ABOUT HO CHI MINH CITY

How to get here:
Air – Tan Son Nhat airport (international airport), 7km from the city.

A French priest laid the first brick in October 1877 and the last one in April 1880. Arrangements made with France required the construction to be managed by a French engineer by the name of Baurad. The total cost was 2.5 million francs. With the approval of the Vatican, the cathedral was named Notre Dame during ceremonies held in December 1959.

DRAGON HOUSE WHARF: Dragon House Wharf, a tribute to a piece of Ho chi Minh’s personal history, is located at the junction of the Ben Nghe Canal and the Saigon River. The museum mostly holds pictures and objects related to the former president.

It is from this area that the 21-year-old “Uncle Ho” set sail on a French ship in June 1911. The Dragon House Wharf, originally called Nha Rong, was a French shipping company, built in 1863.

CU CHI TUNNELS: Cu Chi was an “underground village” with its labyrinth of interlaced tunnels having a combined length of more than 200km. The main tunnel is 60cm-70cm wide and 80cm-90cm high. The structure has either a delta-shaped or vaulted ceiling. Above the tunnel is a layer of earth about 3m-4m thick, enough to sustain the weight of 50-tonne tanks or heavy artillery as well as the destruction of bombs up to 100kg. Although it is an underground communication network, the runnel is enlarged here and there into rooms large enough to hold large meetings, a medical station or art performances.

THONG NHAT CONFERENCE HALL: Thong Nhat Conference Hall is situated at 106 Nguyen Du street in Ho chi Minh City. Originally Norodom Palace and the Palace of Indochina’s Governor General, it was built in 1868. Until 1954, Ngo Dinh Diem, South Vietnam’s President, lived and worked in Norodom Palace.

It included a basement, three main floors, two mezzanines, one terrace and one upper floor. There are a total of hundreds of rooms in the palace, each decorated according to its function. It also features two exhibition rooms, a 33-room guest-house and numerous entertainment services such as tennis courts.

After reunification, Independence Palace became the headquarters of the city’s Military Administration Committee. The political consultation for national unification was held in this palace, which was renamed the Thong Nhat Conference Hall. Nowadays, the site has become a historic, cultural relic attracting domestic as well as international visitors.