Things to see in Ho Chi Minh City

Across from the Notre Dame Cathedral, the vast Post Office was built in the late 19th century in a European style. Designed by Gustave Eiffel, it is often likened to a railway station in appearance, but the elegant, high-ceilinged interior has hardly been touched since it was erected and is dominated by a huge portrait of Ho Chi Minh. Even its original phone booths still remain in place. Also of interest are two maps on the walls dating from 1892, one depicting Saigon and the surrounding areas. The building always seems busy but most people are visitors rather than customers. Fascinating collections of colourful stamps can be purchased here too.

There’s a certain beauty in the simplicity of The Reunification Palace - a building designed in the 1960s with the help of Soviet architects. Most people will remember the image of a North Vietnamese tank crashing through the gates on 30 April 1975, signifying the fall of Saigon. Rooms open to the public remain exactly as they were in 1975, showing where important meetings were held during the war, as well as some of the private quarters of the president and his family. Most fascinating are a series of underground tunnels housing a telecommunications centre as well as a video about the history of the palace.

Housed in the former building of the Government of Cochinchina, the Ho Chi Minh City Museum (formerly the Revolutionary Museum) contains artefacts such as weapons, uniforms, medals and old photos, from the period of Communist struggle against the French and the Americans. Unfortunately, the exhibits are only labelled in Vietnamese but some are self-explanatory. Outside the museum is a collection of military hardware including a tank and a helicopter. Built in a classical style in the late 1880s, the museum building itself is of interest as it was formerly the palace of the governor of Cochinchina and the Supreme Court.

Located just inside the entrance to the Botanical Gardens and Zoo, the Historical Museum houses a collection of artefacts covering the last 2,000 years of Vietnamese history, including items belonging to ancient cultures such as Dong Son, Oc Eo and Cham. Collections run right up until 1945 and include ceramics, weapons and Cham sculptures as well as a wing devoted to ethnic minorities. The museum was originally an archaeological research institution by the École Française d'Extrême Orient of 1910. It is worth hiring a guide with you around the museum as the labelling is poor and it can be a little difficult to understand the significance of the exhibits.