Ho Chi Minh City  commonly known as Saigon or by the abbreviation HCMC, is the largest city in Vietnam and the former capital of the Republic of Vietnam (South Vietnam). After the Fall of Saigon in 1975, Saigon was renamed Ho Chi Minh City. However the old Saigon moniker is still used by both Vietnamese and foreigners, especially when referring to the most central part of the city, to which most tourists flock.

Get in

By plane

Tan Son Nhat (Tân Son Nhat) (IATA: SGN | ICAO: VVTS) is Vietnam's largest international airport. There are two terminals: the new international terminal, which took over all international flights from September 2nd 2007, and the old terminal, which will be reserved for domestic traffic. Immigration is notoriously strict and can be time consuming, but if your papers are in order you should be fine. It is worth noting that the all-white departure cards are only for those without the 'yellow paper' received upon arrival.

The recently introduced No. 152 air-con airport bus is the cheapest way into the city, and will drop you off on the west side of the Pham Ngu Lao area, or at the bus terminal on the south side of the Ben Thanh Market roundabout.

Taxis from the airport to the city center take 30 minutes

Tourists can change money at the airport, but you're probably better off paying for your first trip with US$ and exchanging in the city as the exchange in the airport may charge a commission as high as 3%.

Walking

Traffic is made up of a staggering amount of motorbikes and, since import duty was reduced upon Vietnam's joining of the WTO, an increasing number of private cars. However its exceptionally rare to see a motorbike of more than 150cc, and the traffic rarely gets above 20-30km/h in central areas.

However crossing the road in Saigon can be a nightmare. The first time may be a little scary, after that you will get used to it quite quickly. If ever in doubt, Saigon's "Tourist Security" officers (guys in marked green uniforms) will happily help you across.

However the true trick to crossing the road is to stay aware, and walk slowly and confidently. The motorbike riders are actually exceptionally good and will simply move to avoid you - just don't make any sudden lurches forwards, backwards, or stop for that matter! Just look for a gap or seam in the traffic, and begin a slow but steady movement.

Adherence to traffic signals in Saigon is vastly improving, and while they're not always followed, riders/drivers tend to use "best judgement". Just remember though that vehicles can ALWAYS turn right at any time (regardless of lights). Motorbikes often drive in the wrong direction (albeit quite safely and slowly) in unexpected places also. Crossing roads is therefore a challenge for Westerners used to traffic laws and traffic lights.

The streets, sidewalks, and outdoor markets are covered by motorbikes, and not yet geared towards pedestrian traffic (although sidewalk clearing campaigns are now underway - many areas of the center are easy to negotiate as long as you keep your wits about you for speeding motorbikes). However walking along the edge of the road is easy enough. Any motorbikes behind you will generally beep at you to let you know they're there.

The traffic police occupy themselves with random roadside checks and do not bother the motorcyclists that are running red lights or driving on the sidewalks. The police recently announced a crackdown on pedestrians. This does NOT mean that they will hassle you; the most likely meaning of the crackdown is that you will be held responsible if you are involved in an accident.

But there are some open sidewalks to walk safely on and just walking around the city helps you really get a taste of it. Seeing people cook on the side of the street and just standing watching traffic go by in awe is just as entertaining as anything.

Maps

Most hotels will provide a free tourist map of district 1 although these vary in quality and tend to be advertising based. The Sheraton have one of the best of these and will provide one if you ask at reception.

See

The tank that ended the war, outside the Reunification Palace

Last call for South Vietnam, Reunification PalaceReunification Palace, Enter at 135 Nam Ky Khoi Nghia Street, 9693272. Open daily 7:30AM-11:00AM, 1PM-4PM. Also known as Independence Palace (this is the old name). This is a restored five-floor time warp to the Sixties left largely untouched from the day before Saigon fell to the North (construction started in 1962 and finished in 1966). Formerly South Vietnam's Presidential Palace, the war ended on April 30, 1975 when tank #843 — a replica of which is now parked on the lawn outside — crashed through the gate. Be sure to check out the impressively kitschy recreation room, featuring a circular sofa, and the eerie basement, full of vintage 1960s phones, radios, and office equipment, supposedly left exactly as it was found when the North took over. There is also a photo gallery and a propaganda film recounting how the South Vietnamese supporters and American imperialists succumbed to Ho Chi Minh's indomitable revolutionary forces, upon which point the South Vietnamese supporters were forgiven and everyone lived happily ever after. Tours are available and are free, but not necessary. There is a nice outdoor café on the grounds outside the palace. Entry 15,000 dong.

War Remnants Museum, 28 Vo Van Tan Street. Open daily 7:30AM-12PM, 1:30PM-5PM, last admission 4:30PM. Formerly known as the of Exhibition House of American War Crimes, the museum was opened in a hurry, less than five months after the fall of the South. It's currently housed in a rather confused assemblage of seven warehouses, with new purpose-built premises partially open for temporary and permanent exhibits. This disturbing display of man's cruelty during the Vietnam (American) War includes halls full of gruesome photographs, a simulated "tiger cage" prison and jars of deformed fetuses blamed on Agent Orange.

There is bias as surprise, surprise there are no records of any unpleasant deeds having been committed by the North Vietnamese Army. Outside, there are helicopters, jets, tanks, and other bits of armament. However watch out for the amputees who will try and sell you thier wares. It's only a block from the Reunification Palace — see the museum pamphlet for a map.

On Le Quy Don, just south of the museum, is a 2000 dong/cone soft ice cream vendor, a happy treat in a hot and hectic city.

City Hall, end of Nguyen Hue Street. Originally called the Hôtel de Ville and now formally re-branded the People's Committee Hall, it's a striking cream and yellow French colonial building beautifully floodlit at night. No entry, but the statue of Uncle Ho in front is a very popular place for photos.

Museum of Vietnamese History, at the intersection of Le Duan Street and Nguyen Binh Khiem (just inside the zoo gates). The museum has a fine collection of Vietnamese antiquities, but unfortunately they are accompanied by signage which is both in poor English and full of risible Marxist distortions. Read up on Vietnamese history first or you'll have no idea what you're looking at. Outside, the Botanical Gardens are very nice and a good place for a cheap lunch away from the crowds. If you care about animal welfare, avoid the zoo.

Ho-Chi-Minh Museum, Duong Nguyen Tat Thanh, Dist. 4. Open daily 7:30AM-12:00PM, 1:30PM-5PM, last admission 4:30PM, 10,000 dong entry. The museum (in a French colonial era building) near the dock of Saigon shows the life story of the modern day father of Vietnam, Ho Chi Minh (the guy on the money). There's also a Ho Chi Minh book shop as well.

Religious sites

Notre Dame Cathedral, Han Thuyen Street, facing down Dong Khoi (next to the Post Office). Closes for lunch and on weekends. A French-built Catholic cathedral in the city center. Free entry.

There are several Chinese temples in Cholon, the Chinatown district of old Saigon. Only a few are listed here.

Incense, Thien Hau PagodaThien Hau Pagoda, 710 Nguyen Trai Street, Cholon. Dedicated to Lady Thien Hau, the sea goddess, who left two giant turtles to keep an eye on things in her absence. A festival is held in her honor on the 23rd day of the March lunar month. Don't miss the gorgeous sculptures in the walls of the courtyard outside the temple. Entry free.

Quan Am Pagoda, 12 Lao Tu, Cholon (Just off Hung Vuong, close to Thien Hau Pagoda). Open 8AM-4:30PM. The oldest pagoda in town, home of a lot of incense and a cheerful puppy. Entry free.

Phung Son Tu Pagoda, 408 3 Thang 2 Blvd (On the outskirts of Cholon). Dedicated to the god of happiness and virtue. The pagoda itself is dusty and dwarfed by high-rises under construction nearby, but the small, sculpted grounds are a good place for a rest from the hectic city.

Do

If the heat starts to get you down, there are several water parks where you can splash around to cool off.

Dam Sen Water Park, 03 Hoa Binh, Ward 3, District 11, Mon-Sat 8:30AM-6PM, Sundays and Holidays 8AM-7PM. Close to the city center. Opened in 1999, with new water slides added each year — this water park offers some truely unique water slide experiences (including the amazing "Space Bowl")! You'd be a “fool” to resist. Restaurant, health services, and animatronic dinosaurs are on the premises. Do be careful though as the slides here tend to be much faster than many others - basically follow the signs on the slides.

Saigon Water Park, just north of the city in the Thu Duc District, has been demolished to make place for urban development, but there's also Water World in District 9, Ocean Water Park in District 7, and Dai The Gioi Water Park in District 5.

The Saigon River isn't for swimming. The park in front of the Renaissance Hotel offers nice views of the river. Make sure you know how to cross the road before attempting to get there. Expect to encounter some beggars in the park.

Visiting hair salons is also a must do for tourists, as Vietnamese are famous for it. Hair wash, manicure

Buy

As corny as it sounds, Saigon is a paradise for shoppers. Beautiful handicrafts and deliciously tacky tourist junk are in endless supply. If you love to shop and have at least elementary bargaining skills and a good eye, your money will go a long way and you can enjoy virtually endless retail entertainment. Your bargaining skills will come in handy everywhere except major tourist shops. Generally speaking, anything not marked with a price sticker can be had for about two thirds the price first quoted.

Vietnamese arts and crafts, or mass-produced resin knock-offs thereof, are sold by dozens of shops around the central tourist district. The best, most expensive items can be mostly found on Dong Khoi or the immediate side streets; and the goods tend to get progressively simpler and cheaper as you move west toward Ben Than Market (though the best wood-carving shop is a stall on the back side of Ben Thanh). A few shops have authentic woven silk textiles from Sapa and the north. Lacquered paintings, plates, bowls, etc. are quite striking and unique to Vietnam.

If your friends at home love tacky tourist crap, you are in luck! You will find an astounding array of toy helicopters made from Coca Cola cans, fake Zippos and cigarette lighters made from hollow M-16 ammunition, and Good Morning Vietnam T-shirts.

If you are a Coffee lover, buy enough to fill those empty corner of your luggage. Vietnamese coffees are among the best in the world, and very inexpensive. Because Saigonites drink so much of it, the beans on display in scores of shops around District 1 are always quite fresh. Whole beans sealed in a plastic bag will last quite well until you return, and provide a lingering souvenir of your visit to Ho Chi Minh City.

Markets

Ben Thanh Market, west end of Le Loi, recognizable with its clock tower on the large traffic circle. The largest old-style market in the central district, with several hundred small stalls stuffed with goods on almost impassably narrow aisles. Due to its popularity with tourists, the market is now divided about half and half between tourist goods (jeans, T-shirts, smaller souvenirs in abundance) and the stuff of regular life (fruit and vegetables, rice, kitchen wares, flowers, meat, fast food, and local-style pickled fruits and candies). Most items are not price-marked, and vendors always quote a 50-100% higher price to tourists vs. locals, so the fortitude to haggle will save you some money. (There is some talk of 'fixed' prices are being introduced, though if you are polite, and don't offend the vendor's pride, and are willing to walk away, no price is truly fixed). If the good selection of knock-offs here just won't do, there's plenty to be had in the surrounding side street shops or night market later.

Night Market (just outside of Ben Thanh Market). Here you can enjoy many kinds of different food and drink, and go round to do your shopping as well. Open from 5:00pm (when the Ben Thanh Market closes).

War Surplus Market, sometimes called the American Market, in Cholon. Dense warrens of stalls with old American military gear of indeterminate authenticity, cheap t-shirts, and electrical supplies.

Supermarkets and department stores

Tax Department Store, corner of Le Loi and Nguyen Hue. Formerly the Russian Market, this is now a rather sterile department store of sorts filled with stalls selling touristy kitsch, although the selections get better as you ascend the levels. There's a good supermarket on level 2. If you are traveling here by taxi, the new name may be met by blank expressions from taxi drivers. The old name seems to work.

Small western-style supermarkets, can be found in the Saigon Center, corner of Pasteur and Le Loi; and in Diamond Plaza, behind the Cathedral, on the top floor of the department store.

A Co-op Supermarket, frequented by throngs of the Saigon middle-class, can be found at the corner of Nam Ky Khoi Nghia and Nguyen Dinh Chieu, about 1 km from the center. Prices are reasonable, though the selection leans more toward Vietnamese culinary requirements.

Two western-style department stores exist near the center: Parkson on Dong Khoi a block north of the Opera house, and Diamond, three blocks further north behind the Cathedral. For most visitors, the only reason to go there is to enjoy the air-con, and derive some amusement from the silly-high prices of western-branded consumer goods.

Souvenirs

Phuong Mai Art Gallery, 129 B Le Thanh Ton St., Dist.1 (near the Norfolk Hotel and the Revolution Museum). A gallery showing contemporary Vietnamese artists, both established and emerging. There's another showroom at 213C Dong Khoi in Dist. 1.

Oil-Painting - Bui Vien Street, near backpackers area in De Tham and Pham Ngu Lao streets, in District 1. There are several shops along this street selling oil painting at reasonable prices (ranging from US-300). If you like a portrait of vietnamese paintings or even have your own photographs oil-painted, shop around here. You can get a readily available portrait within a day or two.

Others

Electronics Just a warning for others, whilst some of the countries cheapest electronics can be found on and around Huynh Thuc Khang, be aware most shops are selling counterfeit items. Things such as dodgy iPods are easy to spot when compared to the geniune thing, but items such as camera batteries are much more difficult. If you are thinking about buying some extra memory for your digital camera, be warned that most of the memory will be fake. Fake Sandisk II Ultra cards are ubiqitious and extremely difficult to tell apart from real ones. These cards are apparently of low quality and one has to ask if it is worth risking your holiday snaps. It is probably worth mentioning that fake batteries have the potential to explode, too, so be careful. You might even be better off buying this stuff from home. That said, you can pick up some bargins if you know what you're looking for. Just exercise caution; if it is too good to be true and so forth.

Lacquer ware One of the stand out things to bring home from Saigon.

Clothes Vietnamese silk is fabulous and Hoang Khai shows the world. His flagship Khai Silk store at 107 Dong Khoi is a must visit. Next door, Creation and Indochina provide sterling competition. Ladies, you are spoilt for choice after this. Follow your nose, but make sure you don’t miss La Bella, La Bella Blue (Pasteur and Le Thanh Ton), Song (Dong Khoi and Le Thanh Ton and in Eden Mall on Dong Khoi), and acclaimed designer Minh Hanh (Just up from Dong Khoi and Ngo Duc Ke). Look out for exquisite hand embroidered items along the way.

Budget

Food stalls are scattered all over the city, but there's a fair collection in the Ben Thanh market (see Buy). For local fast food, try the ubiquitous Pho 24 chain.

Along Pham Ngu Lao there are many budget Westernised options, and venturing a bit further into the side alleys can uncover some better choices than on the main streets.

Drink

Coffee shops

Vietnam is the worlds second largest exporter of coffee behind Brazil, and cà phê is very popular among the Vietnamese. It's a paradise for coffee-loving visitors. The local style is strong and sweet; key words to remember are: sua (sweetened condensed milk), dá (ice), and nóng (hot, pronounced "nowm"). Cà phê dá is strong, sweet iced coffee; and cà phê sua dá is the same with condensed milk. Cà phê sữa nóng is brewed fresh on your table brewed in a little metal apparatus placed over a cup; just lift it off when it has cooled enough to touch (and hence drink).

Since ice might or might not be made with purified water, strictly cautious visitors should avoid it, though long-term residents consume ice from reputable cafes and restaurants all the time.

Espresso, cappuccino, and American-style filter coffee are now also widely available in the tourist district, usually at twice the price of the local style.

Cafe Sao. Near the Turtle Pond. Plays loud techno music. Attractive but pretentious crowd.

Get out

The Cu Chi Tunnels are part of an extensive network of underground passages which extend as far as Cambodia. Built by the Viet Kong, the tunnels played a strategic role in the Communists’ victory. Since the vast network included hospitals, kitchens, dormatories, weapons factories and even classrooms, thousands of guerillas could move themselves and their weapons undetected for great distances. A section of the tunnels is open to visitors. If you are small enough, you can try to wiggle through some of the narrow passageways. Another tunnel system at Ben Duoc was constructed just for tourists to crawl around in. If that’s not enough wartime nostalgia, you can even fire a variety of automatic weapons.

Another fascinating day trip is to Tay Ninh, the center of the Cao Dai religion, which has perhaps two million followers in Vietnam. Cao Dai is a 1920’s invention which took the best of Catholocism and Asia’s great religions, plus a dab of Hollywood. (The sect has bestowed sainthood on Victor Hugo and Winston Churchill, among others.) Visiting the ostentatious but breathtaking cathedral is the highlight of the trip to Tay Ninh. The noon worship service is open to visitors has been compared to a scene from Disney’s Fantasia.

Mekong Delta boat tours are available with an almost infinite mix of itineraries. They can be short overnight trips, leisurely meanders over several nights, or end in a boat + bus to Phnom Penh in Cambodia, which will have you spending a night in a cheap hotel in Chau Doc before making the trip over the border (cross-border package prices may include visa support, which should cost US-30). If doing a two or three day Mekong Tour (which is exceptionally worth while), expect to be shuffled between tour companies along the way.

Mui Ne - popular beach resort about 4-6 hours away by bus

Vung Tau - city with great beaches, about 2 hours away by bus, or less by boat along the Saigon River