Ho Chi Minh City, still Saigon to almost everyone who lives there, runs on caffeine and two-stroke engines. Millions of motorbikes surge along boulevards laid out by the French, past pastel colonial buildings, incense-filled pagodas and a skyline that seems to gain a tower every year. It is hot, loud, young and impatient to get on.
The sights are concentrated in District 1 and can be covered in a couple of days, much of it on foot. The rest of your time should go on eating, drinking iced coffee on the pavement, and two classic day trips: the wartime tunnels at Cu Chi and the waterways of the Mekong Delta.
Don't miss
The big sights
War Remnants Museum
Museum
Photo: Diego Delso, CC BY-SA 3.0 The most visited museum in the city documents the Vietnam War, known here as the American War, through photographs, military hardware and personal accounts. Tanks, aircraft and helicopters stand in the courtyard; the galleries upstairs are far harder going. It is told from the Vietnamese side, and it stays with you.
Tip: Some of the photography is graphic. Think twice before taking young children into the upper galleries.
Independence Palace
Landmark
Photo: Diego Delso, CC BY-SA 3.0 Also called the Reunification Palace, this was the seat of the South Vietnamese government, and the place where a North Vietnamese tank crashed through the gates in April 1975 to end the war. It has been kept much as it was: 1960s reception rooms, a rooftop helipad, and a basement of map rooms and radio sets.
Saigon Central Post Office
Landmark
Photo: Yesvn123, CC BY-SA 4.0 A handsome French colonial building from the late nineteenth century, with a vaulted iron-framed hall, old painted maps on the walls and wooden phone booths. It still works as a post office, so you can send a postcard from the counter. Across the square stands the red-brick Notre-Dame Cathedral, which has spent recent years under restoration.
Jade Emperor Pagoda
Landmark
Photo: Dhushara, CC BY 3.0 A Taoist temple built by the city's Chinese community in the early twentieth century, and one of its most atmospheric. Inside it is dim and thick with incense smoke, crowded with carved wooden figures of gods and heroes. Worshippers come and go constantly, so it feels lived in rather than preserved.
Saigon Skydeck
Landmark
Photo: Diego Delso, CC BY-SA 3.0 The observation deck of the Bitexco Financial Tower, the lotus-bud skyscraper with a helipad jutting from its side, gives a full circle of views over District 1 and the loops of the Saigon River. Go late in the day to see the city switch from haze to neon.
Neighbourhoods and markets
Ben Thanh Market
Market
Photo: Diego Delso, CC BY-SA 3.0 The clock-towered market hall in the middle of District 1 is the city's best-known landmark. Inside is a tight grid of stalls selling coffee, dried fruit, lacquerware, fabric and souvenirs, with a food section in the centre. It is hot, pushy and good fun.
Tip: Bargain with a smile. Starting prices for visitors are optimistic.
Dong Khoi and Nguyen Hue
Neighbourhood
Photo: Steffen Schmitz (more photos), CC BY-SA 4.0 Dong Khoi is the old colonial high street, running from the cathedral down to the river past the Opera House and grand hotels. Parallel to it, Nguyen Hue is a broad pedestrian boulevard leading to the ornate City Hall. In the evening half the city seems to come here to stroll.
Cholon
Neighbourhood
Photo: frank mckenna frankiefoto, CC0 The city's Chinatown, west of the centre in District 5, is one of the largest in the world. Come for the wholesale bustle of Binh Tay Market and for Thien Hau Temple, where huge spirals of incense hang from the ceiling and burn for days. It is a grittier, more traditional side of Saigon.
Bui Vien Street
Nightlife
Photo: Bahnfrend, CC BY-SA 4.0 The backpacker strip, closed to traffic at night and lined with bars pumping out competing soundtracks. It is neon, noise and cheap beer on plastic chairs, and it is not for everyone. For a calmer drink with a view, the rooftop bars of District 1 are the city's other great evening habit.
Eat and drink
Banh mi
Food
The Vietnamese sandwich is at its best here: a light, crackling baguette spread with pâté and mayonnaise, layered with cold cuts or grilled pork, then pickled carrot, cucumber, coriander and chilli. It is sold from carts on every other corner and eaten at any hour.
Com tam
Food
Photo: Christopher Crouzet, CC BY-SA 4.0 Broken rice is the signature dish of Saigon: fractured grains once thought second-rate, now served under a chargrilled pork chop, with shredded pork skin, a slice of steamed egg meatloaf and a spoonful of sweet fish sauce. It is a proper plate of food, and a favourite local breakfast.
Ca phe sua da
Food
Vietnamese iced coffee: dark, strong coffee dripped slowly through a small metal filter on to sweet condensed milk, then poured over ice. Saigon drinks it all day, at pavement stalls and in the many cafés tucked inside old apartment blocks.
Day trips
Cu Chi Tunnels
Day trip
North-west of the city, a vast network of tunnels was dug by hand and used by Viet Cong fighters during the war as living quarters, supply routes and hiding places. Short sections have been preserved and widened for visitors. You can crawl through one, see the concealed entrances and understand how people lived underground.
Tip: The tunnels are tight, hot and dark. Skip the crawl if you dislike confined spaces; there is plenty to see above ground.
The Mekong Delta
Day trip
Photo: Balon Greyjoy, CC0 South of the city the Mekong splits into a maze of channels, islands and orchards. Day trips usually head for the towns of My Tho and Ben Tre, swapping the coach for boats along palm-shaded creeks, with stops at fruit farms and coconut sweet workshops. It is a gentle contrast to Saigon's roar.
Where to stay in Ho Chi Minh City
Not sure which area suits you? Read our guide: Where to stay in Ho Chi Minh City →
★★★★
Adora Mira Hotel
Ho Chi Minh City
Pool · 70 rooms
From £54 a night, taxes incl.2 adults · checked 14 Nov, 09:38
★★★★
Alagon D'Antique Hotel & Spa
Ho Chi Minh
Spa · Pool
From £88 a night, taxes incl.2 adults · checked 14 Nov, 09:38
★★★★★
Caravelle Saigon
Ho Chi Minh City
Spa · Pool · Parking
From £165 a night, taxes incl.2 adults · checked 14 Nov, 09:38
★★★★
Anoasis Resort Long Hai
Vung Tau
Spa · Pool · 74 rooms
From £53 a night, taxes incl.2 adults · checked 14 Nov, 09:38
★★★★
Au Lac Charner Hotel
Ho Chi Minh City
From £96 a night, taxes incl.2 adults · checked 14 Nov, 09:38
★★★★★
Majestic Saigon
Ho Chi Minh City
Spa · Parking
From £123 a night, taxes incl.2 adults · checked 14 Nov, 09:38
★★★★
Bamboo Village Beach Resort & Spa
Phan Thiet
Beach 10 m · Spa · Pool
From £159 a night, taxes incl.2 adults · checked 14 Nov, 09:38
★★★★★
Pullman Saigon Centre
Ho Chi Minh City
Spa · Pool · Family-friendly
From £131 a night, taxes incl.2 adults · checked 14 Nov, 09:38
Getting around
District 1 is walkable, though the heat and the traffic slow you down. For everything else, ride-hailing apps are the easy answer, with cars and motorbike taxis at fares fixed in advance. Organised tours are the simplest way to reach Cu Chi and the Mekong Delta.
When to go
It is hot all year. The dry season, roughly December to April, is the most comfortable. In the wet season, from around May to November, expect short, heavy downpours most afternoons, after which the city carries on as normal.
Questions about visiting Ho Chi Minh City
- What is Ho Chi Minh City best known for?
- Its wartime history, told at the War Remnants Museum, Independence Palace and the Cu Chi Tunnels, along with French colonial architecture, street food, coffee culture and motorbike-filled streets.
- How many days do you need in Ho Chi Minh City?
- Two days covers the main sights in the centre. Add one day for the Cu Chi Tunnels and another for the Mekong Delta.
- Is Ho Chi Minh City worth visiting?
- Yes. It is Vietnam's biggest and most energetic city, with important history, excellent food and easy day trips into the countryside.
- Is Ho Chi Minh City the same as Saigon?
- Yes. Saigon was renamed Ho Chi Minh City in 1976, but the old name is still widely used, especially for the central districts.
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