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Ho Chi Minh City · Mysteries & legends

Spies, dragons and weeping statues

Saigon has always been a city of rumours: what people whispered on the Continental's terrace, what a photo seemed to show, what was believed about Turtle Lake. This sunset route separates record from legend as you walk up from Đồng Khởi Street to the incense-wrapped temples of Đa Kao and Tân Định.

  • 6 stops
  • 2.8 km
  • 1 h 50 min
  • Free
Start with GPS Read about this stop 1
Pinkish façade of the Jade Emperor Pagoda, with ceramic roof figures and a pond in front

The route

Stop by stop

  1. 1 Hotel ContinentalFor a century, Saigon's oldest hotel was the best place to find out everything, and for others to find out about you.
  2. 2 22 Gia Long Street (22 Lý Tự Trọng)The rooftop in the most famous photo of the fall of Saigon, which for decades was thought to have been taken at the US embassy.
  3. 3 The weeping Virgin (Notre-Dame Cathedral)A Carrara marble statue, a pedestal left empty for fourteen years and tears that drew thousands of people in 2005.
  4. 4 Turtle Lake (Hồ Con Rùa)A roundabout with a 1960s monument and a geomantic legend: a turtle to hold down a dragon's tail.
  5. 5 Jade Emperor Pagoda (Chùa Ngọc Hoàng)A Cantonese temple full of smoke, turtles and fertility goddesses which, according to a Vietnamese scholar, also hosted secret meetings.
  6. 6 Trần Hưng Đạo TempleThe temple of the general who defeated the Mongols, turned by popular devotion into a saint who can drive away evil spirits.

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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

Spies, dragons and weeping statues

Radio Catinat

The hotel where correspondents, politicians and at least one famous spy traded news.

The photo that wasn't

The 1975 helicopter was not on the US embassy: it was here, on the roof of an apartment block.

Geomancy and gods

The dragon sleeping beneath Hồ Con Rùa, the hall of the ten hells and the general who drives away demons.

Keep exploring

More routes in Ho Chi Minh City

Back to Ho Chi Minh City
HistoryFrom Saïgon to 1975: the century that changed the city 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