A guide to Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam

For our second time in Vietnam we arrived in Ho Chi Minh City formerly known as Saigon. Ho Chi Minh City has a population of around 10 million people and it is insanely busy. There is so much to see and do that it has to be in your Vietnam travel plans.

Where to stay

We stayed in an Airbnb in the district 1 area of Ho Chi Minh City. We found this to be a good location as it was in walking distance of most places. Our Airbnb was all good apart from a minor ant infestation which the host dealt with quickly!

I would recommend staying in district 1 and if you want to go further afield then just grab a taxi.

How long to visit for

We had three full days in Ho Chi Minh which I would say is the perfect amount of time to explore and see everything.

I mention the Cu Chi Tunnels at the end of this post. We would have had time to do this if we had organised it beforehand but sadly we didn’t. Make sure you plan your time in Ho Chi Minh to ensure you get to do everything you want to

Things to do

Little Hanoi Egg Coffee- we went to this cafe several times for lunch and it was lovely every time. They did the best toasties and were even able to make one vegetarian for me. You have to visit here if you’re in Ho Chi Minh City. I think there are two different branches of the cafe in the city.

Catfe- this is a cat cafe which spanned over several floors. It cost us around £6 for two of us for entry to the cafe and they had unlimited self serve drinks and snacks. The drinks and snacks were pretty basic but they did the job. There were loads of cats which looked pretty happy and had a lot of space to roam around.

Bui Vien walking street- this was the most mental street we walked down in South East Asia. There were bars lining each side with music blaring out at full blast. There were male and female dancers at the front of each bar giving it their all. People were absolutely everywhere and it was just mental. We didn’t go in any of the bars but just walking down the street was an experience in itself.

Notre Dame cathedral of Saigon- unfortunately there was scaffolding up when we visiting but from what I’ve seen on Google images it’s meant to look lovely!

Saigon central post office- the building is impressive and it’s worth seeing. You’re able to buy and send postcards too if that’s what you’re into. It was pretty busy so we didn’t spend long there.

War remnants museum– this was a very interesting museum with a lot of information, tanks, planes, and tiger traps. It was previously known as the Museum of Chinese and American War Crimes. It’s well worth a visit to find out more about what happened to the people of Vietnam in the war with America, and in conflicts with other nations.

Stroll through the flower markets- the flower markets are beautiful and it is lovely to walk through the park admiring all of them.

Ho Chi Minh City book street– as the name suggests this is a whole street dedicated to books. It’s closed off to traffic and there are loads of different book shops lining the street. It’s a pleasure to walk down and browse the books on offer.

The cafe apartments- this is an old (massive) apartment block that has been turned into loads of different cafes. You do have to pay to use the lift so we stuck with the stairs. We chose a random cafe that I can’t remember the name of and had a lovely coconut coffee. You could spend hours wandering around and trying out the different cafes here.

How to get around

Whatever you do please don’t rent a motorbike in Ho Chi Minh City. The roads are absolutely insane. I thought Hanoi was mental. Ho Chi Minh is on another level. There is an insane amount of traffic and it goes so fast. You take your life in your hands when you cross the road!

I couldn’t even imagine the stress of trying to drive a motorbike there because everyone just seems to do whatever they want. It is a walkable city and if there if somewhere a bit further afield then taxis are a very cheaper and accessible option. Try Grab or Bolt.

The best time to visit

The best time to visit Ho Chi Minh City is December to April. We visited in February and the weather was fine to be walking around in. Slightly hot at times but manageable.

The monsoon season is May to November so it’s probably best to avoid visiting then unless you’re prepared to get soaked.

What we didn’t get chance to do

Cu Chi Tunnels- the Cu Chi Tunnels are underground tunnels that were used by the Viet Cong soldiers in the Vietnam war. There are also exhibits of traps and weapons used during the war. We didn’t realise until we got to Ho Chi Minh City that the Cu Chi Tunnels were about an hour and a half drive away from where we were staying. In hindsight we should have been more prepared and looked into booking a tour there as we ended up missing out.

Tan Dinh Church- this is a beautiful pink church that dates back to the 1870s. We simply ran out of time to go and see this church. It wasn’t too close to anywhere else we went which is why we didn’t get there. It looks stunning on photos I’ve seen so try and see it if you can.