Ben Thanh Market

Ben Thanh market has long been one of Saigon's most famous landmark. The market has been in existence since the French occupation. The original market was located on the shores of Ben Nghe river by old fort Gia Dinh. Its proximity to the fort and the river where merchants and soldiers would land was reason for its name (Ben meaning pier or port and Thanh meaning fort). In 1859, when the French invaded Saigon and overtook fort Gia Dinh, Ben Thanh Market was destroyed. It was rebuilt shortly thereafter and remained standing until it was moved to its present location in 1899.

Cholon

Cholon is Saigon's Chinatown. Though tens of thousands of Chinese citizens have fled the country before and after the Communist victory of 1975, Cholon still is the most densely populated part of the city. Many pagodas grace Cholon.

Hall of Reunification

Originally, there stood the palace of the French governor of Cochin China, built in 1868. Later the building was the official residence of the South Vietnamese president Ngo Dinh Diem. In February 1962 the palace was bombed in an attempt to assassinate Diem and as a result, most of the palace has been destroyed. A new one then replaced the original building, which is the present Hall of Reunification. Inside the new building, everything was left the way it was found on April 30, 1975, when North Vietnamese forces took Saigon.

The Municipal Theatre

The Municipal Theatre of Saigon is another well-preserved French colonial architecture in Vietnam. The Municipal Theatre today is the venue for a large number of cultural presentations.

Vinh Ngiem Temple

Located on Cong Ly boulevard (or Nam Ky Khoi Nghia), Vinh Nghiem Temple is South Vietnam's most majestic temple. Construction of the temple was completed in 1971 after the design was drawn by Mr. Nguyen Ba Lang and associates. The ground floor consists of the library, the auditorium, and offices. A large bell given to the temple by the Japanese Buddhists Sangha hangs beside the majestic temple.