41 Best Sights in Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam

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.

Many deities are represented at this pagoda, but the main attraction is Ong Bon himself, the guardian of happiness and virtue. Ong Bong is also responsible for wealth, so people bring fake paper money to burn in the pagoda's furnace in his honor, hoping the year ahead will bring financial rewards to their families. The centerpiece of the pagoda is an elaborately carved wood-and-gold altar and a finely crafted statue of Ong Bon. Look for the intricately painted murals of lions, tigers, and dragons.

Busy scenes in lacquer, ceramic, gold, and wood illustrate traditional Chinese stories at this pagoda, built in 1816 by a congregation of Fujian refugees from China. Many legendary and divine beings, some dressed in elaborately embroidered robes, are portrayed, as are some simple rural scenes representing the birthplaces of the original members of the congregation. This is still one of Cholon's most active pagodas.

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.

This long skinny park at the end of Ho Chi Minh City's backpacker district was built on the site of the city's former train station, which was demolished after the last war. The lush park, with its tall trees, is a pleasant spot to rest awhile after a long day of sightseeing. There's a small children's playground, a duck pond, and walking trails, which are full of locals exercising in the mornings and evenings. After dark, the park is where young couples sneak a bit of privacy, sitting on their motorbikes and cuddling. In the weeks leading up to Tet (Lunar New Year), the park is a blaze of color, with a temporary flower market selling potted flowers and shrubs, including bright yellow chrysanthemums, apricot blossoms, and miniature kumquat trees, as well as depictions of dragons and other animals made from fruit and flowers.

The park's proximity to the backpacker area makes it popular with scammers, who try to open a conversation by asking to practice their English or claiming to recognize you. The conversation usually moves on to offers of card games, visiting bars, or going to their home. Never accept any of these offers.

Believed to be the world's only Buddhist-themed amusement park, Suoi Tien (the name means Fairy Stream) is certainly one of the quirkiest. On the outskirts of Ho Chi Minh City, about 20 km (12 miles) from District 1 and behind a giant pair of tusks, it's a vast, sometimes downright odd, complex that contains an amazing diversity of attractions, from waterslides, crocodiles, and dolphins—thankfully, not all in the same place—to graphic depictions of hell, though there are not many signs in English to explain the more bizarre exhibits. There's also an ice palace, 4-D movie theater, fun fair rides for smaller kids, a go-kart circuit, and quad biking. Allocate a whole day to exploring the complex, and arrive early to get the land-based activities done before things heat up too much, then cool down in the water park, with its range of slides and pools to suit all ages. Food and drink kiosks can be found throughout the park.

The small zoo is depressing and best avoided.

Doing the water park and then exploring the theme park is going to be a huge day out, so it's probably better to choose one or the other for a day trip.

The Chinese Fujian congregation built this lavishly decorated pagoda dedicated to Me Sanh, the goddess of fertility, in the 19th century. Women—and some men—pray to the goddess to bring them children. Many other deities are represented here as well: Thien Hau, the goddess of the sea and protector of fisherfolk and sailors; Ong Bon, the guardian of happiness and virtue; and Quan Cong, the deified general, depicted with a long beard and his sacred red horse.

This authentic local wet market, full of stalls selling fresh flowers, fruit, vegetables, meat, and seafood, also has a strip of eating places fronting Nguyen Huu Cau Street. The narrow inside aisles are lined with stalls selling a range of haberdashery, clothing, and shoes, none of which would really appeal to Westerners unless they're seeking a quirky souvenir.

Sailors used to come to be blessed at this pagoda dedicated to Thien Hau, the goddess of the sea and protector of fisherfolk and mariners. On the main dais are three statues of the goddess, each flanked by two guardians. Note also the figure of Long Mau, guardian of mothers and babies. The turtles living on the grounds are considered sacred animals and are a symbol of longevity. The Cantonese congregation built this pagoda at the beginning of the 19th century.

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.

This is a grueling museum focused on the horrors of the Vietnam War, known as the American War in Vietnam, with indoor exhibitions featuring graphic photographs of dismembered bodies and dead children and infants. Outside the machines of war (fighter planes, tanks, howitzers, bombs) are displayed and there's a re-creation of the infamous tiger cages of Con Dao prison island. If you go, take Kleenex and a stoic demeanor. Expect to see the war from a different perspective than you might see in the United States.