Find Luxury Hotels in Ho Chi Minh City (Hanoi)

• Reunification Palace, Enter at 135 Nam Ky Khoi Nghia Street, ? 9693272. Open daily 7:30-11:00am, 1:00-4:00pm. Also known as Independence Palace. This is a restored five-floor time warp to the Sixties left largely untouched from the day before Saigon fell to the North. Formerly South Vietnam's Presidential Palace, the war ended on April 30, 1975 when tank #843 — now parked on the lawn outside — crashed through the gate. Be sure to check out the impressively kitschy recreation room, 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 lackeys and American imperialists succumbed to Ho Chi Minh's indomitable revolutionary forces, upon which point the lackeys were forgiven and everyone lived happily ever after. Tours are available, but not necessary. There is a nice outdoor café on the grounds outside the palace. Entry 15,000 dong.

• War Remnants Museum, 28 Vo Van Tan Street, ? 9302112, 9306325, 9305587 (warrmhcm@gmail.com). Open daily 7:30am-12:00pm, 1:30-5:00pm, last admission 4:30pm. Formerly known under the perhaps-too-subtle moniker of Exhibition House of American War Crimes, the museum was opened in a hurry, less than five months after the fall of the South. It's currently housed in a rather confused assemblage of seven warehouses, with new purpose-built premises partially open for temporary and permanent exhibits. 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 fetuses blamed on Agent Orange. (The comic relief provided by a display on the evils of American rock music has sadly disappeared.) There are, of course, no records of any unpleasant deeds ever having been committed by the North Vietnamese Army. Outside, there are helicopters, jets, tanks, and other bits of armament. It's only a block from the Reunification Palace — see the museum pamphlet for a map. Entry 15,000 dong.

• On Le Quy Don, just south of the museum, is a 2000 dong/cone soft ice cream vendor, a happy treat in a hot and hectic city.

• City Hall, end of Nguyen Hue Street. Originally called the Hôtel de Ville and now formally re-branded the People's Committee Hall, it's a striking cream and yellow French colonial building beautifully floodlit at night. No entry, but the statue of Uncle Ho in front is a very popular place for photos.

• Museum of Vietnamese History, at the intersection of Le Duan Street and Nguyen Binh Khiem (just inside the zoo gates). The museum has a fine collection of Vietnamese antiquities, but unfortunately they are accompanied by signage which is both in poor English and full of risible Marxist distortions. Read up on Vietnamese history first or you'll have no idea what you're looking at. Outside, the Botanical Gardens are very nice and a good place for a cheap lunch away from the crowds. If you care about animal welfare, avoid the zoo.

• Dam Sen Water Park, 03 Hoa Binh, Ward 3, District 11, ? 858.8418, 865.3453 (damsenwaterpark@vnn.vn, fax: 858.8419), [2]. Mon-Sat 8:30am-6:00pm, Sundays and Holidays 8:00am-7:00pm. Close to the city center. Opened in 1999, with new water slides added each year — management promises the new Space Bowl Slide will make guests have "unforgettable new feelings". You'd be a fool to resist. Restaurant, health services, and animatronic dinosaurs are on the premises. Admission is height-based; under 0.8m free, others 35-70,000 dong.

• Saigon Water Park, just north of the city in the Thu Duc District, has been demolished to make place for urban development, but there's also Water World in District 9, Ocean Water Park in District 7, and Dai The Gioi Water Park in District 5.

• The Saigon River isn't for swimming. The park in front of the Renaissance Hotel offers nice views of the river. Make sure you know how to cross the road before attempting to get there. Expect to encounter some beggars in the park.

Visiting hair salons is also a must do for tourists, as Vietnamese are famous for it. Hair wash, manicure and pedicure cost no more than US$10.

• Kitty, 166, Bui Vien Street, Pham Ngu Lao Ward, District 1. Good place to go for cheap and fantastic hairwash and nail works (even nail art). Cost about 120,000 dong for a hairwash, and nail art for both hands and legs.
• Vu Salon, 210, Tran Quang Khai, District 1. A nice place to go.

If you're in Saigon on a Sunday night, then beg, borrow, or rent a two-wheeled vehicle and join the throngs for di choi. It's basically a party on wheels, where everyone just rides through the downtown streets until the wee hours.

• Galaxy Cinema at 116, Nguyen Du, District 1, is a favorite among locals and bored tourists. They show up-to-date movies on four screens.

• Xuan Spa, Park Hyatt Saigon Hotel, 2 Lam Son Square, District 1, ? +84 8 824 1234 (saigon.park@hyattintl.com), [3].