AUTHENTIC SAIGON FULL DAY TOUR

Tour Code: SGC2

Price From: 45 USD

Duration : Full Day

Departure Date: Daily 8:00 AM

Depart: Ho Chi Minh City

Tour Type: Deluxe

Transportation: Car

Booking Tour Booking Request

Saigon as the city is still frequently referred to is Vietnam’s largest city. It is a fast-paced city full of contrasts as street vendors selling fruit and vegetables can be seen next to glitzy western-style bars and boutiques. Saigon’s history is only 300 years old. In 1859 the city was captured by the French and became the capital of Cochin china. From 1956 until its dramatic demise in April 1975 it was the capital of the US-backed Republic of Vietnam.

Today Ho Chi Minh City is very much the heart of Vietnamese business and entrepreneurs. And yet the city still retains its connections to the past, particularly in Cholon, Saigon’s Chinatown. Here dozens of elegant temples and pagodas can be seen. The French also left their mark with some fine colonial-era buildings such as the Notre Dame Cathedral and the Central Post Office.

HIGHLIGHTS:

War Remnants Museum
Reunification Palace
The Notre Dame Cathedral
Central Post Office
Giac Lam Pagoda
Cho Lon & China Town
Ben Thanh Market

AUTHENTIC SAIGON FULL DAY TOUR (-/L/-)

The morning, our bus and tour guide will pick you up at your hotel and we will start the Authentic Saigon Full Day Tour. We will visit the War Remnants Museum: Formerly known as the Museum of American War Crimes, this is a poignant display of the futility of war. Some of the black and white photography in the ‘Requiem’ exhibit is particularly touching, dedicated to both foreign and Vietnamese journalists and photographers who perished during the conflict. The courtyard outside contains the spoils of war, namely rusting jets, tanks and cannons captured from the American military machine.

The Reunification Palace

The Reunification Palace

After that visitors can visit The Reunification Palace: This is one of the most important buildings in the city. Here on April 30th 1975 the ‘American War’ officially ended when tank number 843 of the North Vietnamese Army crashed through the gates of what was, at the time, the residence of the President of the Republic of Vietnam.

And then you can sightseeing the Notre Dame Cathedral and Saigon Post Office: Built between 1877 and 1883 this is one of the best examples of classical French colonial architecture. Remarkably every stone used in its creation was shipped from France to Vietnam. Her two 40m towers, topped with iron spires dominate the city’s skyline. The Old Post Office is another example of French colonial architecture and is also the country’s largest post office.

the Notre Dame Cathedral and Saigon Post Office

Have lunch at a local restaurant.

Visit Cha Tam Church, built around the turn of the 19th century, this decaying light-caramel-painted church exudes a sleepy, tropical feel. A pew in the church is marked with a small plaque identifying the spot where President Ngo Dinh Diem was seized after taking refuge here with his brother Ngo Dinh Nhu on 2 November 1963, after fleeing the Presidential Palace. Visit the former US Embassy where the last helicopter flew out of Saigon in 1975.

Continue to visit Dong Khoi Street - formerly Rue Catinat – made famous by Graham Greene in his best-selling book “The Quiet American” and Ben Thanh Market - the central market with plenty of local products.