We had been planning to visit the Municipal Theatre Ho Chi Minh City while we are here in Vietnam, either to have a look through or to see the A O Show by Lune Productions.

So it was great timing when family visited from Thailand and we had the opportunity to see both the theatre and the show in the one visit.

I’ll write about the details of the shows at the Opera House below as the building is shared by Lune Production and also the Ho Chi Minh City Ballet Symphony Orchestra and Opera.

It’s better to write about the shows and the theatre on the same page as most people would be going to see the building and a show at the same time.

As we were with family we had the pleasure of a taxi ride into the city for tonight’s performance rather than catching the bus like we normally do.

So that was a bonus as well!

The Municipal Theatre Ho Chi Minh City is in the heart of city and is a short walk from Walking Street if you are in that area.

When you first see the building at night it certainly is impressive.

I think it has something to do with the space around the building and of course the great lighting.

This space around the building gives the flamboyant French architecture breathing space and is quite refreshing amongst the squash of the big city.

It certainly is a great looking building.

Front of the Municipal Theatre Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon Opera House)

[Read more…]

The Ho Chi Minh City Museum or the Gia Long Palace as it is referred does tend to get bashed a bit on reviews I found on a lot of the big travel websites.

We didn’t find it too bad though, but we do like this sort of stuff more than most.

You have to take things for what they are sometimes and not compare them too much to other places or museums you have visited.

Sure some of the tourist attractions in Ho Chi Minh and in Vietnam differ to what you expect.

But if you are interested in the history of Vietnam and like to read and learn about it with an open mind, all of the museums and other experiences cover all of the bases.

I don’t usually complain about complainers, so I’ll leave this here.

The day started for us the same way we usually do when we are venturing out into the city with a visit to Ben Thanh Market.

We caught the bus into the cities heart and got off just around the corner from the market.

It was early afternoon and not a Public Holiday this time, so it was busier than last time we were there.

If you use Ben Thanh Market as a base in the city like we have, you can walk to most of the major tourist attractions in Ho Chi Minh City.

So, like us, if you are on a budget you can catch the bus into the city, get off at the Ben Thanh Market stop and then walk to places like the Ho Chi Minh City Museum.

This gives you a real look into the city as well rather than the views looking out from a taxi.

It takes about 10 minutes to walk from the market to Ho Chi Minh City Museum.

Main Building of the Ho Chi Minh City Museum