Dinh Doc Lap, Ho Chi Minh City

Dinh Doc Lap or Independence Palace was completed in 1966 after three years of construction. The plans were drawn by Mr. Ngo Viet Thu, winner of the architectural excellence prize in Rome. The palace was built on the original site of the French governor's headquarters in the 19th century.

President Diem commissioned Mr. Thu to design the new palace and supervised its construction. Unfortunately, the president was assassinated shortly after construction started. The Palace became the home of then President of South Vietnam Nguyen Van Thieu until the fall of Saigon in 1975. It is now called the Reunification Hall with all the original furnishings still kept intact.

Dam Sen Water-Park, Ho Chi Minh City

DAM SEN Water Park was opened on 19 November 1999 as a joint venture of PHU THO Tourism and Service

Company and Viet Asia Joint-Stock Commercial Bank.

Dam Sen Water Park, with modern aquatic equipments installed complying with European standard, harmoniously located in a fresh and verdant Oriental landscape garden of 3 hectares in width just right in the city’s heart. The park is built in a community of leisure center and shopping center such as Dam Sen Cultural Park, Dam Sen Bowling Center, Dam Sen Co-op Mart, and Dam Sen Sports Club.

Dam Sen Water Park with 25 aquatic equipments and a wave pool of 3000m2 in width appropriate for all ages from calm games such as Drifting River, Wave Pool, Massage Pool, Crazy River to thrilled games such as Kimikaze slide, waterfall crossing swing, etc… and a children paradise including water palace, elephant and hippopotamus families together with pretty and colorful slides for children. In the hope of bringing about a great deal of good new feeling for visitors, in the past few years, we have installed more new games such as a 20 m high Tornado, the Space Spiral Slide, and the Black Thunder with special sound effect.

When participating games here, you can put your mind at rest for the professional rescue team who always keeps watch by your side in order to give you specific instructions and offer helps just in time.

In addtion, all slides here are granted a certificate of technical safety for aquatic games No. 29/ TTAT–LCAT in 2000 by Ministry of Labor, War Invalids and Social Welfare.

Coming to Dam Sen Water Park, you will be served wholeheartedly and caringly by a group of hospitable and thoughtful staffs and a system of impeccable services scattering across the park provided with diversified menus and reasonable prices. Additionally, we have a restaurant in Dam Sen Water Park with the capacity amounts to 500 guests to 1000 guests and it is constructed in a romantic and airy setting which fits for all kinds of wedding party, merrymaking party, birthday party, and year-end get-together party, etc… with diversified menus, appetizing foods, reasonable prices and undertaken by many-year-experienced cooks.

Every year, many non-professional activities such as associating with Education and Training service to organize festival of group of songs “Young cicada” for pupils of the whole city, festival of colouring and drawing competition for children, etc… are celebrated here.

Children's Pool
A castle which is splendid with different colours, the giant mushroom-shaped fountains with families of elephants, hippopotamus, crocodiles, etc will greet kids. The game will make the kids more dynamic, creative and intelligent.

Giant Slide
With an original structure combined with various kind of sliding, Giant Slide will bring you really new sensations.

Wave Pool

In a mini sea corner with a gradual slope and trains of wave, you will bathe yourself in the clear blue water, be consoled by the wave and admire the beauty of nature inside the city.

Massage Pool
You're in broad daylight, not in a room with artificial light! All your tiredness will be swept away and you will experience marvellous feelings when you are steeping yourself in warm water, massaged gently by 70 fountains designed inside the lake and you can admire the natural scenery all around.

Space Spiral Slide
After pushing yourself into the water of 19m long and fall from the altitude of 10m, a completely darkness will cover you and what’s a surprise when meeting the first ray of light inside the slide’s hollow, you are a member in the flying saucer 9m in diameter. Revolve, revolve, enjoy the hovering feeling, and then, suddenly, you tumble into the lower transparent pool what brings you back to reality. Wow! What’s an unforgettable feeling, hurry up and have a good time together!

Crazy River

With the buoyance of the waterfalls from above, you will feel like floating on a small basket boat, dancing with the river and making falls down the water.

Kamikaze
Dubbed "Super-speed", this kind of slide will give you a picturesque flying down to the water surface, making a good splash from the height of 19 mettres. Let's conquer this challenging height!

Waterfall Crossing Swing
You must be a swimer! You will slide on a cord 10m high spanned across the pool and dive into the water 2.5m in depth. Remember to perform a spectacular somersault before touching the water! There will be big rounds of applause for your show.

Black Thunder

Exactly as its name, the dark inside of the hole combined with laser special effects will give you the extremeexcitement as your feelings change continuously and suddenly.

Lazy River

Lying on a buoy floating on the 400-mettre-long river winding along lines of green trees and caves, you will have wonderful relaxing moments with nature.

Multislide
This is a game highly suitable for group of friends or families. Four of you will compete to be first to complete the slide.

Twister
It is an interesting feeling when your body twisted with the steep spiral pipe. You are revolving in the stomach of a shark, aren’t you? It’s a strange, let’s discover and conquer it.

Tornado
With the technology imported from Spain, Tornado will be a good opportunity for you to measure your own courage while having a perfect winding along the 119-mettre length of slides of 20 mettres high and making a free fall to the water surface. Such an unforgettable sensation!

Nha Tho Duc Ba, Ho Chi Minh City

Proposed to be one of France's most ambitious project in Indochina at the time, Rev. Colombert laid the cornerstone for the cathedral on October 7, 1877. Three years later, in 1880, the cathedral was opened to the public. These two dates are inscribed on a marble placard in the cathedral.The bricks used to build the structure were shipped from Marseilles. Artisans from Lorin Company (Chartres, France) were commissioned to create the stained glass windows. The cost of construction was a whopping 2.5 million francs. In 1962, the Vatican gave the cathedral the title Basilique.

Saigon Zoological and Botanical Garden, Ho Chi Minh City

The Saigon Zoological and Botanical Garden in Ho Chi Minh City is the oldest cultural and historical park in Vietnam and has the country's largest collection of plants and animals.

It was established in 1865 on an area of 12ha close to the Rach Lang River in the north-east of city. The zoo opened with about 500 animals, birds and many species of plants that were seen in Vietnam for the first time such as cacao and coffee. In 1924, it was expanded to cover another 10ha and was officially named the Zoological and Botanical Garden five years later.

In 1990, the Saigon Zoological and Botanical Garden was recognized as an official member of the Southeast Asia Association of Zoological Gardens. The zoo has become the country's largest of its kind and is a popular tourist attraction and an outdoor school for young Vietnamese.

The Saigon Zoological and Botanical Garden now houses some 800 animals of more than 120 species. The garden also houses rare species such as black-legged gibbons, flame-colored wolves and red headed cranes.

Many precious trees have been planted throughout the zoo. Some are over 40m tall. It would take six people holding hands to circle the largest. The garden welcomes some 2 million visitors every year.

The Saigon Zoological and Botanical Garden has just celebrated its 140th founding anniversary.

Vinh Nghiem Temple, Ho Chi Minh City

Located on Cong Ly boulevard (or Nam Ky Khoi Nghia), Vinh nghiem is south Vietnam's most majestic temple. Construction of the temple was completed in 1971 after the design was drawn by Mr. Nguyen Ba Lang and associates. The ground floor consists of the library, the auditorium, and offices. The temple is located in a large parcel of land. On the left of the upper court yard stands a tower or the seven-level Avalokitesvara Stupa. Next to the tower hangs a large bell given to the temple by the Japanese Buddhists Sangha.

Den Ngoc Hoang, Ho Chi Minh City

Located in Dakao, first district, the temple was built by Cantonese Buddhists who settled in Saigon in the 19th century. The architectural style is heavily influenced by the Chinese of southern China.

4 guardians - Tu Dai Kim Cuong
The Taoist deity (Emperor of Jade) is enshrined here along with his 4 guardians (Tu Dai Kim Cuong). The major attractions to the shrine are the elaborate carvings of the various deities as well as its unique architectural style of the interior. This temple is also home to the Hall of Ten Hells where there are carvings of various scenes of the various levels of hell.

Ben Thanh Market

Ben Thanh Market, Vietnam Markets: Ben Thanh Market is situated at the intersection of Le Loi Avenue, Ham Nghi Avenue, Tran Hung Dao Avenue and Le Lai Street, 700m south-west of the Rex Hotel.

At first, the market was situated near the Ben Nghe River Dike. After being moved many times, it is now standing in the centre of the city where consumers can conveniently find all sorts of products.

According to Vuong Hong Sen, author of "the book Saigon of the Past", in 1912, the French filled a pond, the Boresse, into a solid foundation of 12,000m² and built a market on it. The market was close to a landing stage (Ben) of the old city (Thanh), hence its name of Ben Thanh. The opening ceremony for the market in March 1914 was a big festive event.

At present, the front of Ben Thanh Market faces Quach Thi Trang Square; its rear faces Le Thanh Ton Street; its right, Phan Chu Trinh Street and its left, Phan Boi Chau Street. At all of its four sides, there are bustling trading shops. Located at the centre of the city, Ben Thanh Market is always loaded with varieties of goods, such as consumer goods, cakes and candies, food and foodstuff, and particularly high-quality fruit and vegetables. Goods are displayed in a very attractive way that always catches the eyes of the buyers. They meet all requirements for the customers' daily life or for their families. The market has four gates that are very convenient for the market-goers. For all of its advantages, Ben Thanh Market is one of the most attractive tourist sites in the city for both domestic and foreign visitors.

Ben Thanh Market is a huge covered market in central HCMC. It is one of the best places to buy coffee, but do try the stalls inside before buying, as the outside stalls are more expensive. Also if you are buying a reasonable quantity you can usually get a couple of free coffee filters. Vietnamese coffee is really delicious, I'm surprised it is not more widely available in the West.

Apart from coffee, you can get almost anything in the market or the shops surrounding it. You will have to bargain, unless the prices are written on the goods, but that is all part of the experience. And afterwards you can have a bowl of delicious noodles.