8th ICLEHI Ho Chi Minh City : Invitation to Join on Tour + Dinner
The Secretariat wish to extend the invitation to all of 8th ICLEHI participants to come and join this unique, one in a lifetime tour.
Start your Story of Saigon with a visit to the War Remnants Museum. Here, your guide will tell the story of the city’s darkest and most tragic hours during the Vietnam War. The museum contains displays of military aircraft, weaponry and many photographs - some that are quite graphic in nature. Although many of Vietnam’s 90 million people are now too young to remember the war, its legacy is still felt strongly across Vietnamese society.
Next, visit the Reunification Palace, once a symbol of the South Vietnamese Government. It was here on 30 April 1975, that the war ended when a North Vietnamese Army tank crashed through its gates. See the war room, the banquet hall and the presidential office with the unusual gifts which have been received. Then, continue to the Central Post Office, designed and constructed by the renowned architect Gustave Eiffel, and take a moment to send a postcard! Just behind the post office is the Notre Dame Cathedral, an iconic Saigon landmark built in neo-Romanesque style by the French between 1863 and 1880. Today it’s a favoured backdrop for Vietnamese wedding photographs.
* Since the Notre Dame Cathedral is closed for renovation since July 1st 2017, we can only view the church from the outside at this time. Depending on the time of construction, different parts of the church will be visible. Thank you for your understanding.
Next, stroll down follow Dong Khoi Street, which figured prominently in Graham Greene’s famous Vietnam novel, The Quiet American, as Rue Catinat. The walk ends at the Saigon Opera House. From a bomb shelter to housing the parliamentary Lower House, the Opera House has had an interesting history. Return to your hotel around late afternoon.
For the next session of the tour, please gather at the conference hotel lobby by 6:30pm, where you will be driven to the pier and your awaiting 19th century emperors dragon boat, the Bonsai. Sip cocktails on the deck as the boat glides along the Saigon River and take in the city scenery as you meander past high rise buildings, shops and the occasional factory. Canapés are then served as a live band begins to play. Get your dancing shoes on and take a twirl around the dance floor! A buffet dinner of Vietnamese and European favourites is served as the boat passes the downtown skyline. Enjoy after-dinner drinks on the deck and take a last round of photos before the boat arrives at the pier around 9:30pm. From there a vehicle will shuttle you back to your hotel - just in time to sample Ho Chi Minh City’s vibrant nightlife!
Don’t miss this once in a lifetime tour that you will definitely won’t forget! Tour fee of USD100 per person will be charged and must be paid before 24 November 2017. Please send your request to our email or simply click the following link: [email protected].
*Any request for additional person after the deadline will be charged USD120 per person.