Ho Chi Minh City

Ho Chi Minh City was officially renamed in 1976 following national reunification, honoring the revolutionary leader, but the older name, Saigon, never really left daily use. Locals still say it constantly, especially for District 1's central core, and both names appear interchangeably on shopfronts and in casual conversation, a small but telling sign of how the city holds its layered history without fully resolving it.

The War Remnants Museum presents the Vietnam War, called the American War locally, from the Vietnamese perspective, with exhibits covering the conflict's civilian toll, chemical weapons like Agent Orange, and captured military equipment displayed in the courtyard outside. It's a genuinely difficult visit for many, presented without much softening, and stands as one of the most direct places in the country to engage with that history.

About 40 to 70 kilometers outside the city, depending on which section is visited, the Cu Chi Tunnels preserve part of an extensive underground network used by Viet Cong forces during the war, complete with hidden trapdoor entrances, ventilation shafts, and, in some sections, underground kitchens and hospitals. Guided tours let visitors crawl through widened tunnel sections built specifically for tourists, since the originals were sized for a much smaller build than most modern visitors.

French colonial rule left a visible architectural mark that the city has largely kept and repurposed rather than erased, most notably the Notre-Dame Cathedral Basilica, built with imported French materials in the late 19th century, and the ornate Central Post Office, still a functioning post office today. Both sit within walking distance of each other in District 1.

The city's traffic, dominated by millions of motorbikes moving in a flow that looks chaotic but follows its own internal logic, is one of the more immediate sensory experiences of arriving in Ho Chi Minh City. Crossing the street takes a specific technique, walking at a steady, predictable pace and letting the bikes flow around rather than stopping and starting, and most visitors pick it up within a day or two.