Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon) is the largest city and center of business activity, which is located in the south of Vietnam, in 1760 km from Hanoi at an altitude of 19 meters above sea level. Administrative border of South Ho Chi Minh City comes out on the coast of the South China Sea and north-west is only 20 miles from Cambodia.

Initially, Ho Chi Minh City called Pray-Nokor and was the largest port in Cambodia. Then it was called Saigon by the name of the river. The date of formal Saigon establishment is March 15, 1874, when the French president has signed the corresponding decree. Then in 1975 it was renamed in honor of the first Vietnamese President – Ho Chi Minh. However, in Vietnamese Saigon is still prevalent.

Ho Chi Minh City has typical tropical climate, the average humidity – 75%. All year, as well as all Vietnam is divided into wet (May to November) and dry season (December to April). The average temperature is 28 ° C. The highest temperature sometimes reaches 39 ° C in April. The lowest sometimes drops to 16 ° C in December. During the wet season rains or showers are about two hours a day.

Ho Chi Minh City is the largest commercial and financial center and seaport. It is the most important economic center and a trendsetter in the culture.

A modern international airport Tan Son Nhat (Than Son Nhat) is located just seven kilometers to the north-west from the center. In 2007 a new international airport terminal was built. It allows the city to take almost twice as many flights than ever before. Old terminal now serves only domestic flights. Coming out of the terminal building, you can get into a cab and for a few dollars drive to any hotel.

Confusion of national traditions and elements of Chinese and Western cultures creates the unique atmosphere that soaked the city streets. The architectural appearance of the city – its elegant buildings of French building, the Cathedral of Our Lady of Saigon (Notre Dame de Saigon), the Presidential Palace, the magnificent pagodas and mosques. The combination of urban elements and atmosphere make a visit the eastern city of Ho Chi Minh City one of the most memorable.

The most interesting sights of Ho Chi Minh City are: Colonial Center, Independence Palace, Chinatown, the Cathedral of Notre Dame de Saigon, Vinh Nghiem Pagoda, Water Park, Zoo, Botanical Gardens, Park Dam Sheen, the Museum of Ho Chi Minh City.
The Colonial Center is a part of the city, which was built during the reign French. The buildings of the Colonial Center captivate with their beauty, sophistication and wealth. One of them – the cathedral of Notre Dame. It is one of the main attractions of Ho Chi Minh City. A typical European architecture of the 19th century has very unusual look on the background of the exotic nature of Vietnam.

Notre Dame de Saigon, established in 1877. This temple was built six years. This is a beautiful temple, built by French colonialists. It is located in the heart of Ho Chi Minh City Colonial on Pariser Platz in front of the Post Office. This is a very good example of French colonial architecture in Vietnam. This red-brick building, created in Neo-Romanesque style in the heart of Asia seems to be something much unexpected. Two 40 meters towers topped by spikes associated with the famous cathedral of Notre Dame.

Independence Palace. Earlier it was a French palace, and in 1954 it became the residence of the President of South Vietnam. In the battles of the 60s he was badly damaged and virtually rebuilt. That’s when he was called the Palace of Independence. Since 1975, when storming of the building put an end to military clashes, the palace is called the Independence Palace of Reunification. The largest Buddhist temple – Pagoda Vinh Nghiem was built in 1973 with the support of the Association of the Sino-Vietnamese friendship. It is an interesting example of modern Asian architecture with the effect of Japanese traditions. The pagoda consists of a sanctuary of the goddess of Sakyamuni and her two attendants – Bodhisattva Wang Chu Ho and Ian – and seven storied tower dedicated to the goddess of mercy.

The tourists consider it their duty to visit Binh Tay – the biggest market in Ho Chi Minh City.
There are a great variety of restaurants of different cuisines in Ho Chi Minh City: Vietnamese, Chinese, Indian, French, Italian, Japanese, Thai.