Ho Chi Minh City

The historic Saigon Central Post Office, which has long been one of the city's symbols, continues to offer postal services such as mailing and money exchange to-date. One interesting fact about the Post Office is that it was designed and constructed by the renowned French architect Alexandre Gustave Eiffel, who is best known for the eponymous Eiffel Tower. Eiffel derived artistic inspiration from Western neoclassical architecture and Asian decor styles before harmoniously fusing them during the construction of the Central Post Office.

Located just a 6-minute walk from the Notre Dame Basilica, the Independence Palace, also known as the Reunification Palace, is another not-to-be-missed destination in Vietnam’s second city. The Independence Palace was first designed by a French architect and originally given the name Norodom Palace; it once served as living and working quarters to French and Japanese colonist-generations.

In times of conflict between the Vietnamese government and the country's Buddhist population, Thich Quang Duc calmly sat down in lotus position in the midst of Buddhist protesters and lit himself on fire as a sing of protest. In memory of his sacrifice, a monument was inaugurated in 2010, showing him surrounded by flames.

Notre Dame Cathedral is a harmonious combination of Roman architecture and late medieval Gothic features. The most unique features of the Church – the two 60-meter high bronze bell towers – were added years following original construction in to magnify the Church’s beauty. Until now, the Church still remains in a near-undisturbed original state due to the special bricks used in its construction: they were originally created in France and shipped directly to Vietnam.

The tunnels of Cu Chi hide an entire world including classrooms, kitchens and medical facilities underground. Today you can see the tunnels from above and even try to go down one, so as to better understand the hardships that Vietnamese soldiers had been through during wartime. One is left utterly amazed by the determination and endurance of those who dug through solid soil, gravel and sand to construct this 200-kilometer (125 miles) long underground network.

The Mekong River flows from the Tibetan Plateau and ends in the area close to Ho Chi Minh in Vietnam. The delta, dubbed a 'biological treasure trove', is also home to over 17 million people who live their daily lives on the river. Several different tour operators offer day and overnight trips to the Mekong Delta. On these tours, you will get to see both the magical nature and the floating market.

With 1000 metres in height, this mountain is not a giant, however the flat surroundings of the now extinct volcano make it seem like one. Located 2 1/2 hours north from Ho Chi Minh City, you can ride cable car up to the peak of the mountain or go for a hike with amazing views and beautiful temples, shrines and pagodas.

A 2 1/2 - 3 hour motorbike or scooter drive from Ho Chi Minh City, the Nui Dinh Mountain rises around 500 meters into the sky, remotely off the beaten tourist paths in Vietnam. Hike up the mountain and along the nearby Suoi Tien River and you will discover several waterfalls and opportunities for refreshing dips as well as a fairly untouched nature.

This is a seven layer temple and southern Vietnam’s most majestic one. It was the first pagoda in Vietnam that was built in Vietnamese traditional architectural style but with concrete. Here you will find a large standing monument of Buddha and a beautifully decorated pagoda, which awaits you upstairs.

There are multiple local companies offering scooter tours of the Vietnam capital. These tours range greatly in thematic focus (street food to historic landmarks) and duration, and depend on the individual provider, but details can often be agreed upon on an individual basis. On these tours, an individual driver is normally assigned to each visitor, who then hops on the back of the scooter as a passenger. Helmets should normally be provided. One motorbike tour of Ho Chi Minh personally tested out by the editor is Non-profit Student Tour, an incredible initiative that works surprisingly well. The coordinator links up tourists with available local student volunteers, allowing the students to practice their English and bringing overseas visitors into contact with locals. Each traveller is assigned an individual driver (this even works with larger groups). Drop them a WhatsApp message to arrange the date and time.

The Museum of Vietnamese History first opened its doors in 1929. The Museum houses an unique collection of interesting artefacts of Vietnam's history, from ancient times to modern day. A statue of the Buddha with 1,000 eyes and 1,000 arms is also part of their collection.