Historical Locations - Ho Chi Minh City

Historically speaking Saigon is a pretty interesting place if you do some research.

This is because over the years Ho Chi Minh City has seen a lot of violence and lot of comings and goings.

The result is that there are quite a few locations or buildings around the city that often have an interesting story or history attached to them, stories and history that is often lost on the average passerby.

As such I though I might try to highlight some of those stories and histories, and try to give you some idea of the historical depth of this city.

Historical Locations Saigon: Tan Son Nhat airport has its historical routes way back in the 1920s when the colonial French government started building an airport outside Saigon in the village of Tan Son Nhat.

Over time the airport and runway were expanded and during the height of the Vietnam War Tan Son Nhat Airport was the busiest airport in the World.

Historical Locations Saigon: Located in the heart of district one, the Rex Hotel is a building that is often associated with wartime Saigon.

It was the home of the "Five O'clock Follies" and a favorite place for GIs to have a drink.

Historical Locations Saigon: On the 30th April 1975 the signal to evacuate Saigon was given.

As thousands looked to escape the advancing North Vietnamese Army, many headed to the US Embassy as the US Embassy became a major evacuation staging area.

Binh Soup Shop

During the war this little soup shop operated as the secret headquarters of the Viet Cong in Saigon.

It was from here that while serving noodle soup downstairs, the Viet Cong planned its attack on the US embassy and other places in Saigon during the Tet offensive in 1968 upstairs.

7 Ly Chinh Tha Thang, Dist 3

Thich Quang Duc

Everyone knows the shocking picture showing the monk Thich Quang Duc sitting calmly with legs crossed while engulfed in a ball of flames.

Thich Quang Duc had traveled to Saigon from Hue and set himself on fire in protest to the policies of President Ngo Dinh Diem on the 11 June 1963.

Diem had come to power in the South after the signing of the Geneva Accords.

However as time went on Diem became increasingly tyrannical in dealing with any dissent towards his government.

Consequently in the early 1960s South Vietnam was rocked by increasing anti Diem unrest led by university students and clergy, resulting in a number of self-immolations such as in the case of Thich Quang Duc.

The act itself occurred at the intersection of Phan Dinh Phung Boulevard and Le Van Duyet Street.

The body of Thich Quang Duc was re-cremated on the 19 June, but the heart of Thich Quang Duc survived the re-cremation intact.

The intact heart was considered holy and placed in a glass chalice at Xa Loi Pagoda in district 3.