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During the Vietnam War, Da Nang was a major base for both the U.S. and South Vietnamese forces. The first American combat troops landed there in 1965, and it became a hub for operations and supply. Today its beautiful beaches, including the one dubbed “China Beach” by the Americans and Australians who used it for R&R, boast resort hotels popular with tourists.
The past is somewhat easier to imagine at the former Victoria Hotel in Saigon, which was used to house American officers and was attacked in 1966 by guerrillas. Three Americans died and the facade of the apartment building was damaged. That’s been repaired, but the faded and cracked balconies evoke memories of its past.
By contrast, the Independence Palace, the former home and workplace of South Vietnam’s president, is today set up specifically to ensure people don’t forget what it was.
North Vietnamese tanks famously broke through its gates on the day Saigon fell, and today replicas are on display outside. Inside the building, rooms seem frozen in time, displaying the offices, dining rooms, lounges and other areas used by officials, including a helicopter landing pad on the roof and operations rooms in an underground bunker.
Likewise, much of the historic core of the city is little changed, like the Opera House, which dates to the French colonial era. From the same period, the Saigon Central Post Office, which served as a communications hub, still stands, overlooked by the twin-spires of the city’s Notre Dame Cathedral. Visitors frequently enjoy a drink from the rooftop of the nearby Caravelle Hotel, a haunt of foreign correspondents during the war.
Da Nang
Da Nang is a major coastal city in central Vietnam, historically known as a significant port and a French colonial foothold. It is most famous for its proximity to the ancient Hindu temples of Mỹ Sơn Sanctuary and the Marble Mountains. Today, it is a modern economic hub and a popular tourist destination, renowned for its expansive beaches like My Khe.
China Beach
China Beach is a scenic coastal area in San Francisco, California, that became a symbolic landmark for American soldiers departing for and returning from the Vietnam War. Its name was popularized by the 1988 television drama of the same name, which depicted the lives of military nurses during the conflict. Today, it is part of the Golden Gate National Recreation Area and serves as a popular public beach.
Victoria Hotel
The Victoria Hotel is a historic hotel in Melbourne, Australia, first opened in 1880. It is a prominent example of Victorian-era architecture and has long been a landmark in the city’s central business district, known for its iconic pub and heritage-listed facade.
Independence Palace
The Independence Palace, also known as Reunification Palace, is a landmark in Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam, built on the site of the former Norodom Palace. It is most famous as the site of the end of the Vietnam War during the Fall of Saigon in 1975, when a North Vietnamese tank crashed through its gates. Today, it is preserved as a museum and a symbol of the country’s reunification.
Opera House
The Sydney Opera House is a renowned performing arts center in Australia, designed by Danish architect Jørn Utzon. It opened in 1973 after a controversial and protracted construction period that began in 1959, and its distinctive sail-like shells have made it an iconic symbol of both Sydney and modern architecture.
Saigon Central Post Office
The Saigon Central Post Office is a historic French colonial building constructed between 1886 and 1891, designed by renowned architect Gustave Eiffel. It remains a functioning post office and a major tourist attraction, famed for its grand arched interior, vintage telephone booths, and a large portrait of Ho Chi Minh.
Notre Dame Cathedral
Notre Dame Cathedral is a medieval Catholic cathedral in Paris, France, renowned for its French Gothic architecture. Construction began in 1163 and was largely completed by 1260, though it was modified in subsequent centuries. It is famous for its pioneering use of the rib vault and flying buttress, its sculptural decoration, and its iconic rose windows.
Caravelle Hotel
The Caravelle Hotel is a historic luxury hotel in Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam, which opened in 1959. It gained prominence during the Vietnam War as the preferred residence for foreign journalists and a hub for international press coverage. Today, it remains an iconic landmark, known for its classic architecture and its famous rooftop bar, Saigon Saigon.
