Ho Chi Minh City Things to Do Tips by BorneoGrrl

Ben Thanh market has been a popular landmark, not only for those interested in history but also in shopping. Under one roof, the market has hundreds of stalls that sell all sorts of day to day items from fashion wear, lacquer ware, bedspreads, fake designer goods, local handicrafts, local produce and foodstallswhere you can have a break from all that shopping

Whilst I'm no mad shopper, I did briefly enjoy following my lady friends on a shopping spree which involved the purchase of countless silk & beaded handbags, T-shirts, linens, fake designer branded wear & other pretty little trinkets. They shopped to the point they could no longer carry anymore shopping bags

Shopping that can make you mad, I kid you not. You can get some serious bargains on nice stuff in here but you have to bargain, bargain, bargain!! Start at half the asking price & negotiate and if they say they can't lower it down, you can leave for another stall but they will call you back. Normally the more you buy, the more willing they are to give you a "discount"

And if you do get the price you want (about half the asking price), the sellers will call you a "mafia". I got called "mafia" lots of time at Ben Thanh :)

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Address: Le Loi Boulvd
Directions: All taxis can get you there, just say "Ben Thanh market"

One of Ho Chi Minh city's top attractions, Ben Thanh market was built during the French occupation in the 19th century. "Ben" means port, and "Thanh" means fort but you wouldn't think of it as either with it's location in the city center. This is because the original Ben Thanh market was actually located near to the old fort Gia Dinh on the shores of Ben Nghe river.

When the French invaded Saigon in the 19th century, they took over the fort and destroyed the market. Therefore the Ben Thanh market you see today was actually rebuilt & moved to its present location not long after that.

The entrance of the market is the yellow clock tower facing the Cu Nhac circle

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Address: Le Loi Boulvd, Saigon
Directions: Go to the intersection of Le Loi, Ham Nghi and Tran Hung Dao Avenue

Having been colonized by the French, Saigon has many french buildings and one of the popular landmarks is of course Saigon's own Notre Dame Cathedral. It was built at the end of the 19th century and has two 40-metre high towers. In a small garden in front of the cathedral stands a statue of the Virgin Mary

If you have been to the Notre Dame in Paris, you will find that the interior of the one in Saigon is rather plain and has no stained glass windows. However, it is still a beautiful building and the surrounding area has quaint coffee shops for you to relax & watch the day go by

Admission is free and you can attend Sunday mass around 9.30am

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Address: Dong Khoi, District 1
Directions: City center, next to the Central Post Office

The Central Post Office or Buu Dien Truong Tam was built during the French occupation, which meant that the structure was also designed in the French architectural style. There has been no renovation or refurbishment since it was built but now there is a huge portrait of Ho Chi Minh which hangs in the interior of the building.

Admission is free which explains why there are many visitors (than customers perhaps) who come here

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Address: 2 Cong Xa Paris, District 1
Directions: Just beside the Notre Dame Cathedral

Another beautiful building built during the French occupation in the turn of the 20th century. As the name suggests, the Saigon Opera House held operas & concerts to entertain French colonists at the time. However, in the middle of the 20th century, the building was damaged by bombers during the war.

Soon, the use of the building shifted from entertainment to housing refugees and then the parliament. Finally, the Municipal Theater came to be after the reunification and extensive renovations in recent years. Today, it holds several operas, classical recitals, pop concerts and dance.

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Address: Lam Son Square, District 5, Ho Chi Minh City
Directions: Intersection of Le Loi and Dong Khoi Sts

This beautiful cream & yellow French colonial building may look familiar to you if you've ever watched any Vietnam-themed Hollywood movies but don't expect to see lovely genteel maidens cycling by in their crisp white ao dais. This is 21st century Ho Chi Minh city and the former Hôtel de Ville is now the People's Committee Hall. Sadly, this building is strictly No Entry and a statue of Uncle Ho sits in the front of the building

Originally built in the early 1900s, this is a popular place for photo shoots and is also beautiful at night.

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Address: Facing Nguyen Hue Blvd, District 1
Directions: At the end of Nguyen Hue Street

Ho Chi Minh city has many parks for you to go to. It's no wonder the Vietnamese are slim people, I see them at the parks every morning exercising before they go off to work. You wouldn't see an empty park but full of people doing some form of tai-chi, volleyball, badminton, aerobics or jogging

Forget the gym, just go out and join the locals for some healthy fun!

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Address: Any park in HCMC