The Independence Palace

In the morning, start a sightseeing tour to the Reunification Palace, which was the former residence of the President of South Vietnam until end of the war in April 1975, and some French colonial structures including Notre Dame Cathedral, the Old Central Post Office. Continue on to Chinatown, Thien Hau pagodas. which is dedicated to the Goddess of the Sea. Explore the highlights of this fascinating area, beginning with intricate friezes, carved tableaus and impressive incense coils make for some great photos.

Notre Dame Cathedral of Saigon

Saigon Notre Dame Cathedral, built in the late 1880s by French colonists, is one of the few remaining strongholds of Catholicism in the largely Buddhist Vietnam. Located in Paris Square, the name Notre Dame was given after the installation of the statue ‘Peaceful Notre Dame’ in 1959. In 1962, the Vatican conferred the Cathedral status as a basilica and gave it the official name of Saigon Notre-Dame Cathedral Basilica. Measuring almost 60 metres in height, the cathedral’s distinctive neo-Romanesque features include the all-red brick façade (which were imported from Marseille), stained glass windows, two bell towers containing six bronze bells that still ring to this day, and a peaceful garden setting in the middle of downtown Ho Chi Minh City District 1.