The 22 must-see sites in HCM City

1. Sit-own coffee: The park area that is blocked by the Reunification Palace and the Saigon Notre Dame has long become famous among local and foreign tourists as a special space where they can sit down on the ground to enjoy coffee and chat.

2. The “Pho Tay” (streets for foreign backpackers) includes the streets of Pham Ngu Lao, De Tham and adjacent neighborhoods in District 1. Most households here provide travel services, food at soft prices.

3. Thu Thiem Tunnel is the tunnel crossing the Saigon River, linking District 1 with Thu Thiem new urban area. With superior structure and design, Thu Thiem tunnel is the century work of Saigon.

4. Anh Sao (Starlight) Bridge in the new urban area of Phu My Hung, District 7. The bridge spans Thay Tieu canal to The Crescent area.

5. Bitexco Financial Tower, which was named among the top 20 impressive skyscrapers in the world by CNN.

6. Turtle Lake is the folk name of the Cong Truong Quoc Te, a traffic roundabout with a fountain, connecting the three roads of Vo Van Tan, Pham Ngoc Thach and Tran Cao Van, located in District 3.

7. Ben Thanh Market has long been a symbol of the city.

8. Cholon is the name of the area including Binh Tay Market, District 5 and the surrounding areas, home to the community of Chinese Vietnamese.

9. Bach Dang consists of the harbor and the park of Bach Dang on the bank of the Saigon River.

10. Saigon Central Post Office is an European - Asian architectural work. After more than 100 years, it is still a post office and a tourist attraction.

11. East-West Highway and Vo Van Kiet Boulevard is a route through the center, reducing traffic congestion on the Saigon Bridge and the main axises of the city.

12. The Saigon Opera House was built in 1911, based on the Opéra Garnier in Paris. The theatre, designed by famous architect Broger Harloy, has 900 seats.

13. Nguyen Hue pedestrian street (District 1) only opens for tourists in the evening. This is also the location of a metro station that will be completed in 2016.

14. Vincom Center is the first energy-saving building in Vietnam.

15. Diamond Plaza is the destination for sightseeing, shopping and dining thanks to soft prices and stunning design.

16. Nhieu Loc Canal: After being renovated into a green, clean and beautiful canal, it has become a destination of local people and tourists. Boat tours on the canal will be offered from September 2015.

17. Independence Palace, also known as the Reunification Palace, the Reunification Hall is one of the important historic sites of Saigon. The Palace was built on an area of 4,500 m2, consisting of three main floors, 1 terrace, 2 mezzanines, ground floor, 2 basements and a rooftop helipad.

18. Museums: Museums in HCM City have their own unique architecture and the specimens on display.

19. Notre Dame Cathedral is the biggest church in the city.

20. Phu My is not only the first cable-stayed bridge of Saigon but also the most modern bridge of its type in the world. The bridge has six lanes and it connects Thu Thiem New Urban Area (District 2) and Phu My Hung (District 7).

21. Phu My Hung Urban Area (District 7) is one of the most modern urban areas in Saigon.

22. Food Streets: Saigon has many streets where restaurants sell similar products, for example Ha Ton Quyen street with sui cao, Nguyen Canh Chan road with fruits and Vinh Khanh with snail...