Ho Chi Minh City Travel Guide

There are lots of reviews of the War Remnants Museum on here and elsewhere, so I was expecting a particularly harrowing and one-sided affair. It wasn't quite like that, perhaps because I was already interested in military history so had already been horrified by Calley and Medina at My Lai (and had some faith in humanity returned by Thompson,...

I wasn't sure whether to put Ben Thanh market in the tourist trap section. When I went there at night, the main market was closed, but there were many tourist souvenir stalls in the street beside, flogging tat. They'll ask you for more than three times the price of the fixed price shops and then you would have to try to argue them down to a price...

The war was ended for a long time, but on annual occasion of 30th April, the whole country recalls the tenacious battle and hardships of the Vietnamese Revolution. On occasion of a long holiday: 30th April, 1st May and King Hung death anniversary, it is quite interesting and meaningful to see the true history that is clearly reproduced. The Cu Chi...

This is a beautiful clothing store, Clothes have many colors, and strange style, but beautiful and impressive. The shop has a special combination, not only has clothes, but also has a nail corner, and a reading space. The perfect nail services. I love this place :)

I have dined at the Ngon Restaurant twice; it is upscale and the food could not be better. Very reasonably priced and absolutely fantastic entrees. Of all my dining experiences while in Vietnam, this was equal to dinner at the Four Seasons Nha Trang; which was also elegant, delicious food but, double the price.

Pho 24 is a large chain of Vietnamese pho (noodle soup) restaurants with several outlets in Ho Chi Minh City. We ate at the branch on Phan Chu Trinh opposite Ben Thanh Market during our visit to the city in May 2013. We visited Pho 24 towards the end of our stay, by which time we had already eaten pho in several restaurants throughout the city and...

Ok,... I live in HCM and I can give you some advice about Apocalypse Now Club. First of all, this is not a Disco Club, is it clear? This place is a bar, with ugly music, very expensive drinks and 99% of the girls there are Hookers. This is the place where you go, knowing that you will pay alot of money for stupid drinks and you will be surrounded...

Part two of the Rex Hotel Roof Top Beer Garden tips with more pictures. During the Vietnam War, the Rex was a favorite watering hole for American officers and after the end of the war, it has several renovations but the roof top garden remained and still packs them crowds specially the former Veterans of the Vietnam war and curious tourists like...

had a spanish band reeling out spanish numbers... little did I understand but the music and the band members dancing salsa, involving the guests ensured that everyone was enjoying the music and the atmosphere. the terrace is a great place to sit and enjoy the evening... breezy, great view... and the large french windows (?) ensured that you got a...

There are numerous taxi services available in Ho Chi Minh City, but the most professional we found was Vinasun. They have a number of taxi ranks around the city, at which you will be given a slip with the details of the car which will take you in case you need to make a complaint. We also hailed them on the street and they always used their meters....

The Airportbus (Nr. 152) run's from 6am until 6 pm (stop unmarked before the national airport, 100 meters to the right from the international airport) to De Than street, after 6 pm only taxi (get coupon inside the airport)

Because we had read of tourists being fleeced by cyclo riders in Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon), we were extra careful when we decided to take the cyclo to save us some walking from Ben Thanh market to the Bitexco Financial Tower which is a distance you can cover on foot in 10 minutes. The riders told us 15,000 dong per person and to avoid any...

I travelled to Vietnam from Singapore for a holiday. Prior to arriving I researched and emailed a few tailors about making a traditional 3-piece morning suit, I spent a lot of time explaining the fabrics I wanted, the style and my stature to help with the quote. I was responded to by Kien from Cao Minh who quoted USD$500-1000. I explained to him...

All purpose market with lots of tourist and craft stalls. This is the best place for souvenirs. It sits in the center of town in the Chinatown district and has everything one could want at a reasonable price.

THE BEN THANH MARKET IS NOT FOR EVERYONE, BUT A GOOD LOOK SEE They have everything under a roof and their oringinal food court is not bad. Coffee shops, clothes, jewelery is sold to tourist and mass market, but there is one crazyer than this in Chinatown call the BINH TAY MARKET that sells wholesale to all the other tourist market. All my life I...

When eating with chopsticks, do not leave the chopsticks in the rice bowl at the end of your meal. This resembles the incense sticks used to commemorate a death and is considered insulting. Place the used chopsticks side by side either on the table or more commonly, on top of the bowl. Do not tap the edge of your rice bowl with your chopsticks: The...

Though Vietnam seems like any thriving capitalist city in asia, it is still a communist country by heart. You'll see propaganda pictures and policemen everywhere, even in places like Apocalypse Now ( A Happening Night Spot Frequented by Tourists and Yuppies) Needless to say , talking about politics is a no-no but asking about Uncle Ho is fine. The...

School girls still wear the traditional costume the "ou dai" as there school uniforms. It consist of pants covered by a mid length dress or blouse with a long slit down both sides. The pants are usually white with the blouse being multiple colors.

This sounds risky,but locals say that you just step out,make eye contact with the nearest approaching vehicle and keep walking.The first few times it took some nerve,but after a few attempt's found that it did work ,and the traffic went around you.However,if your lucky you won't have to wait long before one of the city's tourist police will come to...

I have been going to Vietnam for 9 years for a month every year and not had any problems. But be careful and don't be fooled, trust no one. For instance if you get your shoes shined, they say $1.00 but when they are finished they want more, just say you want the dollar or nothing, that takes care of that. Always keep your wallet (men) in your...

Be wary of the high prices some stuffs are being sold at the famous Ben Tanh market. For most parts they try to sell it at first call 50 +% higher than the original price. Try to haggle and bargain at the lowest possible they if they don't bite - just leave. Most of the time they will chase for you to come back and give in at the lowest price. Be...

For those Tourist who's brain seems to be shutting down allot and surrender to the threats of the Vietnamese people, deserve to get screwed. First off i went to Vietnam and yes at first we agree to a price range that is acceptable and once i got off to my destination, this cab driver demanded more money from me, i left and said thank you, he...

we arrived in hcmc around 1am and we didnt see any mai linh or viansun taxi so we took the saigon air taxi ...befor e we rode the cab we asked the one in charge if it was metered, he assured us yes it was, half way to our hotel the cab driver suddenly was asking for us$20! we were arguing that it was agreed that itll be based on meter but the...

The Saigon River isn't smelly anymore when i went unlike what has been described by the others. However there really isn't that much to see either. The banks are lined with industrial boats and construction works. You will not get to see much of Saigon on the cruise. They do have preformances like fire-dancing on board, But otherwise there isn't...

you can buy class A counterfeit Bags like Kipling, Samsonite, Mango, Prada, Louis Vuitton, Gucci, Etc. at Lucky Plaza Mall, Benh Than Market and lot of other stores in District 1 and at the nguyen hue boulevard facing the ho chi minh statue or at the nearby Dong Khoi Street just parallel to Nguyen Hue Boulevard plus really cheap silk bags for the...

The popular Vietnamese Straw hat not only protects you from the sun but also from rain sinece it's waterproof! Straw hats are a generic in asia an most asian countries like china, korea, cambodia, philippines, malaysia, etc have their straw hats and are basically made from dried straws and are made into different designs but the vietnamese straw...

If you are going to do a cross country trip in Vietnam utilizing the different modes of transportation available, I suggest that you pack a silk sleeping bag liner with you. It is a practical thing to have specially if you are going on an overnight trip via Camel Bus or train. :) It will keep a barrier between you and the scratchy wool blanket...

After visting My Tho we boarded a boat and set out to explore the Mekong Delta. It was Hogmanay we had lunch in a little restaurant on an island and the local children played us Auld Lang Syne on their traditional musical instruments. As a Scot, I suddenly felt overwhelmed with homesickness; something I thought I would never again feel. We visited...

On our trip to Tay Ninh and Cu Chi we also visited a lovely Buddhist temple in Chau Doc. Chau Doc is best known for a massacre. On July 11 1957 anti-Diem insurgents stormed a bar in Chau Doc and killed 17 people who were drinking inside.The victims were tied up and then machine gunned. The crime was apparently carried out by communists opposed to...

The capital of the same-named province, Tay Ninh is situated 95km northwest of Ho Chi Minh City and is the original home of the Cao Dai religion which has around 3 million adherents in Southern Vietnam. Tay Ninh is home to the Cao Dai Great Temple, built between 1933 and 1955, which sits a few kilometres outside of the town. A rather garish meld...

Saigon Water Park is just a great place to visit. The hotter it is the more refreshing this place is. The water park was built with the aid of an Australian company so the standards are just like in the west. The entrance fee is 60.000 Dong. There are around 30 water slides, a wave pool, a children's wading pool, guarded lockers to put your stuff...

If you think you'd enjoy running or walking in the Vietnamese countryside, then join the Hash! They meet every Sunday at 2:30pm at the Caravel Hotel. It costs about 200,000 dong ($13 US), which covers transportation and all you can drink beer or water. Most people opt for the beer. =P Make sure you bring your sense of humor as members will...

If you love golf, you have to visit the Song Be Golf Resort. The resort is beautiful and very first class. The course is an 18 hole course spread out over some of the most beautiful Vietnamese land complete with beautiful palm trees, water bunkers filled with lotus blossoms, sand traps too numerous to count, and lush green fairways. It is about a...

Dont go during TET, many places are closed and everyone goes home to their home town to be with family. Its a great happy time if you are vietnamese and are back home with your family but for tourist, not so much. Services are more expensive during that time Oct - Nov will usually have rain everyday or evening District 6 will experience flooding...

In a small park by the river you will find sculptured topiary trees as shown in the photos. These are popular in parks and gardens are sort of a life size bonsai. You'll also find them is some temples.

-- My eighth visit to Saigon was from April 23-26, 1965. I stayed in the Dong Khanh Hotel again, and I remember that I went swimming several times at an outdoor pool that belonged to a formerly very suave French colonial club, now not so suave and exclusive but still very nice. I also saw some films at various Vietnamese cinemas where I was...