5 Best Sights in District 3, Ho Chi Minh City

The Cantonese community built this structure—the finest Chinese pagoda in Ho Chi Minh City—in 1909. A mixture of Taoist, Buddhist, and ethnic myths provides the sources for the small pagoda's multitude of statues and carvings, incorporating just about everything from the King of Hell to a Buddha of the Future. Slowly strolling around the interior to view them may be preferable to attempting to decipher the significance of each of the numerous, distinct deities. Take a moment to note the main altar, the side panel's depiction of hell, and, in the side room, the miniature female figures representing the range of human qualities. There are usually a few vendors at the entrance selling turtles. Buddhists believe that releasing these turtles into the pagoda's turtle pond will generate merit.

In 1983, city authorities created this park by clearing the Cimetière Européen, which had been established in 1859 by the French navy as the final resting place for soldiers and sailors who died in the city. Some superstitious locals won't go to the park because of its previous incarnation and the ghost stories that have been circulating ever since the cemetery was decommissioned. Ghosts aside, with its large shady trees, this is a great spot for people-watching early in the morning, with games of badminton, ballroom dancing, aerobics, jogging, and stretching going on. The park, which occasionally hosts book and agricultural fairs, is also a popular spot for Vietnamese couples to steal some privacy after dark.

This fascinatingly eclectic museum is in a beautiful colonial building inside the grounds of Saigon Zoo and Botanical Gardens, with various galleries dedicated to different eras. Much of Vietnam's history, and consequently its identity today, has been influenced by outsiders. In ancient times the Khmer and Chinese empires occupied large portions of modern-day Vietnam, and in more recent times the country has been partially or completely occupied by French, Japanese, and American forces. The museum gives a Vietnamese perspective on these events.

This authentic local wet market, full of stalls selling fresh flowers, fruit, vegetables, meat, and seafood, also has a strip of eating places fronting Nguyen Huu Cau Street. The narrow inside aisles are lined with stalls selling a range of haberdashery, clothing, and shoes, none of which would really appeal to Westerners unless they're seeking a quirky souvenir.

This is a grueling museum focused on the horrors of the Vietnam War, known as the American War in Vietnam, with indoor exhibitions featuring graphic photographs of dismembered bodies and dead children and infants. Outside the machines of war (fighter planes, tanks, howitzers, bombs) are displayed and there's a re-creation of the infamous tiger cages of Con Dao prison island. If you go, take Kleenex and a stoic demeanor. Expect to see the war from a different perspective than you might see in the United States.