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The view to Notre-Dame Cathedral Basilica from April 30 Park.
The view to Notre-Dame Cathedral Basilica from April 30 Park.

Truly amazing places in Saigon tourists must visit

Sat, Apr 23rd 2016 06:00 pm

The bustling nightlife of Ben Thanh Market, the unique architecture of Presidential Palace and the pure air of April 30 Park are some of the fascinating things tourists must check out when coming to Saigon

By Trung Mai

Special to NFP

Saigon, currently named and still also referred to as Ho Chi Minh City, is the largest city of Vietnam in terms of population size and level of urbanization, as well as the economic leader and one of the important cultural and education centers.

Each place or sight of this city carries a distinctive character in an impressive and mesmerizing way. Here are a few places that always attract foreign tourists.

Bui Vien Street

Located at the heart of District 1, Bui Vien Street is one of the first destinations of foreign tourists when they visit this city. Perhaps the noise and animation, as well as several languages and skin colors, are the specific characteristic of this street. The path is not too long, but has hundreds of hotels, restaurants, bars and coffee shops. Everything in this street even brings in diversity and uniqueness for the street.

 

The exuberance of Bui Vien Street, with so many shops and inns and visitors in the night.

The cuisine of Bui Vien Street is also very interesting and appetizing, with so many dishes such as chicken wings, fresh beer and barbecue seafood. The tourists can sit outside to enjoy food and drinks, and watch many absorbing activities and shows.

Recently, this path has been considered a walking street. If so, it will be amazing for any tourist coming there.

For more information, click here.

April 30 Park

Saigon is popular for its hurried lifestyle, but behind that scenes are still some peaceful and separated corners. April 30 Park appears as a calm place where tourists can take a seat, then watch the bustling crowd passing by and gaze at the front Notre-Dame Cathedral Basilica.

 

Some cheerful and interesting activities and conversations occur each afternoon at April 30 Park.

One of the attractive things for any tourist is café bệt, which means "coffee on the pavement." Having found a suitable seat on the pavement of the park, visitors can order a cup of Saigon coffee to enjoy and talk boisterously together.

For more information, click here.

Ben Thanh Market

Ben Thanh Market has been a symbol associated with the city for a very long time. It is not only a business place, but also an interesting area for any guest. In addition to the main space during the day, the night market is located within two sides of the inside of the market. The booths are displayed in the afternoon, but gradually become crowded at 8 p.m. and last until late night.

 

The brilliant and beautiful Ben Thanh Market, with the blue lights in the night.

"I've just come to Vietnam for two days, but I feel very enthusiastic and have so much fun with the nightlife of Ben Thanh Market. It is so sparkling and joyful," said Jjessie, a tourist from Switzerland.

For more information, click here.

The Presidential Palace

Located at Saigon's center, the Presidential Palace, also known as Reunification Palace or Reunification Hall, is a typical architectural structure of Saigon. It is ranked as a special national historical relic.

Perhaps history and architecture are the two main factors that make this place an appealing sight for foreign tourists. Built from 1868-71, the structure of this place was designed by a French architect. However, in 1962, its structure was rebuilt through the blueprint of a Vietnamese architect named Thu Ngo. This way probably gave the Palace an appearance of a massive French architectural structure, but still had many original sketchy lines of Eastern architecture.

 

The fresh and green view of the outside of the Presidential Palace.

Being covered by lots of green trees and grass with a clean and cool atmosphere, even though lying at the city center, the Presidential Palace still brings in the comfortable and pleasant feeling for any visitor stepping in.

"Sightseeing there just feels like going into a journey of finding the source of the city through the vicissitudes of historical years," said Jjessie's friends.

For more information, click here.

Fine Arts Museum

The museum was founded in 1987. In the past, the museum was a Chinese bourgeoisie's residence. Designed in the popular Baroque style, it was one of the first houses having unique architecture in Saigon. Through nearly a century, the work still retains the characteristics of the architecture. It collects, preserves and displays some of the art objects of Saigon and the surrounding areas.

 

The ancient and unique architectural structure of Fine Arts Museum, home to many artifacts.

Tourists can visit here to gaze at some collections of ancient artifacts, such as southern stone arts, old Saigon pottery, Bien Hoa art pottery and Champa art. With over 21,000 various artifacts and precious collections of paintings, the Fine Arts Museum is a major art center of Vietnam. It becomes very outstanding and profound in the visitors' eyes.

For more information, click here.

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