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Ho Chi Minh City · History

From Saïgon to 1975: the century that changed the city

In little more than a century, Saigon was the capital of French Cochinchina, the capital of South Vietnam and, from 1976, Ho Chi Minh City. This route follows that story with facts rather than slogans: the museum that displays the war, the palace where it ended in 1975, the cathedral and post office built by the French, the old city hall and the wharf from which a young Nguyễn Tất Thành sailed in 1911.

  • 6 stops
  • 3.3 km
  • 2 h 5 min
  • Free
Start with GPS Read about this stop 1
The long white façade of the Independence Palace, with a fountain and a wide lawn in front

The route

Stop by stop

  1. 1 War Remnants MuseumVietnam's most visited museum tells the war from the Vietnamese point of view, and its name has changed three times.
  2. 2 Independence Palace (Dinh Độc Lập)South Vietnam's presidential palace, where the war ended with two tanks at its gates around noon on 30 April 1975.
  3. 3 Notre-Dame Cathedral Basilica of SaigonA red-brick cathedral the French built in three years, now undergoing a restoration that has lasted almost a decade.
  4. 4 Saigon Central Post OfficeA colonial post office often credited to Eiffel, though its real architect was Alfred Foulhoux, and it still sells stamps.
  5. 5 Former City Hall (Hôtel de Ville)The Hôtel de Ville the French took eleven years to build is now the seat of the city's People's Committee.
  6. 6 Nhà Rồng Wharf (Dragon House)A French shipping company's headquarters with dragons on the roof, whose wharf the young man who became Hồ Chí Minh left in 1911.

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Start with GPS

Guide mode

Walk it with GPS.

Open guide mode on your phone: you’ll see your position and the distance to each stop, and we’ll let you know when you arrive. Then read or listen.

Start with GPS

  1. Turn on your location

  2. Walk to the spot

  3. Check the photo and listen

What you’ll discover

From Saïgon to 1975: the century that changed the city

The end of a war

The gates of the Independence Palace, broken through by tanks on 30 April 1975.

French Saigon

The red-brick cathedral, Alfred Foulhoux's post office and the Hôtel de Ville of 1909.

A thirty-year journey

Nhà Rồng Wharf, where the future Hồ Chí Minh left for France in 1911.

Keep exploring

More routes in Ho Chi Minh City

Back to Ho Chi Minh City
Mysteries & legendsSpies, dragons and weeping statues MixedSaigon highlights: from the market to the river

Itineraries

How many days do you have in Ho Chi Minh City?

We’ve planned it day by day for you: which routes to walk and in what order, what else to see and where to eat.

1

Ho Chi Minh City in 1 day

All three routes in one full day: the highlights, the history and the legends at dusk.

See the itinerary 2

Ho Chi Minh City in 2 days

A gentler pace: the three routes over two days, plus extra sights and where to eat.

See the itinerary 3

Ho Chi Minh City in 3 days

The city in depth: one route a day, extra museums and neighbourhoods, and a day for good food.

See the itinerary