Hello Ho Chi Minh (Saigon)

Whether you want to learn about the war or see the French colonial landmarks, you can quickly fill your time in Ho Chi Minh. It's easy to access by bus from Phnom Penh for backpackers who are travelling by land. With most people travelling from North to South or South to North of Vietnam, here are a few things to do that will start or end you great experience in Vietnam.

Learn about the Vietnam War

The War Remnants Museum is based in District 3 of Ho Chi Minh and is hard to miss with the large military tanks parked outside. Inside, you can learn about how the Vietnamese war has shaped the country today. There are quite graphic images when you are walking around the exhibition from protests, grieving families and attacks against children. Without giving too much away, it's an interesting way to learn about the Vietnam War.

Find French colonial landmarks

Whilst Vietnam was part of the French Indochina, there were landmarks built that really represent the French influence on the city. You can see the Notre Dame Cathedral that mimics that of Paris, just to a smaller scale. Another amazing landmark is the grand Central Post Office. It's probably the nicest post office in South East Asia, just with more souvenir shops inside and a few empty phone boxes for you to get a great photo opportunity. 

Crawl through the Cu Chi Tunnels

You can do this through a tour where you guide will give you all of the information that you need. After driving for an hour outside of Ho Chi Minh, you will learn about the immense tunnel network and booby traps made by the Viet Cong during the Vietnam War. They were built to shelter families from the enemy and you can even have a go at going through the tunnels yourself. The shortest one is 20m. If you're feeling daring, you can also try your hand at shooting a gun at the shooting range on site too.

Mekong Delta Tour

The Mekong Delta is a fascinating place. As the Lonely Planet put it, "it's a water world that moves to the mighty rhythm of the Mekong". You can get a boat through the muddy waters and see the rice paddies, floating houses and the Vietnamese locals living a different life to those in the cities. In the tours, you may also find yourself learning about businesses in the area by sticking your hand into a bee hive at a Bee Farm to taste natural honey, holding a snake at a Cocoa Farm and learning how coconut candy is made at the factory itself.