Independence Palace, War Remnants Museum and Cholon

Beyond the colonial boulevards around Dong Khoi, three essential chapters of Ho Chi Minh City's story unfold across central Saigon and District 5: the preserved 1960s halls of the Independence Palace, the deeply moving galleries of the War Remnants Museum, and the centuries-old Cantonese and Teochew streets of Cholon.

The Independence Palace (Reunification Palace) and War Remnants Museum

Set inside a park of giant tropical trees at the western end of Le Duan Boulevard, the Independence Palace (Dinh Doc Lap) is a masterpiece of Vietnamese mid-century modernist architecture, designed by Paris-trained architect Ngo Viet Thu and completed in 1966 on the site of the former French Norodom Palace. It served as the home and workplace of the President of South Vietnam until 30 April 1975, when North Vietnamese tanks rolled through its front wrought-iron gates to end the Vietnam War. Inside, time has stood still: walk through the velvet-draped Cabinet Room and Banquet Hall, step out onto the rooftop beside the Bell UH-1 helicopter pad, and descend into the reinforced concrete basement command bunker lined with vintage radio transmitters and tactical wall maps.

Ten minutes' walk north-west in District 3 stands the War Remnants Museum, one of the most visited museums in Vietnam. The outer courtyard displays US military hardware including a CH-47 Chinook helicopter, F-5A fighter jet and M48 Patton tank, while the three-storey main building presents stark, unforgettable exhibitions on the human and environmental cost of the conflict, including the Requiem collection of photographs taken by international war correspondents on both sides.

Ben Thanh Market, Jade Emperor Pagoda and Cholon (District 5 Chinatown)

South of the Independence Palace stands the 1914 clock tower of Ben Thanh Market, ideal for browsing coffee beans, lacquerware and lunchtime noodle stalls, while northern District 1 holds the smoke-filled 1909 Jade Emperor Pagoda (Chua Ngoc Hoang). For a half-day immersion in traditional market life, take a short Grab ride west to Cholon ("Big Market") in District 5, founded in the late 18th century by Hoa Chinese merchants. Start in the arcaded central courtyard of 1928 Binh Tay Market, walk along Hai Thuong Lan Ong Street past traditional herbalists, and step inside 1760 Thien Hau Temple (Chua Ba Thien Hau) on Nguyen Trai Street, where giant conical incense coils hang from the rafters beneath intricate ceramic roof dioramas imported from Guangdong.