Sai Gon Sights: Historical sites
Reunification
Palace, Enter at 135 Nam Ky Khoi Nghia Street, ☎ +84 8
9693272. Open daily 8:00AM-4:30PM (Last Admission 3:30 PM). Also
known as Independence Palace (this is the old name). This is a
restored 5 floor time warp to the 60s left largely untouched
from the day of reunification (construction started in 1962 and
finished in 1966). Formerly South Vietnam's presidential palace,
the war ended on April 30, 1975 when tank #843 crashed through
the gate. A replica of that tank is now parked on the lawn
outside. Be sure to check out the impressively kitschy
recreation room, featuring a circular sofa, and the eerie
basement, full of vintage 1960s phones, radios, and office
equipment, supposedly left exactly as it was found when the
North took over. There is also a photo gallery and a propaganda
film recounting how the South Vietnamese military and American
forces succumbed to Ho Chi Minh's revolutionary forces, upon
which point many South Vietnamese supporters fled as refugees,
military and police were punished and many sent to labor camps.
Tours are available and are free, but not necessary. There is a
nice outdoor café on the grounds outside the palace. Entry
40,000 dong.
War Remnants Museum (Formerly), 28 Vo Van Tan
Street, ☎ +84 89302112, +84 89306325, +84 89305587. Open daily
7:30AM-12PM, 1:30PM-5PM, last admission 4:30PM. The museum was
opened in a hurry, less than five months after the fall of the
South Vietnamese regime. It has moved to new premises with 3
stories of exhibits and various U.S. military hardware (tanks,
jets, helicopters, howitzers) on display outside the building.
This disturbing display of man's cruelty during the Vietnam
(American) War includes halls full of gruesome photographs, a
simulated "tiger cage" prison and jars of deformed foetuses
attributed to contamination by Agent Orange. An exhibit on the
3rd floor tells the story of the war journalists from all over
the world who documented, and often disappeared or died in the
war. Watch out for the amputees who will try and sell you their
wares. It's a short walk from Reunification Palace — see the
museum pamphlet for a map. Entry 40,000 dong.
City
Hall, end of Nguyen Hue Street. Originally called the Hôtel de Ville and now
formally re-branded the People's Committee Hall, it's a striking cream and
yellow French colonial building beautifully floodlit at night. No entry, but
the statue of Uncle Ho in front is a very popular place for photos.
Museum of Vietnamese History, at the intersection of Le Duan Street and
Nguyen Binh Khiem (just inside the zoo gates). The museum has a fine collection
of Vietnamese antiquities. Read up on Vietnamese history first or you'll have no
idea what you're looking at. Outside, the Botanical Gardens are very nice and a
good place for a cheap lunch away from the crowds. If you care about animal
welfare, avoid the zoo. There is a water puppet show in the museum compound
that's worth watching, every hour between 9am-12pm and 2-4pm. Entrance: 15 000
dong; 50 000 dong for the water puppet show.
Ho-Chi-Minh Museum, Duong Nguyen Tat Thanh, Dist. 4. Open daily 7:30AM-12
noon, 1:30PM-5PM, last admission 4:30PM, 30,000 dong entry. The museum (in a
French colonial era building) near the dock of
Saigon shows the life story of
the modern day father of Vietnam, Ho Chi Minh. There's also a Ho Chi Minh book
shop as well. Some may find the theme a little jingoistic but like most things
it depends upon your point of view.
