Independence Palace: Where the Vietnam War ended

The Independence Palace is the most prominent symbol of the Liberation of Saigon in the city now called Ho Chi Minh City.

The palace, now known as Reunification Palace, was where the Vietnam War ended on April 30, 1975.

Pieces of the past

On the palace grounds you’ll see two of the tanks that crashed through the gates of that place on that day, now a public holiday in Vietnam.

Once the residence and office of the most powerful man in the former South Vietnam, the Independence Palace is now both a museum and a conference hall.

The Independence Palace is no longer a presidential residence and office, but many places and things there serve as reminders of its former preeminent role as a national seat of power.

One of those places is the office of the president.

I’m thinking that, most likely, during the heyday of the palace, it wasn’t that easy to see that office. After all, it was the workplace of a president.

Now you can see it and many others for about a dollar.

Pigeons in Saigon are having fun

Saigon walking tour starts at the Ben Thanh Market

Ben Thanh Market

In a previous post I said that Saigon’s Ben Thanh Market is the best place to start a tour of the city.    

I forgot to mention that the market is the best place to start a walking tour of Saigon.    

The kind of walking tour described in this post focuses on the French colonial buildings in the city.    

French architecture in Vietnamese city    

Saigon City Hall, the park and the Ho Chi Minh statue

If you’re facing the Ben Thanh Market, turn right so that you’re walking east along the tree-lined Le Loi Street.    

At the point where that street meets Nguyen Hue Street, you will see the Saigon City Hall and a park, which has a statue of Vietnamese revolutionary leader Ho Chi Minh.    

Saigon City Hall at night

On your left is Rex Hotel, if you’re at the park and facing the Saigon City Hall.    

Rex Hotel

At the end of Le Loi Street is the Saigon Opera House or Municipal Theater.    

I find the color of its roof interesting:    

Saigon Opera House in April 2008 (left) and in November 2008 (right)

If you’re facing the Saigon Opera House, turn left onto Dong Khoi Street.  

Follow the street until you reach the Notre Dame Cathedral, which shows that religion is tolerated in Communist Vietnam.    

Once you’re in front of the church, it’s hard to miss the Saigon Central Post Office.    

Saigon Central Post Office

Notre Dame Cathedral (left) and Diamond Plaza (right)

You’ll also see the towering Diamond Plaza. Just cross Le Duan Street and you’ll get there.    

You can end the walking tour there and do some shopping or enjoy a bowl of the Vietnamese noodle soup Pho.    

Or you can visit other places in the capital city of the former South Vietnam.   

It all depends on your schedule and the weather.   

Vietnam War    

Independence Palace

If you’re facing Diamond Plaza, turn left so that you’re walking west along Le Duan Street.  

At the end of that street you’ll see the Independence Palace or Reunification Palace, where the Vietnam War ended on April 30, 1975.    

A trip to the palace can be combined with a visit to the nearby War Remnants Museum, formerly known as the Museum of American War Crimes.    

War Remnants Museum

For me, the Independence Palace and the War Remnants Museum are the two best places in Saigon where you can learn so much about the Vietnam War.    

More about the palace and the museum in a future post or two.

Saigon market is the best place to start a tour of the city

The Ben Thanh Market is the best place to begin a tour of Saigon, the capital of the former South Vietnam and currently the largest city in the unified Vietnam.

It’s walking distance from the Pham Ngu Lao area, the haven of backpackers in the city now called Ho Chi Minh.

The market is located in District 1, the city center, where you can find Saigon’s main attractions such as the Fine Arts Museum, Saigon City Hall, Rex Hotel, Saigon Opera House, Notre Dame Cathedral, Post Office and the Reunification Palace.

Ben Thanh is itself a major tourist attraction, and personally I consider it the number one must-see destination in Saigon.

So even if you decide to not go very far away from the market, you can still do a lot of things to have fun.

A suggested activity is to try to cross the street to reach the traffic circle where the Tran Nguyen Han statue is situated.

Major Saigon streets such as Tran Hung Dao and Le Loi meet at the Tran Nguyen Han Statue

I’m telling you, it’s not always easy to be a pedestrian in Saigon, especially in this place where several major thoroughfares converge.  

You can also eat authentic Vietnamese food offered in the market itself.

Food in the market is cheaper than in the restaurants nearby

There are also a few restaurants just outside the market. One such restaurant is Pho 2000, where former US President Bill Clinton is said to have eaten during his Saigon visit.  

From left to right: my mother, my mother's friend and my sister's mother-in-law

And since Ben Thanh is a market, one obvious activity is to do some shopping. The stores inside the market close down at about 6 or 7 PM, to give way to the night market outside.

Ben Thanh night market

Pagodas show the spiritual side of Saigon

Vietnam is a Communist country, but its constitution guarantees freedom of religion.

Saigon teems with millions of motorcycles

It is said that there are about three million motorcycles in Saigon, Vietnam.

I believe it. I really do. Just watch the video below and see for yourself (I used my cellphone camera to take the video):