In a nutshell

A journey through the most recent history of Ho Chi Minh and all of Vietnam and the discovery of the ancient Chinese quarter.

Main stops

Museum of Bellows
Reunification Palace
Panoramic city tour with photo stops in the main places of interest
Visit to the Chinatown district
Chinese Pagoda

The programme

You will leave the port and aboard a coach to visit the War Remnants Museum, once known as the Museum of Chinese and American War Crimes. It is now the most popular museum in Ho Chi Minh City with Western tourists and illustrates many of the atrocities documented during the Vietnam War.
Your next stop will be the Reunification Palace, formerly known as the Independence Palace, where on 30 April 1975 a North Vietnamese tank crashed through the front gate, symbolically liberating the country. It was rebuilt and completed in 1966 on the site of the Norodom Palace that was bombed in 1962.You will then enjoy a panoramic city tour with outside views of the neo-Romanesque Notre Dame Cathedral, the colonial-style Central Post Office and Opera House, where your driver will stop to allow you take photographs.
Your tour will continue with a panoramic drive in Chinatown, west of the business district. It was built from 1788 by the city's Chinese and Vietnamese inhabitants and was previously called Cho Lon (Big Market). Here you will visit the famous Thien Hau Pagoda, dating back to the eighteenth century and dedicated to Lady Thien Hau, the Chinese Goddess of the Sea. The pagoda houses beautiful ceramic figurines and a scale model of a boat, commemorating the arrival of the first Chinese from Canton.
Finally your coach will take you back to city center area (Ben Thanh Market or Bitexco Financial tower) where you can find your favorite lunch at many local restaurants around and shopping before returning to the ship. This is the most crowded and interesting area of Ho Chi Minh City, which caters to both the daily needs of the local people - with products such as fruit, sweets, tobacco, clothing, hats and household goods - and tourists, with souvenirs including handicrafts, wooden items and T-shirts.

Good to know

The itinerary may change.
It is recommended to wear comfortable shoes and sportswear.
It is recommended to carry insect repellent.
Visits to the Reunification Palace and the Museum of Bellows are not recommended for children and impressionable people.