War sights in Ho Chi Minh City
- Sort by:
- Popular
-
A
Xa Loi Pagoda
Famed as the repository of a sacred relic of the Buddha, Xa Loi Pagoda was built in 1956. In August 1963 truckloads of armed men under the command of President Ngo Dinh Diem’s brother, Ngo Dinh Nhu, attacked Xa Loi Pagoda, which had become a centre of opposition towards the Diem government. The pagoda was ransacked and 400 monks and nuns, including the country’s 80-year-old Buddhist patriarch, were arrested. This raid and others elsewhere helped solidify opposition among Buddhists to the regime, a crucial factor in the US decision to support the coup against Diem. This pagoda was also the site of several self-immolations by monks protesting against the Diem regime and the…
reviewed
-
B
Cha Tam Church
President Ngo Dinh Diem and his brother Ngo Dinh Nhu took refuge in Cha Tam Church on 2 November 1963, after fleeing the Presidential Palace during a coup attempt. When their efforts to contact loyal military officers (of whom there was almost none) failed, Diem and Nhu agreed to surrender unconditionally and they revealed where they were hiding.
reviewed
-
C
Binh Soup Shop
It might seem strange to introduce a noodle-soup restaurant as a sight, but there is more to Binh Soup Shop than meets the eye. The Binh Soup Shop was the secret headquarters of the VC in Saigon. It was from here that the VC planned its attack on the US embassy and other places in Saigon during the Tet Offensive of 1968. One has to wonder how many US soldiers ate here, completely unaware that the staff were all VC infiltrators. By the way, the pho makes it a worthwhile stop for lunch or breakfast.
reviewed