Ho Chi Minh City Museum

Occupying a grand Neoclassical mansion built in the late nineteenth century, this museum traces the history of the southern metropolis from its early days through the colonial period and the wars of the twentieth century. The building itself, with its columned facade and elegant halls, once served as a residence and later a government seat, and its architecture is as much a draw as the exhibits. Galleries cover trade, culture, resistance movements and archaeology, and the leafy grounds make it photogenic.