Show Notes: Ho Chi Minh City — Then and Now

In this episode, Senior Writer Chin Teh Liang takes us to Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam’s largest and fastest-changing metropolis. Once known as Saigon, the city still carries the echoes of its wartime past and its elegant French colonial heritage—yet today it’s a booming, modern powerhouse with a skyline that surprises first‑time visitors.

What We Cover in This Episode

A City of Layers: Colonial Beauty, War History, and Modern Energy

Chin arrives during the 50th anniversary of Vietnam’s reunification, where long lines form outside the War Remnants Museum. Inside, he encounters some of the most powerful wartime photography in the world, along with reconstructions of prison “tiger cages” and even the original guillotine once used on prisoners.

Outside, the museum grounds display decommissioned helicopters, tanks, and fighter jets—sobering reminders of the country’s past.

French Colonial Architecture That Still Stuns

Ho Chi Minh City’s nickname, “The Little Paris of the East,” becomes clear as Chin explores its architectural gems:

1. Museum of Fine Arts — originally a tycoon’s mansion, now a museum filled with contemporary art, ancient sculpture, and breathtaking interior details like spiral staircases, stained glass, and Art Nouveau balconies.
2. Saigon Opera House — modeled after Paris’s Petit Palais, still offering nightly performances and pre‑show tours.
3. Street shoe‑shiners — a living remnant of the French colonial era.

The New Saigon: Skyscrapers, River Cruises, and the Metro

Along the Saigon River, glass towers rise above the water, including the iconic Bitexco Financial Tower and Landmark 81. Chin takes a nighttime river cruise, gliding under the color‑lit Ba Son Bridge while a violinist plays on board.

And for the first time ever, the city now has a brand‑new metro system, with 14 stations already running and more on the way—transforming how both locals and visitors move around the city.

Food, Cafés, and Sky‑High Dining

Ho Chi Minh City’s food scene is as diverse as its architecture:

1. The Café Apartment — a nine‑story residential building where every unit is a café. Perfect for people‑watching along the river promenade.
2. The Albion at Hôtel des Arts Saigon — a fine‑dining tasting menu featuring goose mousse, Hokkaido scallop, Wagyu tenderloin, and desserts made with Vietnamese chocolate, all served with panoramic city views.

A City Transformed

From war relics to world‑class dining, from colonial mansions to a futuristic metro, Chin reflects on how astonishing it is to see a place once defined by conflict now thriving as a vibrant, modern metropolis.

Today on Go Nomad, we take you to Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam.

Senior writer Chin Liang recently traveled to Vietnam, and what he found was a city that refuses to be defined by any single chapter of its past.

As he wrote, the city is taking on a new lease on life without losing the charm of its French colonial heritage and the evident scar of a war.

This is Ho Chi Minh City, then and now.

Its colonial elegance, its wartime memories, and its bold leap years into the future.

Ho Chi Minh City, formerly known as Saigon, is the largest city in Vietnam.

For many people, the name Saigon conjures up images of wartime newsreels or cyclists in conical bamboo hats weaving through the streets.

But as Chin discovered, that image is only a small part of the story.

And there was one place that captured the weight of that history more than anywhere else.

1 the war remnants Museum.

Chin describes a long line of visitors stretching outside the entrance, all waiting to confront the country's wartime past.

Outside, a junkyard like display of decommissioned military relics sets the tone.

Chinook.

Helicopters, tanks, fighter jets.

Silent reminders of a turbulent era.

The Vietnam War.

Inside, the experience becomes even more intense.

The museum's galleries are filled with raw graphic photographs.

Photography.

As Chin writes, all the images are so powerful, they will stay with you long after you leave.

These include photographs of Agent Orange victims, the effects of dioxin exposure, and the aftermath of phosphorus bombs.

One of the most haunting exhibits is a reconstruction of the infamous Tiger Cage prison.

Life sized mannequins crouch in a tiny roofless cell, exposed to the brutal tropical sun.

And then there's the real guillotine.

You.

Yes, the actual one used on prisoners, its blade still suspended above.

It's a sobering experience, but an essential one for anyone trying to understand the city's past.

But Ho Chi Minh City is not defined by the war alone.

In fact, one of its most striking qualities is its French colonial architecture.

The city has long been called the Little Paris of the East.

And as Chin notes, it is no exaggeration.

One of the most beautiful examples is the Museum of Fine Arts.

Originally the mansion of a wealthy local tycoon, the building itself is a work of art.

Inside, you'll find contemporary paintings, ancient sculptures and ceramics.

But it's the architecture that steals the show.

Chin describes the grand spiral staircase with wrought iron railings winding around a stained glass window.

And the petite Art Nouveau balconies The whole place radiates an old world elegance that feels almost cinematic.

A short walk towards the Saigon river brings you to another colonial gem, the Saigon Opera House.

Built in the 19th century and modeled after Paris's Petit Palais, it's a stunning example of French design transplanted into Southeast Asia.

And if you're catching a show, Chin recommends arriving early for the pre show tour.

And if you want a quirky slice of colonial era nostalgia, you can even get your shoes shined by one of the street shoe polishers nearby.

A tradition that that survived from the French era into modern Vietnam.

Ho Chi Minh City is also a place to find fantastic baguettes, I'm told.

But step away from the colonial streets and you'll see a very different Ho Chi Minh City emerging along the Saigon River.

The skyscrapers rise like shimmering glass towers.

The best way to take in this futuristic skyline is a nighttime river cruise.

Chin describes drifting past the Bitexco Financial and Landmark 81, Vietnam's tallest building.

The boat glides under the Ba Sun Bridge, illuminating then shifting colors.

A young violinist walks the aisle playing music that makes the whole scene feel almost dreamlike.

And while the city once swarmed with cyclists in bamboo hats, today it's a sea of scooters weaving between cars.

But there's a new transportation option changing the rhythm of the city.

The Metro 14 stations are already open and more lines are on the way.

It's a sign of a city charging into the future.

Underground, of course, no visit to Ho Chi Minh City is complete without talking about food.

While classics like pho and spring rolls are everywhere, the city's dining scene has become incredibly international.

If you love cafes, who doesn't?

There's a place for you absolutely have to see the cafe apartment.

Jin describes it as a nine story residential building where every unit is a cafe.

You hop from one to the other, each with its own vibe, while watching the crowds stroll along the promenade below.

For something more upscale, head to Albion on the top floor of Hotel Des Arts Saigon.

Their tasting menu includes goose mousse, Hokkaido scallops, wagyu tenderloin and a dessert made with hazelnut and Vietnamese chocolate.

And the panoramic city views are spectacular.

Looking out over the skyline, you will probably be amazed.

Looking at was once a war zone, but now transformed so that is almost unrecognizable.

That transformation, layered, complex and ongoing, is what makes Ho Chi Minh City so compelling.

Ho Chi Minh City is a place where history and modernity collide in the most vivid ways.

From colonial mansions to neon skyscrapers.

From wartime scars to world class cuisine.

It's a city that invites you to look closer and listen and learn.