Last Updated: June 29, 2022
Saigon was renamed to the now formal name of Ho Chi Minh City at the end of the Vietnam War. In honour of the North Vietnamese leader who goes by the same name.
Although the history behind the name change is significant, you don’t need to be too worried about which one to use. It’s referred to as both names regularly in different circumstances. Locals often interchange the name and either will be acknowledged when you use them. So you won’t offend anyone, whichever you choose to use.
But whatever you call it, the city is a great place to visit as a family and should definitely be on any Vietnam Itinerary. With numerous sites and attractions to explore.
Even though it’s pretty huge, being the biggest city in Vietnam, a lot of the sites are pretty compact in the city centre. So we decided to do one of our self-guided walking tours of the city. And we squeezed in a surprising amount in one day.
The sites on offer are good for kids and adults alike. There’s quite a lot of shade in Saigon as well, with towering trees scattering the streets. So you should be able to do it relatively pleasantly, even in the heat.
One thing to note is that pedestrians are not always the only things on the pavements. Mopeds are absolutely everywhere!
We’ve been to quite few cities with some hairy traffic. But we’ve never seen anything quite like Saigon for the amount of mopeds on the pavements, which seems to get used as an additional road at times.
So it’s a good idea to keep your little ones relatively close. But you’ll soon get used to it and then thoroughly enjoy what this great city has to offer.
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Mariamman Hindu Temple
Although only a small portion of Saigon residents are Hindu, this temple is one of the stand out buildings you will come across when venturing round the city.
The outside is an extremely colourful structure with numerous statues decorating it’s exterior. And inside is also full of colour and beauty.
This particular Hindu temple is dedicated to Mariamman, the goddess of rain. You can enter for free when open, removing shoes and shoulder/knee covering is required. You can buy some joss sticks and jasmine at the door as an offering if you wish, but this is not a requirement.
Tao Dan Park
Tao Dan Park is a nice retreat from the chaotic hustle, bustle of the city and a great place for the kids to run wild (without a moped in sight!).
It’s very peaceful with people of all ages around the area with many practising martial arts, that can be quite interesting to watch.
It’s got a nice little playground that our kids enjoyed. There are an abundant of trees so a good way to get some more shade and maybe have some breakfast on the grass before heading off to the next stop.
War Remnants Museum
The War Remnants museum is a museum dedicated to the Vietnam War. And an important word of warning here that this place is not suitable for all children (or all adults for that matter).
The museum is particularly graphic and shocking and we found it difficult to look at and read some of the pieces at times. But it is there as an important part of history and a reminder of atrocities that can and have taken place in war. As a rare opportunity to see and understand the view directly from the Vietnamese, it was something we couldn’t ignore whilst here.
You will know your children and their maturity level best. So you can decide how much (if any) of the museum you want them to see.
The museum is split up into a few different floors and rooms and some are reasonably ok, while others are extremely disturbing. So it is a good idea to scout out each room first before you allow your kids in, as we did with our eldest. There were some rooms that our kids did not enter as they were just to graphic.
If you have very little ones, like we did, the majority of the museum may not be suitable. I mainly stayed on the first floor outside looking at the helicopters and planes with our youngest. And there is also a playroom you can head to inside the museum. This makes life a lot easier if you have a couple of adults, as one can stay in with the kid(s) while the other explores.
It costs around 40,000 VND (£1.20) per adult and half price for kids and under 6 are free. Tickets can be purchased on arrival at the desk. It’s normally open 7.30am-17.00, seven days a week, but usually closes for lunch between 12.00-13.30. Give yourself at least a couple of hours for this stop.
Notre Dame Cathedral & Central Post Office
So after the pretty melancholy experience of the museum it’s time to pick yourself and get back out into the city. With our next stop being the Notre Dame Cathedral of Saigon.
Constructed by French colonials in the 1800s, anyone who has seen the Parisian Notre Dame will recognise some similar features of this stunning building.
Outside is also the statue of the Virgin Mary, which shot to fame in 2005 when it was believed that a tear had rolled down the cheek from the right eye of Mary.
This attracted hoards of people to the city with traffic being gridlocked for hours and the area was somewhat shut down for a number of days.
There were no tears whilst we were there, but still a great site to admire and absorb whilst walking the city.
Just round the corner is also the Central Post Office. Another French colonial building designed by Alfred Foulhoux that you can admire as you walk past or even head in if you have some post to attend to.
Independence Palace
The Independence Palace or Reunification Palace is considered the place where the fall of Saigon and the end of the Vietnam War became official. When a North Vietnamese tank crashed through it’s gates in 1975, all but confirming the end of the South Vietnamese reign in the region.
It is still used today for summits and other occasions. But when these are not being held you can enter the building for around 40,00 VND (£1.20) and see the interior. Such as the presidential office and the command bunker. Tickets can be purcahsed n arrival at the window.
Ho Chi Minh City Opera House
The huge 800 seater Opera House is another French colonial architecture built in the 1800s by Eugène Ferret.
There are shows of various kinds with ballet and opera on offer. And also the traditional AO show, mainly aimed at tourists, where you can experience music, dance and acrobatics.
For tickets and information head to the Lune Productions website.
Nguyen Hue Walking Street
Nguyen Hue Walking Street is a long wide promenade. With even more French colonial buildings on either side.
It also has many shops and restaurants to stop at if you want a bite to eat.
Wonder down to the bottom and you will then hit the Saigon River. You can rest and watch the boats a while before heading to our final stop of the day.
Saigon Skydeck
The Saigon Skydeck is located in the Bitexco Financial Tower. A building designed around the Vietnams national flower, the Lotus Bud. One of the tallest in Ho Chi Minh city standing at 262m tall.
The Skydeck offers 360 degree views of the city, costing around 200,000 VND (£6) for adults and 130,000 VND (£4) for kids. So, after a long day seeing the sites, why not head up and have an overview of the city you’ve just experienced.