Vietnam Adventures: Discover 10 Saigon Tourist Destinations With Strong Historical Impressions

The outstanding tourist destinations in Saigon have both historical value that stands the test of time and are also places of entertainment for everyone. Let’s join Anvui Travel to decode the appeal of this city through the following series of destinations. 

1. Notre Dame Cathedral – Symbol

• Address: No. 1 Cong Xa Paris, Saigon Ward (old District 1), Ho Chi Minh City 
• Opening hours: 8:30 – 10:30 and 14:30 – 15:30 (From Monday to Friday)
• Ticket price: Free

It can be said that Notre Dame Cathedral is one of the most prominent tourist destinations here, also known by another name, Notre Dame Cathedral of Saigon or Basilica of the Immaculate Conception. Inside the cathedral is designed into 1 main chamber, 2 side chambers and 2 rows of chapels. In front of the cathedral is a park with 4 intersecting roads forming a cross. A small note for Anvui Travel readers is that the cathedral is currently being renovated, expected to be completed by 2027.

In front of the Notre Dame Cathedral, there is a park with 4 intersecting roads forming a cross

2. Independence Palace

• Address: 135 Nam Ky Khoi Nghia, Ben Thanh Ward (old District 1), Ho Chi Minh City 
• Reference opening hours: 7:30 am – 11:00 am and 1:00 pm – 4:00 pm all days of the week. 
• Reference ticket price: 40,000 VND/adult. Students pay 20,000 VND/ticket. Students (from 6 to under 16 years old): 10,000 VND/ticket

The symbol of Saigon tourism – Independence Palace (or Reunification Palace) is where the Governor General of Indochina and President Ngo Dinh Diem worked before the historic event of April 30, 1975. This impressive architectural work left a strong mark in the 1960s. 

Independence Palace is a symbol of peace and national unity

3. The City Post Office 

• Address: 125 Cong Xa Paris, Saigon Ward (old District 1), Ho Chi Minh City
• Opening hours: 7:00 am – 7:00 pm every day of the week
• Ticket price: Free

The City Post Office or Saigon Central Post Office is located right next to Notre Dame Cathedral. This is an attractive tourist destination that takes us to admire the unique cultural exchange between East and West in every line.

The city post office ranked 2nd in the 11 most beautiful post offices in the world according to the American architectural magazine Architectural Digest

4. The City Theatre

• Address: 7 Lam Son Square, Saigon Ward (old District 1), Ho Chi Minh City
• Opening hours: 9am – 4:30pm (Monday to Friday) and 9am – 12pm (Saturday and Sunday)
• Ticket price: 80,000 VND – 650,000 VND/ticket to watch regular programs

The City Theatre was personally designed by architect Eugène Feret and inaugurated in 1900. The city’s formal entertainment space was influenced by the Petit Palais theater, which began construction in the same year in Paris. The most distinctive feature here that visitors should note is the Ardoise tile roofing, which is also the only building in the city to be roofed with this tile.

Ho Chi Minh City Opera House has a strong French architectural style

5. Unique architecture at the Ho Chi Minh City History Museum

• Address: 2 Nguyen Binh Khiem, Saigon Ward (old District 1), Ho Chi Minh City
• Opening hours: 8:00 a.m. – 11:30 a.m., 1:00 p.m. – 5:00 p.m.
• Ticket price: 30,000 VND/turn

The Ho Chi Minh City History Museum is a unique museum loved by tourists in Saigon because it was designed symmetrically according to the drawings of architect Auguste Delaval. The wide corridor system helps to capture natural light from the yard, using skylights to avoid hot and humid conditions. Currently, the museum displays about 36,000 artifacts reflecting Vietnamese history through many periods.

Ho Chi Minh City Museum of History is a place that stores many artifacts from primitive times to the present

6. Ho Chi Minh City Museum of Fine Art

• Address: 97A Pho Duc Chinh, Ben Thanh Ward (old District 1), Ho Chi Minh City
• Opening hours: 8am – 5pm every day of the week
• Ticket price: 30,000 VND/adult. Students: 15,000 VND. Children under 6 years old and people over 60 years old: Free.

A Saigon tourist destination with deep artistic and historical values, formerly the house of Mr. Hua Bon Hoa’s family, one of the four great tycoons of Saigon in the late 19th century. The Ho Chi Minh City Museum of Fine Arts has ancient French architecture of the late 19th – early 20th century, bringing harmony between East and West thanks to the tiled roof, ceramic columns and folk patterns of the floor tiles…

The Museum of Fine Arts is also a favorite photography destination for young people

7. Ben Thanh Market

• Address: Ben Thanh Ward (old District 1), Ho Chi Minh City
• Opening hours: 7:00 am – 7:00 pm
• Ticket price: Free

Ben Thanh Market was established in the mid-19th century. Through the ups and downs of history, this market has long been a symbol of the vibrant shopping culture of Saigon in particular and Vietnam in general. Along with the economic and tourism development of Ho Chi Minh City, this market is also increasingly famous and especially attracts a large number of foreign tourists to visit. 

Ben Thanh Market – Symbol of Saigon culture

8. Ben Nha Rong

• Address: No. 01 Nguyen Tat Thanh, Xom Chieu Ward (old District 4), Ho Chi Minh City
• Opening hours: 7:30 – 11:30 and 13:30 – 17:30 (not open on Monday)
• Reference ticket price: 20,000 VND/person (free for students), 2,000 VND for parking

Ben Nha Rong is a famous historical site in the center of Ho Chi Minh City. This is a tourist attraction associated with the story of President Ho Chi Minh’s search for a way to save the country. After the end of the Southern War, Ben Nha Rong was repaired and renovated. Currently, Ben Nha Rong has four main areas: Ho Chi Minh Museum, Uncle Ho’s statue, the harbor campus and the fountain. Tourists often call the museum building Nha Rong and the port right next to it Ben Nha Rong. 

Ben Nha Rong is a famous historical site in Ho Chi Minh City

9. Cu Chi Tunnels

• Address: Provincial Road 15, Phu Hiep Hamlet, An Nhon Tay Commune (former Cu Chi District), Ho Chi Minh City
• Opening hours: 7:00 a.m. – 5:00 p.m.
• Reference ticket price: 20,000 VND/Vietnamese, 110,000 VND/foreigner

The Cu Chi Tunnels relic site is quite far from the city center but is very popular with foreign tourists. Previously, the tunnels were a defense system and a resistance base for the army and people of the South. 

The shelter under the tunnel, which is still preserved intact to this day

10. Gia Long Palace 

• Address: 65 Ly Tu Trong Street, Saigon Ward (old District 1), Ho Chi Minh City
• Opening hours: 08:00 – 17:00
• Reference entrance fee: 30,000 VND/visit (each visit lasts 2 hours)

When mentioning historical residences in Ho Chi Minh City, many people will only know about the Independence Palace, but have never heard of Gia Long Palace. In fact, Gia Long Palace has now become the Ho Chi Minh City Museum, which preserves many important artifacts reflecting a turbulent period in Saigon’s history. Gia Long Palace is located just one street away from the Independence Palace, in the heart of bustling District 1. Therefore, for those who travel to Saigon, they definitely cannot miss these two places to visit. Although it has become the Ho Chi Minh City Museum, Gia Long Palace is still mentioned with many historical stories and interesting anecdotes.

Gia Long Palace has now become Ho Chi Minh City Museum.

Anvui hopes that the knowledge shared above will be useful to you. Don’t forget to visit Anvui Travel’s YouTube channel to see wonderful travel moments. Customers are looking for a professional, affordable tour operator. Don’t hesitate to contact Anvui De Voyage via info@anvuitravel.com or (Hotline): +84 912 683 908!

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