The Landmark 81 Central Park
The highest tower of Vietnam with 81 floors which is 461.3 m, it has a big mall inside which includes a CGV cinema. Landmark 81 are also surrounded in a complex of apartments as part of Vinhomes' Tan Cang, or Central Park. Access the views by paying for SkyView (top 3 floors; 300k/500k weekdays/weekends, children/elderly half price; 200k for VND students on weekdays) or by patronizing one of the restaurants/cafes/lounges on the upper floors (prices vary, but tend to be 100k+ VND, high for Vietnam but about average for global HCOL cities; these are accessible through the Marriott Autograph Collection hotel by transferring elevators at the hotel's skylobby). There's also reasonably priced local and international food in the food court on the lower level.
Closed · opens 9 am·No entry fees but has parking fees for vehicles
Also known as Reunification Palace
This is a restored 4-floor time warp to the 1960s left largely untouched from the day Saigon fell to the North; construction started in 1962 and finished in 1966. It was South Vietnam's presidential palace. The war ended on 30 Apr 1975 when Tank 843 crashed through the gate. A replica of that tank is now parked on the lawn outside. Be sure to check out the aggressively 1960s recreation room on the third floor, featuring a circular sofa, and the eerie basement, full of vintage 1960s phones, radios and office equipment, supposedly left exactly as it was found when the North took over. There is also a photo gallery and a propaganda film recounting how the South Vietnamese supporters and American imperialists succumbed to Ho Chi Minh's indomitable revolutionary forces, at which point the South Vietnamese supporters were forgiven and everyone lived happily ever after. Free guided tours and an audio guide are available (90,000 dong). The audio guide is extremely informative, but not necessary. There is a nice outdoor café on the grounds outside the palace.
Daily 07:30-11:00, 13:00-16:00·40,000 dong · Heritage listed
The museum was opened in a hurry, less than five months after the fall of the South Vietnamese regime. It has moved to new premises with 3 storeys of exhibits and various US military hardware (tanks, jets, helicopters, howitzers) on display outside the building. This disturbing display of man's cruelty during the Vietnam (American) War includes halls full of gruesome photographs, a simulated "tiger cage" prison and jars of deformed foetuses attributed to contamination by Agent Orange. An exhibit on the 3rd floor tells the story of the war journalists from all over the world who documented, and often disappeared or died in the war. Watch out for the amputees who will try to sell you their wares on the museum grounds, though largely their wares take the form of only somewhat overpriced books on historical topics relevant to the museum, and are less of a scam than more of an informal gift shop. The museum is a short walk from Reunification Palace — see the museum pamphlet for a map.
Open daily 07:30-12:00, 13:30-17:00, last admission 16:30·Entry 40,000 dong
.jpg?width=240 "Photo: Bahnfrend, CC BY-SA 4.0")
Nhà hát Thành phố or Opéra de Saïgon
An opera house built by the French during the colonial period, and without a doubt one of the finest performance venues in Southeast Asia. In modern times it is home to the critically acclaimed AO show, an acrobatic show that fuses Vietnamese traditions with modern Cirque Nouveau performances. Occasionally hosts classical music performances when the AO show is not being performed.
Heritage listed
