14 Best Sights in Around Dong Khoi Street, Ho Chi Minh City

Be sure to go inside to check out the huge map of old Indochina in this classic French-colonial building, designed by French architect Alfred Foulhoux (and not Gustave Eiffel as some sources claim) and completed in 1891. In addition to the usual mail services, there are phones, fax machines, and a small gift shop.

This is one of the more potent symbols of the Vietnam War. On April 30, 1975, a North Vietnamese Army tank smashed through the main gate of what was then known as the Independence Palace, ending one of the bloodiest conflicts in living memory. The current boxy building replaced the elegant French colonial–style Norodom Palace, which was bombed by fighter jets in 1962 in an unsuccessful attempt to assassinate South Vietnam's President Ngo Dinh Diem. The jet, along with the tanks that ended the war, is on display on the grounds. Free guides are available inside the palace, which remains as it was on that fateful day in 1975, albeit slightly more worn. The time-capsule nature of the palace offers a fascinating insight into the high life of 1960s Saigon, when bigwigs would enjoy tea and movie screenings in plush rooms upstairs, while the war effort was directed from the spartan concrete warren in the basement. The gardens cover 44 acres of lush lawn and shady trees, and a large fountain in front of the palace redirects the bad luck that could flow into the palace from the broad boulevard of Le Duan Street, according to the principles of feng shui.

A symbol of contemporary Ho Chi Minh City, the 68-floor Bitexco Financial Tower is the city's second tallest building, and you can enjoy high-altitude views from the Saigon Skydeck on the 49th floor. This deck features interactive screens that provide information about a selection of streets and sights below.

Opened on Christmas Eve 1959, the Caravelle is one of the city's most iconic hotels, accommodating many foreign correspondents during the Vietnam War, with journalists chronicling the 1968 Tet Offensive from the hotel's rooftop bar. Extensive renovations in 2019 updated some of the rooms and event spaces while the 9th floor Saigon Saigon Bar still draws a crowd for its live music and city views.

Completed in 1890, the building has been the residence for the French governor of Cochin China, the Japanese governor during Vietnam's brief Japanese occupation, and the envoy of Bao Dai, the last emperor of Vietnam, and also served as the Supreme Court. Since 1975, it's been a museum (formerly known as the Museum of the Revolution) with a strong focus on the Vietnamese struggle against the French and Americans. Displays focus on famous marches, military battles, and anti-French and anti-American activists. Exhibits include photos of historical events, uprisings, student demonstrations, and the self-immolation of the monk Thich Quang Duc as a protest against the war. The building itself is as interesting as many of the exhibits inside: a neoclassic design, it has huge columns outside and 19th-century ballrooms with lofty ceilings inside. Beneath the building are concrete bunkers and tunnels connecting to the Reunification Palace. It was here that President Ngo Dinh Diem (1901–63) and his notorious brother Ngo Dinh Nhu hid before being caught and eventually executed in 1963. Outside on the grounds are Soviet tanks, an American helicopter, and antiaircraft guns.

Built by the French between 1901 and 1908 to be Saigon's Hôtel de Ville (City Hall), this elaborate yellow-and-white colonial building now houses the city's main governing body. The building is not open to the public, so you can't get a peek at its ornate interior, but it remains one of the most photogenic buildings in Ho Chi Minh City, especially at night when it's floodlit.

In French-colonial days, the Hotel Continental's open-air terrace—then known as Café de la Hien—was the town's most sought-after lunch spot; during the Vietnam War, journalists and diplomats met there to discuss the latest events. Now, the terrace has been enclosed and renamed La Dolce Vita Café. The hotel features in Graham Greene's The Quiet American and the author himself was a long-time resident in room 214 and a regular at Le Bourgeois Restaurant.

Built in the late 19th century, the Majestic was one of the first French-colonial hotels, and it still has the elegant style to show for it. Head to the rooftop bar for an excellent view of the Saigon River.

This colonial-style theater was built by the French in 1899 as Saigon's opera house. Later it housed the National Assembly of South Vietnam, the congress of the South Vietnamese government. After 1975, when South Vietnam ceased to be, it became a theater again.

During the daytime Nguyen Hue Walking Street, with its dearth of shade trees, is not very impressive, especially when it's not hosting an exhibition or event. But come evening, it's a charming microcosm of modern Saigon: wandering vendors, canoodling couples, and selfies galore. Ho Chi Minh City's first pedestrian street, which stretches from the People’s Committee Building to Bach Dang Wharf, was a canal in colonial times, and the streets to either side were called Rue Rigault de Genouilly and Rue Charner. Tip: be careful when crossing the road to get to the walking section as the locals still aren't used to the traffic lights.

Officially known as the Basilica of Our Lady of Immaculate Conception, this neo-Romanesque cathedral, built by the French in 1880, was once a prominent presence on the city skyline. Spanish, Portuguese, and French missionaries introduced Catholicism to Vietnam as early as the 16th century and today there are approximately 8 million Catholics in Vietnam, the seventh-largest Christian population in Asia. Sunday mass can be quite a sight, as hundreds of faithful converge on the church and stand in the surrounding square. Some services include short sections in English and French. However, extensive renovations started on the cathedral in 2017, closing it off to tourists until at least 2023.

You'll regularly catch glimpses of the Saigon River, which snakes its way through many districts of Ho Chi Minh City, while you're sightseeing. A Saigon Waterbus trip is a cheap and comfortable way to view the city from the river, and the "kissing bridge," aka Thu Thiem Bridge, has stunning views of the city at night. Sadly, the ancient shade trees that used to line part of the river along Ton Duc Thang Street were chopped down to make way for a new bridge.

Dedicated to the first president of the unified post-war Vietnam, Ton Duc Thang, this stark museum is of interest mainly to avid historians and political junkies, who will relish the insights it offers into government propaganda in the downstairs section, featuring letters from family members. The museum contains items from Uncle Ton's personal life, such as his spectacles and a rattan trunk, as well as gifts from foreign leaders and replicas of various huts he lived in while fighting the French in the 1940s and '50s.