爱自由，爱旅游..Love Life, Love Travel..: 【越南】Day 2: Reunification Palace （统一宫）> War Remnants Museum （战争遗迹博物馆）> Notre Dame Cathedral（红教堂）> General Post Office（邮政局）> Dinner at Com Ga Dong Nguyen （东源鸡饭）

After finished our lunch at Quan An Ngon 138 at about 3:30pm, we continued our tour by visited Reunification Palace.

Reunification Palace （统一宫）

Formerly known as Independence Palace, is an important political and cultural significance, built by the French in 1868 to mark the newly established colony of Indochina. Today, some of the areas open to the public and becomes tourists spot. Tour the private quarters, the president's former office and the War Command Room. You get a real sense of what happened here and its importance in Vietnamese history.

Vietnam Language: Dinh Độc lập

Address: 135 Nam Ky Khoi Nghia Street, District 1, HCMC, Vietnam
Hours: Open daily 7:30am - 11am (closes for lunch), re-opens 1pm - 4pm
Admission: VND 15,000

Group photo in front of Reunification Palace

Different type of rooms inside Reunification Palace.

Entertainment Room

Commander Room

Gift received by President from different countries.

There is a helicopter on the roof. Bombs were dropped at two red dots in by a South Vietnamese fighter pilot if his failed attempt to kill the first President Diem.

Photo shooting at the top of the Reunification Palace.

War Remnants Museum （战争遗迹博物馆）

One of the most popular attractions in the city which consists of 8 themed rooms are different aspects of the war from imprisonment, to chemical warfare and military might. In front of the museum, there are military equipment, weaponry and aircraft on display including fighter planes, helicopters and tanks. Some of the exhibits are shockingly gruesome, explicit photos and prisoner cages detail a war-torn history.

It's located in District 3 but still walkable from Ben Thanh market - only a couple of blocks behind the Reunification Palace. This exhibition shows some of the true horrors of the Vietnam War, a one-sided account perhaps but still captivating and poignant.

Hours: Open daily 7:30am - 12pm(closes for lunch), re-opens 1:30pm - 5pm

Admission: VND 15,000

Vietnam Language: Bảo tàng chứng tích chiến tranh

Address: 28 Vo Van Tan, District 3, HCMC, Vietnam

Group photo in front of War Remnants Museum.

Tanker display in front of museum.

Helicopter display in front of museum.

Group photo in front of tanker & helicopter.

U.S Air Force display in front of museum.

Group photo with another U.S Air Force.

Tourists were looking for different aspects of the war from imprisonment, to chemical warfare and military.

Comparative figures about 3 wars in which the U.S participated.

First time visited the War Remnants Museum. Actually, I cannot imagine the brutal, cruel American soldiers have done for the people of Vietnam during the war. Although war was over but I think its influence still remains.

Afterward, the tour guide brought us to view two French-style architectural landmarks – Saigon Notre-Dame Cathedral and Central Post Office. Both of these buildings are located next to each other and there are just one street away from Reunification Palace.

Notre Dame Cathedral（红教堂）
It was constructed between 1863 and 1880 by French Colonists.The special of this building is all construct materials are imported from France.

Vietnam Language: Nhà thờ Đức Bà Sài Gòn
Address: Bến Nghé Quận 1, HCMC, Vietnam
Hours: Open daily 5:30am - 8:30pm

Pray Time: Daily: 5:30am, 5pm Sun: 5:30am, 9:30am, 4pm, 5:15pm, 6:30pm
Admission: Free

The statue of Notre Dame in front of Cathedral.

Side view of Notre Dame Cathedral building.

Group Photo in front of Notre Dame Cathedral.

Could you guess which one is our tour guide??

Saigon Central Post Office（邮政局）

It's a post office in the downtown Ho Chi Minh City, near Saigon Notre-Dame Basilica, the city's main church. The building was constructed when Vietnam was part of French Indochina in the early 20th century. It has a Gothic architectural style. And, you know why? It was designed and constructed by the famous architect Gustave Eiffel (ie the architect that design Eiffel Tower in Paris!!) It's a functioning post office and also the largest post office in Vietnam.

Vietnam Language: Bưu điện trung tâm Sài Gòn

Address: 2 Công xã Paris, Bến Nghé, Quận 1, HCMC, Vietnam

Hours: Mon-Fri: 7am - 7pm, Sat: 8am-6pm, Sun: closed

Admission: Free

Group photo in front of French-style architectural landmark, Saigon Central Post Office.

You can see the portrait of Mr. Ho Chi Minh in the center of post office.

Former telephone and telegraph station booths had been replaced with ATM Machine booths.

Most of the visitors visited here will send a post card from here to themselves or the one they care for.

So, my friends did the same thing that others did. They were writing several postcards to their beloved one, family and friends. I guess maybe.

Stamp price for Asia, Europe & USA.

Anywhere, you won’t visit the city post office when you travel overseas. But, there is an exception when you come to Ho Chi Minh City. Saigon Central Post Office is one of the major tourists spot in this city.

After that, we directly moved to Com Ga Dong Nguyen for dinner at about 7:30pm. This was recommended by our tour guide.

Com Ga Dong Nguyen （东源鸡饭）

Actually, this is chicken rice shop. Just for your information, Chicken in Vietnam is far more expensive than in Malaysia. You know why?? but I also don't know.