ATTRACTIONS

Saigon has much to see (including my Top 7 of must-see-and-do’s and my sidewalk-pounding one-day itinerary) – much of it, with a little creativity and willingness to sweat and navigate across a wide boulevard or two, can be done by foot with a little preplanning. Sights are bundled into compact areas here, then ordered in terms of importance. Intros suggest how you could plan an itinerary.

CENTRAL SAIGON:
Around Dong Khoi St Explore old Saigon’s Rue Catinat
Around Le Duan Just north fo ‘downtown’ are Saigon’s top attractions
Around Ben Thanh Market Saigon’s famous market
North of the Center Lesser-seen sights, north of Dien Bien Phu St

ELSEWHERE IN SAIGON:
Cholon ‘Chinatown’ in District Five
District 11 Way off-the-beaten track

ALSO SEE:
Cu Chi Tunnels
Saigon City Tours
Best Spas
Swimming Pools

HIGHLIGHTS

MUST-SEES
• Reunification Palace It’s Saigon 1966!
• War Remnants Museum Heart-breaking case against war
• Old Post Office Ho looks over time-warp colonial post office
• Ben Thanh Market Saigon’s busiest market
• Jade Emperor Pagoda Most atmospheric pagoda, north of center
• Binh Tay Maket, Cholon Chinatown’s busy market hub
• Cu Chi Tunnels Day trip to Viet Cong tunnels built during war

BREAKING THE TRAVEL RUTS
• Dam Sen Park, District 11 Vietnam ‘Disneyland’ with cheesy rides and no foreign tourists
• Phu To Race Course Still-going legacy from French-colonial days
• Women’s Museum of South Vietnam Unlikely nod to women’s role in culture, revolution