Hoi Truong Thong Nhat (Reunification Conference Hall):
 Previously
on the ground of the present structure was Norodome Palace built in 1873 as
a residence of the French Governor General of Indochina.
After 1954, President Ngo Dinh Diem of the Saigon administration and his
family lived and worked in Norodome Palace. In February 1963, a dissident of
the Diem regime launched an air bombardment of the palace and heavily
damaged it. After that Diem decided to demolish the damaged structure and
build a new one which was later replaced by the Independence Palace.
The present Hoi Truong Thong Nhat was the former Independence Palace.
At 11:30 on April 30,1975, tanks of the Liberation Army overran the
palace. The then Saigon president, Mr Duong Van Minh, who had just assumed
the post of presidency, together with his 45-member cabinet surrendered
unconditionally.
After the liberation of Saigon, the Independence Palace was turned into
the Headquarters of the Municipal Military Administrative Committee. In
December 1975 the palace was the venue of a consultative conference for
national reunification. To mark the historical significance of the event the
building was renamed Hoi Truong Thong Nhat.
Nha Rong Whart
It is situated in the forked junction of the Saigon River (at an end of
Nguyen Tat Thanh Road) . The main three- stories building was constructed in
1862 as an office for a sea transport company. The building was a
combination of western and eastern architectures with the roof decorated by
carvings of dragons. In 1911 a young man called Nguyen Tat Thanh (president
Ho Chi Minh in his boyhood) left Nha Rong on board of a French ship to seek
ways to secure national salvation. At present Nha Rong is a place of
memorial to President Ho Chi Minh.
Cu Chi Tunnel
 It
is a suburban district some 30km northwest of the city. The district lies
between the Saigon and Vam Co Dong rivers. Located at the threshold of
Saigon and adjacent to the revolutionary base, Cu Chi play and important
role in the two wars of resistance against the old and new colonial powers.
Cu Chi was an "underground village" with its labyrinth of interlaced
tunnels having a combined length of more than 200km. The main tunnel is
60cm-70cm wide and 80cm-90cm high. The structure has either a delta-shaped
or vaulted ceiling. Above the tunnel is a layer of earth about 3m-4m thick,
enough to sustain the weight of 50-tonne tanks or heavy artillery as well as
the destruction of bombs up to 100kg. Although it is an underground
communication network, the runnel is enlarged here and there into rooms
large enough to hold large meetings, a medical station or art performances.
Mr Huller of the Associated Press in Saigon, who visited Cu Chi on
February 14, 1966, wrote that Viet Cong (South Vietnamese guerrillas) had
dug a lot of underground tunnels and shelters throughout the country, but
none were as large and intricate as that network. He added that those who
had set foot in that tunnel network should greatly admire the talent,
determination and endurance of the communist guerrillas. The soil in Cu Chi
was as hard as stone, but with only rudiment hand stools such as hoes and
shovels, they had dug and removed tens of thousands of tones of earth and
stone, and camouflaged the openings so well that nobody could find them.
The Cu Chi tunnels are open to local and foreign visitors. Some have
called it a wonder of the 20th century.
Notre Dame Cathedral
Notre Dame Cathedral or Grand Cathedral is a magnificent building in the
heart of the city. The cathedral was built between October 1877 and April
1880 in a French style at a cost of 2.5 million French francs.
With the approval of the Vatican the cathedral was named Notre Dame
during ceremonies held on December 7-8, 1959. Its neo-Romanesque
architecture with two-40m square bell towers crown the Paris Commune Square
where it is located.
Vinh Nghiem Pagoda
In the old days there was a pagoda named Vinh Nghiem in the former Bac
Giang province, now Ha Bac province, in the North. The pagoda belonged to
the Truc Lam Buddhist Sect whose three founders were King Tran Nhan Tong,
Phap Loa and Huyen Ton Quang Da.
In 1964, the Buddhist movement against had many Buddhist followers,
descendants of Vinh Nghiem from the North. That is why the constitution of
the former Vietnam United Buddhist Church allowed the Buddhists of northern
origin to establish a region called Vinh Nghiem.
It is noteworthy for its ancient Asian architecture with a seven-stories
tower, which houses various Buddha statues and a bell presented by Japanese
Buddhists during the Vietnam war to pray for its early end.
Lai Thieu Fruit Tree Gardens
 Starting
from Ho Chi Minh City, you pass the Binh Trieu Railway Station and travel
for a further 20km until you reach Lai Thieu fruit tree gardens in Thuan An
district, Song Be province. Lai Thieu covering an area of 1,230 ha has been
famous for hundreds of years for its beautiful fruit tree gardens.
Visiting Lai Thieu you will enjoy fresh air amidst row after row of fruit
trees, and sample durian, rambuttan, jackfruit, mango and other delicious
tropical fruit. The district of Hung Dinh is at the middle of Lai thieu. A
lot of fruit stalls are open for tourists at Cau Ngang. You can take a boat
cruise along the Saigon River which is lined with verdant orchards.
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