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Photo: Lê Minh Phát, CC BY 2.0 via Wikimedia Commons
The highest tower of Vietnam with 81 floors which is 461.3 m, it has a big mall inside which includes a CGV cinema. Landmark 81 are also surrounded in a complex of apartments as part of Vinhomes' Tan Cang, or Central Park. Access the views by paying for SkyView (top 3 floors; 300k/500k weekdays/weekends, children/elderly half price; 200k for VND students on weekdays) or by patronizing one of the restaurants/cafes/lounges on the upper floors (prices vary, but tend to be 100k+ VND, high for Vietnam but about average for global HCOL cities; these are accessible through the Marriott Autograph Collection hotel by transferring elevators at the hotel's skylobby). There's also reasonably priced local and international food in the food court on the lower level.
Landmark 81 is a supertall skyscraper in Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam. It is primarily invested in and developed by Vinhomes, the largest Vietnamese real-estate developer. Landmark 81 holds the position of the tallest building in Vietnam, the second-tallest building in Southeast Asia, as well as the seventeenth-tallest building in the world overall.
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The museum has a fine collection of Vietnamese antiquities. Read up on Vietnamese history first or you'll have no idea what you're looking at. Outside, the Botanical Gardens are very nice and a good place for a cheap lunch away from the crowds. Six times a day, you can see a 20-minute water puppet show (adult 50,000 dong, child 35,000 dong). It's quite amusing, even for adults.
A rare gem and a must see for geology & natural history enthusiasts. This 3-story building houses a collection of earthly artifacts (and even some non-earthly ones), including a few rare examples. Sadly in a state of neglect with poor lighting and little to no interpretive text. You can read more about it here.
A museum detailing the life and achievements of politician Ton Duc Thang, known for his role as president. The first floor has a special exhibit (as of February 2018 about his time on the infamous prison island of Con Dao) and the second floor has a biographical display featuring artifacts, dioramas, and photographs telling the story of his life; there is also a painting gallery.
Chùa Ngọc Hoàng or Phước Hải Tự
A Taoist temple considered by many to be Saigon’s finest, dedicated to the Jade Emperor, the king of the gods in Chinese mythology. Built by Cantonese immigrants in 1909. Check out the room filled with unusual figurines, to the left of the main hall. There are many turtles in a concrete pond in the courtyard. A calm place to rest from the city noise.
One of 12 mosques in Ho Chi Minh City, the Central Mosque was built in 1935. It was constructed for worshipers from southern India then resident in Saigon, but now Muslims from as far as Pakistan and Indonesia come to pray. Friday has the biggest congregations. The shaded veranda and cool stone floors make it an ideal place to sit, read, or even nap in the heat of the day. As with most mosques, remember to take your shoes off before entering and dress conservatively if you wish to enter.
Nhà hát Thành phố or Opéra de Saïgon
An opera house built by the French during the colonial period, and without a doubt one of the finest performance venues in Southeast Asia. In modern times it is home to the critically acclaimed AO show, an acrobatic show that fuses Vietnamese traditions with modern Cirque Nouveau performances. Occasionally hosts classical music performances when the AO show is not being performed.