Ho Chi Minh City and Cu Chi

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Ho Chi Minh City is a big Asian metropolis with all its pros and cons. Known under his Asian name Prey Nokor it was colonized by the French in the 19th century and they gave it the name of Saigon a name that hangs in the air to this day. It is the largest (almost 10% of all Vietnamese live in and around the city) and Vietnam's most vibrant city though it is not the capital. The majority of the inhabitants are ethnically Vietnamese even though there are also enough Hoa (Chinese Vietnamese).

It appears that about a third of the total population is illegal (due to the return of former South Vietnam supporters and soldiers). Because of the terrible rapid and large growth of the past decades, HCMC, as it is called after the liberation of the Communist forces in 1975, has had major problems. As a result of a fast-growing city, Ho Chi Minh City suffers from an inefficient road network. Traffic is often stuck in the center of the city. In addition to normal traffic, the environment also has to “pay” big time fort his. Waste water is still being discharged by factories in canals and rivers, because they simply do not have the facilities to clean it. Finally, there is a lot of crime in the city and especially bagging from motorbikes. 

Although the city is not seen as a major tourist attraction, it has plenty to offer and all the more if you are interested in the war. The reunification palace (where the South Vietnamese government was seated) and the War Remnants museum are perhaps the most popular. But there are more interesting museums to see as well as some beautiful temples and the noodle soup shop where the headquarters of the VC was located.

Outside of Saigon you can visit, among other things, the very interesting tunnels of Cu Chi where the communist Vietcong stayed during the Vietnam War (and during the French War). They developed a guerrilla struggle that was unprecedented and, among other things, caused the turn of war.

• Reunification Palace, War Remnants and HCMC museum: see (museums below).

Ho Chi Minh City started off in the middle of a large swamp area like a small fishing town and river port in the Khmer empire under the name Prey Nokor, meaning "village in the forest". The place was probably founded between the 1st and the 6th century.

Around 1623 the Nguyenheren send an emissary to King Chey Chettha II, to collect taxes in Prey Nokor and Kas Krobei (the present Bến Nghé, a district in Ho Chi Minh City) and to control the trade on the roads to the current Cambodia. Trade became more and more important over the centuries and a fort was built by the Khmer people. There were tradesmen from many parts of Asia located in the city. In the middle of the 17th century, the area was flooded with settlers from the Chinese city of Kanton who had fled the new Qing dynasty. They had received permission from the lords of the Nguyen family to settle in this area, although the area was not part of the Vietnamese empire. By the end of the 17th century, they had taken over the power of the original owners. From 1698 a fort was built at Gia Định, as a control over the area. This can be considered as birth of the city. 

The French took the city on 18 February 1859 and made it part of their Cochin-China colony and the Union of Indochina. The city that until then was called Prey Nokor was renamed “Saigon”. The city was considered one of the most important cities for the French settlers. The city was nicknamed "Paris of the Orient" or "Pearl of the Orient". In 1950 the former emperor Bảo Đại founded a government in Saigon, in response to the domination by the communist Viet Minh in the north of the country. Bảo Đại made Saigon the capital of his government. After the French were defeated by the Viet Minh in the battle of Dien Bien Phu in 1954, the division of Vietnam on 21 July 1954 was formalized in the Geneva Accords.

Saigon became the capital of South Vietnam. At the end of the Vietnam War, the red liberation troops conquered the city on 30 April 1975. When South Vietnam and North Vietnam were reunited on 2 July 1976, the city was renamed to Thành phố Hồ Chí Minh, to Hồ Chí Minh, the first president of the Democratic Republic of Vietnam although most people still call it “Saigon”. 

In the north of the city about 7 km from the city center lies the International Airport Tân Sơn Nhất, the busiest airport in Vietnam. In 2020, a new International Airport Long Thành will be built at Long Thành in the province of Đồng Nai. Ho Chi Minh City is connected to Hanoi by rail.

The largest railway station, Station Sài Gòn, is located in Quận 3 and is the largest and busiest station in Vietnam. Traffic can best be described as an ant's nest of scooters between which taxis, cars and buses try to find their way. This makes public transport in the city very inefficient. To improve this somewhat, they started with the Metro of Ho Chi Minh City. This will consist of five lines. The first line is expected to be completed in 2013 or 2014.

HCMC (Tan Son Nhat) - HCMC (center): until 1800 in the evening you can take the local bus "152" in front of the arrival hall (blue-white). It will take about 30 minutes (if the traffic is OK) to arrive at the Pham Ngu Lao (District 1) - Ban Tinh busstation. Costs 10,000 (5,000 pp + 5,000 for your bag). The bus runs almost every half hour.

HCMC - Vinh Long: first you have to take the local bus "102" (departing from the Bin Tanh market) to the large bus station Mien Tay which takes about 1.5 hours bussing. Price is 6000 pp + 6000 for your bag. With the company "Phuong Tpang" you can take the direct "AC" bus to Vinh Long.

Cost: 115,000 Dong. Time: 2.5 hours with a 15 minute break. Departure time a.m. 10:30. You even get a bottle of water for free on the way and there is a kind of purser present that keeps track of your destination. There is a large "AC" waiting area at the station. You stop at the new bus station (about 3 km) from the center in VL.

HCMC (to Cholon): from District 1 (Bin Tahn station) you can take bus 1 which takes you to Cholon (district 5). Costs 5000 Dong. It takes about 20 minutes depending on where you need to be.

HCMC - Dalat: this time I bought a ticket at Futa, Phuong Trang bus company (Tham street in Pham Ngu Lao area), there are countless busses going in that direction but I have opted for a night bus because of the time span (7 to 8 hours) ).

Costs 240,000 in "sleeper" bus. 23:00 departure - 05:00 arrival. Tip; never take the beds in the back of the bus but always more forward (not in the middle) and not above. The "beds" are small, hard and you can hardly sit up straight.

• Name: War remnants (remains / legacy of the war museum)

Address: Bao Tang Chung Tich Chien Tranh

Price: 5.000 Dong

Time: 07:30 - 12:00 and from 13:30 - 17:00

Content:

This is the most popular museum (and perhaps landmark) of HCMC and especially Western tourists. The complex has a large "front yard" full of (American) weapons of war - so you can see a number of tanks, a Chinohook helicopter, the typical helicopter so familiar from the Vietnam War, artillery and aircraft. A piece of prison has also been reconstructed. The modern building (AC) consists of three floors; here you can see the horrors of "agent orange" - the photos with deformed people who are still being born.

There is also plenty of room for photographs of worldwide demonstrations against the war and the gratitude of organizations. On the first floor hundreds of beautiful photos that go together with a story about the Vietnam War. Of course, there are the "award winning" pictures that made world news like the "napalm" girl. There are also display cases full of uniforms, helmets and weapons. A chronological structure of how the war came about can be found on the top floor. How many bombs have fallen, the strategic goals, the number of victims, the withdrawal and who were fighting with it.

A very fascinating and interesting museum and a "must-see" in view of the impact the war still has on the country and

its population. To understand something of this, this museum is a good start. I suggest you start on the top floor especially if you do not have that much basic knowledge of the Vietnam War and how it started and by whom.

•  Name: Reunification palace 

Address: Dinh Thong Nhat

Price: 30,000 Dong (extra brochure 10,000 Dong)

Time: (07:30 - 11:00) - (13:00 - 16:00)

Content:

In 1868 the French built here a first palace for the French governor, ruler of the then IndoChina. In the 20th century it would become the residence for the South Vietnamese government with Diem as president. In 1962, after becoming very unpopular, the building was bombed by its own air force. The incumbent president survived but would not see the new palace (the Independence or Presidential) including bunker in the basement.

A year later he was killed by his own troops. The building has not been changed since 1975, when the "liberators" drove right through the gate in their tanks and forced the then president to resign. You get a unique picture of a Presidential 60s building including all furniture - it has a bunker in the basement with a command and communication center. In addition, three floors with ballrooms, ambassador rooms, a cinema, a helicopter room, a cabinet room and much more.

You need at least 2 hours to see the whole building at ease and to read all information panels next to the rooms. 

• Name: Ho Chi Minh City museum

Address: 65 D Ly Tu Trong

Price: 15,000 Dong

Time: 08:00 - 16:00

Content:

Housed in a beautiful neoclassical building from the 19th century, this museum has a beautiful garden with palm trees but also two planes, a car from the 1920s, a cannon and a tank. It has two floors and it is wonderfully cool inside by the open shutters and the fans attached to the ceiling.

The whole gives you a wonderful feeling as if you were walking at the beginning of the last century. Although the whole history of the city passes you, the top floor is almost entirely devoted to the rise of the Communist Party and the victory over the false government of the south. Photos, uniforms, letters, weapons but also a long wooden boat in which weapons for the VC were hidden in a double bottom.

Underneath the building are tunnels with kitchens and meeting rooms that were used, among other things, by former president "Diem" when he had to flee after a coup from the Presidential palace which is not so far from here. Unfortunately, the tunnels are under water and you can not visit them.

On the corner of D Bui Vien & D Do Quang Dau on the busy corner in Pham Ngu Lao neighborhood you will find the nice (food) café Santa café. Cheap beer and a perfect view of public life in the neighborhood including shops, sales people and a "go-go" bar. Two small white cats will accompany you.

One of the things you should definitely do in HCMC is sitting on the street between the local schoolboys and girls and eating a noodle soup or a plate of rice with content. Not as easy to take place at those small plastic tables and chairs but it is worth it - financially and in terms of taste. You get a glass of "tra da" - tea with ice lumps.

• Name: Rou hostel

Address: 37B, Co Bac

Price: 115,000 B (dong) dormitory

Phone nr. : 0862761613

Website: www.rou.vn

Content:

Located in a busy street in backpacker's district number 1 but not in the most crowded streets is this very popular fairly new hostel. Downstairs is a vegetarian restaurant and there is actually no reception. The staff is young and very friendly and still a bit searching for the right way of working and dealing with all those different tourists. Not everyone speaks English as well.

There are two dorm beds on the 2nd and 3rd floor - one is with 5 bunk beds, the other is with 3 beds and another room (en-suite) with 5 normal beds. The showers and toilets are okay. On the roof is a terrace with a reasonable view, there is a good working WiFi and there are some chairs in the hallway but there is no real public space to sit and / or work. There is a small office on the 3rd floor. Tours are also offered through an external

office. You get a discount coupon of 20% for the vegetarian restaurant. 

• Name: Khoi hostel

Address: 373/11 Pham Lao St. District 1

Price: 149,000 (dong) dormitory (incl. Breakfast)

Phone nr. : (84) 908 505 686

Email: khoihostel@gmail.com

Content:

Near the Thai Bin market in Pham Ngu Lao on the side of D Cong Quynh is an alley with a series of backpack hostels. Khoi has two buildings; the girls are over friendly and there is a small outside porch where you can put your shoes and your wet umbrella. There is also space for a number of scooters. There is a very clean, neat and professional lounge with wooden benches where breakfast is served and you can sit and have a quick internet session. There are two computers in front of a large wooden desk where someone is always behind to help you.

You can buy drinks from the refrigerator. There are several rooms on 3 floors where there are showers in the center of the staircase. Everything is super clean. The dorms are very spacious, have large safes, two windows, AC and a fan. My dormitory had 4 bunk beds that could have been a bit firmer. You can book your tour at the hotel and there is a strong WiFi available.

There are always two options in terms of breakfast; or something local or bread with jam with coffee or tea. Upon arrival you will receive a welcome drink and a banana. And every day your bed is made and you get a big fresh towel.

TOUR Cu Chi (2014, undertaken in 2002)

Time: 08:30 - 15:00

Price:: 125,000 VND

To Ben Din (50 km) and Den Dien Duoc memorial temple;

• Incl. transport (250 km in total), guide (English)
• Excl: 90,000 VND entrance, bullets (then 1 dollar each, now at least 10 bullets and a lot more expensive) - AK47 and M16 (M60 was not allowed), lunch etc.