Rooms above, history below

28 September

Arrive in the city, then give Củ Chi its own day

The first photographs begin among older low-rise façades and the sharp vertical lines of central Ho Chi Minh City before the route turns northwest. At Củ Chi, broad roads give way to wet forest paths, thatched structures, concealed entrances, and preserved military equipment. The change in setting makes the distance from the centre feel essential rather than incidental.

29 September · Central city

Let the palace unfold slowly

Independence Palace—also called Reunification Palace—rewards time rather than a quick exterior photograph. The visit moves through large reception rooms, period furniture, long carpets, and a sequence of administrative spaces that still carry the visual language of the 1960s.

The following route continued to the War Remnants Museum and Saigon Central Post Office. Aircraft and armoured vehicles fill the museum’s exterior before the galleries move into difficult documentary history; the post office restores the street’s scale through its yellow façade and vaulted public hall.

The personal review notes remember spending several hours here, with the rooftop helipad and basement command rooms making the strongest impression. The old telephones, narrow corridors, and working spaces below ground change the mood entirely after the bright rooms and green gardens above.