Ho Chi Minh City Things to Do Tips by kelnsha

One attraction you should not miss in your trip is the Cu Chi tunnels. Located 70km northwest of the city, they are an amazing 250km underground labryinth that stretches from the outskirts of HCMC to the Cambodian border.

Built over 25 years starting in the 1940s, the tunnels allowed the Viet Minh and later, the Viet Cong, to control a huge rural area while avoiding their enemies.

The underground city had living areas, kitchens, storage rooms, weapons factories, field hospitals and command centres. The tunnels housed up to 10,000 people, who virtually lived below the surface for years.

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Phone: (84.8) 7948820
Address: Cu Chi District
Directions: 70km north-west from the center of Ho Chi Minh City
Website: www.cuchitunnel.org.vn
Other Contact: (84.8) 7946442

If you are in the mood for shopping, do not miss the Ben Thanh Market. Centrally located and popular with tourists, it sells everything from fake Nike shoes to silk ao dai.

This is one of the best places to pick up conical hats and ao dai. The market and surrounding streets make up one of the city's liveliest areas. Everything that's commonly eaten, worn or used by the Saigonese is available here: vegetables, meats, spices, sweets, tobacco, clothings, household items, hardwares, coffee powder and souvenir worthy items.

Known to French as Les Halles Centrales, it was built in 1914 from reinforced concrete; the central cupola is 28m in diameter. The main entrance, with its belfry and clock, has become a symbol of HCMC.

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Phone: Nil
Address: Le Loi and Tran Hung Dao, District 1, Ho Chi Minh
Directions: Roundabout of Le Loi and Tran Hung Dao, District 1, Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam. Ben Thanh Market is 700m southwest of the Rex Hotel.
Website: Nil
Other Contact: Nil

Opposite in the Ben Thanh Market's belfry, in the centre of the traffic roundabout, is an equestrian statue of Tran Nguyen Hai, the first person in Vietnam to use a carrier pigeons. At the base of it, on a pillar, is a small white bust of Quach Thi Trang, a buddhist woman killed during anti-government protests in 1963.

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Phone: Nil
Address: Le Loi and Tran Hung Dao, District 1, Ho Chi Minh
Directions: Roundabout of Le Loi and Tran Hung Dao, District 1, Ho Chi Minh
Website: Nil
Other Contact: Nil

Cholon's main market, a Chinese-style architectural masterpiece with a great clock tower in the centre.

Much of the business here is wholesale. If you are buying in bulk, this is the place to do your shopping. It is cheaper than Ben Thanh market and there are less tourist too. If not, you can always ask your friends if they are buying and split the cost after you buy in bulk.

I will be covering more under the shopping tips.

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Phone: Nil
Address: Hau Giang street, Cholon, HCMC, Vietnam
Directions: Along Hau Giang street of Chinatown, Cholon
Website: Nil
Other Contact: Nil