slim minarets on Dong Du Street, built in 1934 and 1935 for the city's Indian Muslim community. It sits quietly among the hotels of the old centre.
-
Saigon Central Post Office
A colonial era post office on Paris Commune Square, right beside the cathedral and still in daily use. Inside, under a high arched roof, a large portrait of Ho Chi Minh hangs above the counters and old maps line the walls.
-
Saigon Opera House
The city's municipal theatre, built by the French in the same colonial style as the opera houses of Hanoi and Haiphong. It still stages performances, and its arched front faces the hotels of Dong Khoi Street.
-
Saigon Zoo and Botanical Gardens
Vietnam's oldest zoo and botanical garden, commissioned by Admiral de La Grandière in 1864 and opened in 1869. That makes it one of the oldest zoos in the world still running, with old shade trees over its paths.
-
Sri Thenday Yutthapani Temple
A Hindu temple on Ton That Thiep Street in central Saigon, dedicated to Murugan in his form as Thendayuthapani. It belongs to the small Tamil community whose traders came to the city in the 19th century.
-
Suoi Tien Theme Park
A theme park on the eastern edge of Saigon whose giant statues and grottoes retell Vietnamese history and legend, from Au Co and Lac Long Quan to the battle of the mountain and water gods. It also has a seawater pool and a dinosaur garden.
-
Tan Dinh Church
A Catholic parish church painted a bright candy pink, formally the Church of the Sacred Heart of Jesus. It takes its name from Tan Dinh, a village that once stood here before the city spread over it.
-
Thien Hau Temple
A Chinese temple on Nguyen Trai Street in Cholon dedicated to Mazu, goddess of the sea, and officially the assembly hall of the Cantonese community. Giant coils of incense hang smouldering from its ceilings.
-
Vinh Nghiem Pagoda
The first pagoda in Vietnam built in the traditional style but in concrete, spread over 6,000 square metres in District 3. Its seven storey tower rises 40 metres, and its Peace Bell was a gift from a monk of Entsuji Temple in Fukushima.
Collecting in Ho Chi Minh City
What are the best places to visit in Ho Chi Minh City?
LOQAH lists 29 places in Ho Chi Minh City. The best known include Ben Thanh Market, Bitexco Financial Tower, Cu Chi Tunnels, Independence Palace and Landmark 81. Each has a stamp of its own to collect when you are there.
How many LOQAH stamps are there in Ho Chi Minh City?
29, and more are added over time. Each place has LOQAH's carefully crafted stamp of its own.
How do I collect a stamp in Ho Chi Minh City?
Open LOQAH at the place and get its stamp. LOQAH checks where you are once, at that moment; at the place itself the stamp is confirmed on site, with a gold badge.
I have been to places in Ho Chi Minh City before. Can I add them?
Yes. In Earlier trips, choose Ho Chi Minh City and swipe through its stamps, or import your Google Timeline. Each one goes into your volume with the date, if you know it.
More in Vietnam
Collect your first stamp.
LOQAH is free on iPhone and Android, in India and 20 more countries, with more countries on the way. Stand at a place, collect its stamp, and keep every trip in a passport that grows.