Ho Chi Minh City, in southern Vietnam on the banks of the Saigon River, is a very busy, noisy, and crowded metropolis, the country’s largest city, and one where you will find plenty of Travel Clearance budget hotels. This is the commercial centre of Vietnam and much of your time might be spent hanging out in a thriving marketplace or a small, sidewalk café. Named after Ho Chi Minh, who was the country's famed nationalist leader, Ho Chi Minh City attractions are many. While Vietnam’s history can be discovered at the Vietnam History Museum and the War Remnants Museum, which used to be called the Museum of Chinese and American War Crimes, there are many other great museums all around the city.
Attractions worth a visit include the Reunification Palace quite a famous landmark. This was formerly South Vietnam's presidential palace, until the war ended on April 30, 1975 when tank 843 crashed through the gate. A replica of that tank is now parked on the lawn outside. There’s also an impressively kitschy recreation room, featuring a circular sofa and eerie basement, full of vintage 1960s phones, radios, and office equipment, supposedly left exactly as it was found when the North took over.
Besides the Reunification Palace the city's core is still adorned with wide elegant boulevards and historic French colonial buildings. The most prominent structures in the city centre are City Hall, the Municipal Theatre, also known as the Opera House, City Post Office, State Bank Office, City People's Court and Notre-Dame Cathedral, built between the years of 1877 and 1883. Some of the historic hotels are the Hotel Majestic, dating from the French colonial era, and the Rex and Caravelle hotels, some former hangouts for American officers and war correspondents in the 1960s and 1970s.
For entertainment, besides the Municipal Theatre, there are ample places to explore such as: the Bến Thành and Hòa Bình Theaters and the Lan Anh Music Stage. The Đầm Sen Tourist and Cultural Park and the Can Gio Eco beach resort are three recreational sites inside the city which are popular with tourists. The city boasts a multitude of restaurants too, serving typical Vietnamese dishes such as phoe or rice vermicelli. Backpacking travelers most often frequent the "Western Quarter" in District 1. And for shopping you shouldn’t miss the Ben Tanh Market, at the southwest end of Le Lai: a den of thieves, but some great shopping. The largest old-style market in the central district, with several hundred small stalls stuffed with goods on almost impassably narrow aisles. When shopping at the Ben Thanh Market, you can sample local cuisine at the various food stalls that surround it. More souvenirs can be found on Le Lai Street, which is found near the central market, and you can also find booksellers, camera stores, and other interesting shops.
Ho Chi Minh city will be sure to give you an exhilarating holiday experience.