Observatory

Ho Chi Minh City


This excellent musical cooperative now has a permanent location in a block with a skyline view for its DJ events and gigs featuring emerging electronic musicians and bands. It's one of the best places to check out the underground scene in HCMC. Check the Facebook page for listings.


Lonely Planet's must-see attractions

Nearby Ho Chi Minh City attractions

1. Tao Dan Park

0.19 MILES

One of the city's most attractive green spaces is 10-hectare Tao Dan Park, its bench-lined walks shaded with avenues of towering tropical trees, including…

2. Mariamman Hindu Temple

0.28 MILES

Only a small number of Hindus live in HCMC, but this colourful slice of southern India is also considered sacred by many ethnic Vietnamese and Chinese…

3. Venerable Thich Quang Duc Memorial

0.36 MILES

This peaceful memorial park is dedicated to Thich Quang Duc, the Buddhist monk who self-immolated in protest at this intersection not far from the…

4. Reunification Palace

0.42 MILES

Surrounded by royal palm trees, the dissonant 1960s architecture of this landmark government building and the eerie ambience of its deserted halls make it…

5. War Remnants Museum

0.49 MILES

To understand the US invasion of Vietnam, and contextualize its devastating impact on the country's civilians, this remarkable and deeply moving museum is…

6. Norodom Palace Gatehouse

0.51 MILES

The only surviving structure from the original Norodom Palace (which was bombed in 1962 and replaced with today's Reunification Palace) is this impressive…

7. Xa Loi Pagoda

0.52 MILES

The inner walls of this sanctuary, famed as the repository of a sacred relic of the Buddha, are adorned with paintings depicting the Buddha’s life…

8. Fine Arts Museum

0.55 MILES

With its airy corridors and verandas, this elegant 1929 colonial-era, yellow-and-white building is stuffed with period details; it is exuberantly tiled…