Ho Chi Minh

On the banks of the Saigon River in southern Vietnam lies Ho Chi Minh (formerly Saigon), the country's largest city and a major industrial and economic center of Southeast Asia. The city, which has been a point of reference in the recent national history of Vietnam, is emerging as a rising tourist destination through a special mix of history and cultural tradition, with obvious references and influences from the west and its colonial past. Ho Chi Minh City is moving at the modern pace of a typical Asian metropolis, proudly highlighting its rich past and its unique cultural identity.

In an urban environment of heat, constant hum and traffic chaos, huge skyscrapers, the city emerges from buildings of impressive architecture, extensive theme parks, shopping malls and busy squares, which dominate the junction of major boulevards. The acquaintance with the city and its special personality is achieved through routes in the historical center of the city.

Exemplary buildings of French colonialism stand proudly to remind everyone of the influences the city received from the French colonialists, with the Post Office building as a central point of reference. The Notre Dame de Saigon Cathedral, with its two imposing bell towers, is also impressive, while beautiful streets such as Nguyen Hue lead to architectural  buildings, such as the People's Committee Building (former Town Hall) at the Saigon Opera House of the Renaissance architecture and in the Palace of Reunion, a leading example of the city's historical memory. Wonderful large parks, true oases in the urban environment of Ho Chi Minh City, such as Le Van Tam Park, offer moments of relaxation and recreation, while temples, pagodas (Xa Loi and Jade emperor), as well as mosques, reveal the harmonious combination of religions and cults which characterizes the city. Bustling markets and open-air bazaars complete the multidimensional mosaic of the city, which manages to fill each of its visitors with a set of unique and unforgettable experiences.