Ho Chi Minh City Things to Do Tips by Anarae

I don't think there's anything you can't buy at these markets! I'm sure if you were in the market for a car one of the stall-owners would be able to find one! There is some rough arrangement of goods; one part of the market has stalls selling food, others have clothes, souvenirs, kitchenwares, and all sorts of odds and ends. It's a good place to come if you want a cheesy souvenir t-shirt, and you can test your bargaining skills while you're at it.

The markets are quite cramped in some parts. Just a narrow gap between stalls, with people yelling "you buy, you buy!" as you squeeze past. To be honest, it's not the sort of place I enjoy very much (I'm not into being cramped and hasseled!) but it's worth having a look.

I'd recommend moving beyond the cheap clothing and souvenir stalls and working your way into the food area. I found you didn't get hasseled as much here - tourists probably don't buy a lot of this stuff! You can see and smell all sorts of interesting things, from exotic fruits to lollies to dried fish hanging on clothes lines!

**Picture coming when I work out how to connect my camera to my computer...**

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Address: District 1
Directions: Facing onto the roundabout where Le Loi and Le Lai (amongst other major streets) intersect.

The Ho Chi Minh City Fine Arts Museum is a bit of a mixed bag. If you come hoping to see rooms of beautiful masterpieces you'll be sorely disappointed. This museum has a VERY small collection, and a fair bit of it is rather odd. There are some gems, however - it's interesting to see some of the violent and patriotic war-era paintings.

What makes this Gallery worth a visit, in my opinion, is not the artwork. It's worth it to see how much it differs from a gallery at home, and how much the arts can suffer during difficult times in history. It's housed in a beautiful old French Colonial building, which has unfortunately been allowed to deteriorate a lot inside. The paintings are hung in no particular order and the labelling is inconsistent and haphazard. Some rooms have no paintings at all.

While you are here, also check out the art shops underneath the main entrance. There is some really fantastic work by contemporary artists - much better than the art inside the gallery!

**Picture coming when I work out how to attach my camera to my computer...**

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Address: 97A Pho Duc Chinh St, District 1
Directions: Vietnamese name: Mỹ Thuặt

Walk one block down Pho Duc Chinh from the major roundabout, opposite the Benh Thanh Market

The Cu Chi Tunnels are a must-see for any war or history buff. You don't have to be one of these, however, to get have an amazing and sobering experience.

Out of the things we did and saw in Vietnam, the Cu Chi Tunnels are probably the best set up for tourists. You can easily spend several hours here.

The visit starts by watching a short film on history of the war. For Western tourists it's quite an eye-opener - we don't often hear the perspectives of 'the other side'. It's strong-worded propaganda and you'll either find it offensive or amusing, but it's an interesting insight either way.

Guided tours leave every ten or fifteen minutes, depending on demand. Our guide was a man called Trí and I would definitely recommend him. He is quite obviously the youngest guide (at least working on the day we were there) and has a very dry, wicked sense of humour:

*Brooke and Anarae are giggling and squriming through the tunnels*
Trí: Look out girls, a snake!
Brooke and Anarae: AAAAARGH!

American Tourist: Has anyone ever got stuck in the tunnels? How would you get them out?
Trí: Oh, we can't damage the tunnels. Had to destroy the tourist.
American Tourist: *Jaw drops*

Anyway :P ...

The tour shows you several facets of the tunnel system, including the original tunnel trapdoors (tiny!), the ingenious kitchen and a display of weapons making. You learn that the Vietnamese were truly ingenious and the War a terrible waste. You also get the opportunity to wriggle through a section of the tunnel (widened for tourists but still a tight squeeze!) and sample some tea and tapioca, a typical VC tunnel-dweller's meal.

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Directions: The Cu Chi Tunnels are a fair drive out of HCMC. I don't know if you can get there by public transport, but I would recommend going on a daytour like we did. It makes things a lot easier!

Once you emerge from the Tunnels (dirty, dusty and sweaty!) you are taken to a rifle range where you have the opportunity to fire a large selection of weapons for US$1 per round. Perhaps it's because I've fired military weapons before, or maybe I'm just an overzealous member of the moral brigade, but I found this attraction a little distasteful after all the horrors we had just learnt about.

As you head back towards the entrance there are several demonstrations with the opportunity to buy. My favourite was the thongs (flip flops) made out of old tyres. The VC would collect the rubber from old tyres to make rubber shoes, always ensuring the tread faced backwards to try and confuse enemy troops! You can buy a pair for a couple of dollars.

The Cu Chi Tunnels is an amazing experience. It's not easy to get to, but definitely worth the effort!

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When they called this place the War Remnants Museum, they weren't joking - it's full of relics and photographs from the Vietnam War (or the American War as it's called in Vietnam!) and it will open your eyes and churn your stomach.

As you enter the compound there is a photography exhibit to the right which is quite interesting. It shows partly how the War was documented by journalists and photographers, and partly how many horrible things went on. Photos of decapitated bodies and people begging for their lives don't really appeal to me, and I concentrated more on the captions than a lot of the actual pictures. The copies of newspaper clippings are interesting.

The centre builiding houses a number of 'remants', such as weapons and camp tools. There is also a section on Agent Orange which I didn't look at. It features pickled feotuses and photographs.

At the far end is a display of prison cells and 'tiger cages'. I couldn't quite work out whether these were real or replicas. You can walk through and see eerie wax models of prisoners sitting inside.

There is a lighter side, however, and for me the best part of the museum. Between the tiger cages and the middle collection was a display of children's artwork. I'm not sure if it's permanent or not. School children from across Vietnam were asked to draw pictures on the themes of war and peace. Some pictures are sad, others happy, but it gives you a sense of hope for the future and is really uplifiting after the grizzly museum displays.

The Museum is a confronting and depressing place. I think it is important to learn about the horrors of War, particularly this War, but a lot of it was too graphic for my liking; I can learn the value of something without having to see it with my own eyes. I would advise against bringing children here.

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Address: 28 Vo Van Tan Street, District 3

We didn't go inside the Palace so I really can't say whether the tours are worthwhile or not. If you're pressed for time, however, still make the effort to look at the outside - see it so you've seen it!

The Palace is a huge, ornate building set in massive grounds. We hung onto the fence outside and took it all in. Just inside the grounds to the right of the Palace (when you're standing on the fence lol) is the famous Tank 390 that stormed the gates in 1975.

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Address: Nam Ky Khoi Nghia, District 1

The Giac Lam Pagoda is the oldest Vietnamese-Buddhist temple in HCMC. Upon entering you will more than likely be met by a monk who will guide you around the temple in very broken English (and then fluently ask for a dollar at the end - but it's a worthy cause!). It was very hard to communicate with the monk but we all made an effort (unlike several other parties I noticed) and it was well worth it. The monk pointed out little details that we easily would have overlooked otherwise, and helped us find the best camera opportunities through pointing and making clicking noises!

We began by removing our shoes and looking at the various altars and buddha statues, many of which are carved from wood with beautiful intricate details. We were then led into an area where wealthy families can rent shrines for their ancestors. Ancestor worship is a very important part of Vietnamese religion and everyday life. The monks and families tend to the little shrines which house photos, red lights and fruit.

In the grounds surrounding the Pagoda are some beautiful old memorial stones. Again the detail is amazing and many are inset with painted china.

We gave the monk our donation and as we were leaving he called us back and led us around to a gate. I'm guessing visitors weren't allowed in this area, as he was alone on one side and us on the other, but next to the fence was an aviary housing several baby monkeys. The monk showed us the monkeys and we fed them some corn through the bars - they were so cute and cheeky! He also bought around a cat and kittens... I love how Buddhism embraces nature. Just goes to show what a generous tip and some genuine interest can do for you lol!

I would recommend this Temple for its status and the lovely detail. Try and talk to the monks, as they definitely make things more interesting in spite of the language barrier.

The temple is open daily from 8am-5pm.

**Picture coming when I work out how to connect my camera to my computer...**

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Address: 118 Lac Long Quan St, District 5
Directions: It's a fair way out from the centre, so I'd recommend taking a taxi