HO CHI MINH CITY

Take a tour of Vietnamese history, from French Colonial architecture to modern monuments

- TOM OTLEY

1. THE HO CHI MINH CITY PEOPLE’S COMMITTEE

Wherever you are staying, the first moment you have spare time in Ho Chi Minh City you will want to head for Nguyen Hue, a tree-lined boulevard which owes its width to the fact that it was once the Kinh Lon Canal running from the Saigon river into the city. Covered and turned into Boulevard Charner, it was renamed Nguyen Hue Street in 1956 and has a wide pedestrianised centre with traffic running down each side. It reaches a stunning conclusion with the French Colonial architecture of the former Hôtel de Ville (1901-1908), now known as the Ho Chi Minh City People’s Committee building. You can’t go in, but you can mill around outside, take some photos, hang out with locals, and, at the weekend, wedding parties.

2. CENTRAL POST OFFICE