Things to do in Saigon

Besides eating, there is plenty to keep you occupied in Saigon. Though Cu Chi tunnel was highly touted as the best tourist attraction, P and I decided to give it a pass as the thought of crawling through a cramped tunnel didn't appeal to us (P is tall and I'm slightly claustrophobic).

Here are some of the highlights of our trip:

1. Visit the Reunification Palace
Before or after your lunch at Quan An Ngon, visit the Reunification Palace. It was the home and workplace of the South Vietnam President during the Vietnam War. Wandering through the building gives you a feeling that time has stood still since the day Saigon fell to North Vietnam in 1975. It is also said that the building has been left largely untouched since that time.

There are free 1 hour tours that happen every 15 minutes (very frequent I must say!).

One of many eerie meeting rooms in the palace.

I love the concrete "curtains" on the building facade!

The main reason why I enjoyed this tour was because of the vintage articles left behind since the War, such as the retro dial phones and wooden mahjong tiles.

2. Visit the War Remnants Museum
This is a 3 storey museum which tells the story of the atrocities committed by the American army during the Vietnam War. It is more of a picture gallery than a history museum, in my opinion. The 1st floor contains photographs and anti-war propaganda posters, 2nd floor a gruesome photographic display of the cruelty imposed on the Vietnamese during the War, as well as the devastating aftermath of a chemical war waged by Agent Orange, and the 3rd floor is a recount of the war by journalists from all over the world.

Only took some pics of the propaganda posters as the rest were too disturbing to me. I could not understand how some people could bear to take pictures of the deformed foetuses in particular.

A rather heart-wrenching poem accompanied this poster:

"When I was a child

I spoke as a child

I understood as a child

I thought as a child

But when I became a man

I put away children things"

3. Impressive landmarks to pause, admire and snap a couple of pics
The Notre Dame Cathedral, a French-built Catholic cathedral in the city centre.

Central Saigon Post Office, just opposite the Cathedral. It was designed and constructed by the famous architect Gustave Eiffel (who also designed the Eiffel Tower).

Saigon Opera House

4. Shop at L'usine
This boutique has quirky, trendy home ware and designer clothes that do not come cheap. P loved shopping there and while he shopped, I hung out at the cafe next door sipping iced coffee.

6. Check out Ben Thanh market and its surrounds
We didn't spend much time in Ben Thanh market as we got there a tad too late. Ben Thanh is a typical market where you will find many shops selling the same iPho t-shirts, lacquerware, wooden knick knacks, men and ladies apparel, shoes, accessories etc etc. It is mandatory to bargain here...and do bargain hard (I think at least 50%-70% as ridiculous as it may sound). Some of the t-shirts we bought with some bargaining could be found cheaper outside the market before any bargaining!

The shops outside the market were still open after we left Ben Thanh and there is also a night market nearby that starts after 8pm. The goods sold were more or less similar though.

7. Reward yourself with a massage
After a long day of walking, nothing beats a foot massage and a good place to do it is Golden Lotus Foot Massage Club smack in town. It costs US$13 for a 60 minute massage, which is pretty decent.  The masseurs did a good job too, though P and I thought they were kinda rough towards the end when they put their hands down our backs to rub our shoulders. I felt like my top was going to be ripped apart!

If one prefers a more upscale massage parlour, L'Apothicaire would be a good choice, although this comes at a higher price. We chose the District 3 main branch as it is housed in a colonial villa and seemed quite lovely from the website. There are also branches in District 1 which on hindsight would have sufficed (the villa was nothing to shout about). I did a 90-min massage and body polish for about US$50?