This reporter who has traveled to 88 countries and 6 continents was especially impressed when visiting the Reunification Hall (formerly the Independence Palace). According to Sandip Hor, the grandeur of this 5-storey white building built in 1966 is difficult to describe, but it is the pieces of history kept inside the Reunification Hall that he cannot forget.
Reunification Hall (formerly Independence Palace)
44 years have passed, but when witnessing the special images here, from the luxurious rooms filled with historical events, the solid underground tunnel system to the tank outside the campus or the helicopter on the rooftop, the reporter of Khaleej Times newspaper clearly felt the echo of the Unification Day as if it had happened not long ago.
Sandip Hor's emotions sank when he visited the War Remnants Museum. That was when he witnessed the images of the My Lai massacre, one of the most brutal crimes committed by the US military against 500 civilians, including women, the elderly, and children; the French guillotine, last used in 1960 to execute prisoners; or a replica of the infamous tiger cage used to torture detainees. The Australian reporter shared that not only he but many foreigners who visited the War Remnants Museum were moved to tears.
War Remnants Museum
But Saigon (HCMC) does not only remind tourists of history. After years of war, economic difficulties, and reconstruction, the city has now risen to its feet. According to Sandip Hor, Saigon has now become one of the most attractive destinations in Asia, both in the economic and entertainment fields.
This city of more than 10 million people and nearly 7 million motorbikes makes tourists curious and want to learn. The beauty of Saigon is also shown through the contrast between the system of hotels, restaurants, luxury fashion shopping centers mixed with interesting museums, temples, pagodas, suitable for those who love to explore. The imprints of the French left since 1861 in the city known as "Paris of the East" are still very present for more than a century: boulevards, the City People's Committee office (formerly the City Hall), Notre Dame Cathedral, Central Post Office, Opera House, Hotel de Ville, Caravelle, Rex, Majestic hotels...
Majestic Hotel, a long-standing hotel in Saigon
And it’s not just bricks and mortar, the French heritage is also evident in the food culture. The city is full of cafes where locals and visitors alike enjoy socialising over a cup of coffee, pastry or baguette, much like the French in Paris.
Saigon now becomes attractive to tourists because of the parallel existence of the past and the present. Not only Sandip Hor but also international tourists are delighted to see classic cyclos running side by side with shiny Mercedes and Audi cars on the streets. McDonald's chains share business with the popular pho restaurants. Prado and Armani stores exist among the popular clothing shops, even fake ones. The level 4 houses do not envy the skyscrapers, and tourists can quench their thirst with sugarcane juice instead of drinking soda. It is the contrast but coexistence that makes Ho Chi Minh City special and interesting to tourists, especially those from the West.
A McDonald's store in Ho Chi Minh City
