Tourist information about Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon)

General information

Ho Chi Minh City tourist area at night

Some believe that tourists visiting Vietnam are divided into those who love Hanoi and those who love Ho Chi Minh City. Perhaps this is true, and to understand which category you belong to, you can only when you visit both there and there.

Ho Chi Minh city - the official name of the city since 1976. This name is used mainly in official documents, signs, addresses and schedules. And for the population of Vietnam, Ho Chi Minh City is still the good old Saigon, and almost no one uses the new name colloquially.

Ho Chi Minh City is the largest city in Vietnam (more than 7.5 million inhabitants) and the economic capital of the country (about 300 thousand enterprises). For many tourists arriving here, Saigon may seem like just a boring industrial city, few people linger here. But there are also those who purposefully stop in Saigon to plunge into its bustle, wander through shopping centers and walk along the rows of the Ben Thanh market, visit numerous parks and squares, spend carefree evenings in cafes, restaurants and bars in the tourist area. There are also several historical monuments, famous places, museums and temples. Images of exotic and ordinary life are everywhere - street markets where people haggle and make deals, cafes on the sidewalks whose stereo speakers fill the surrounding streets with music; clean new pubs where tourists chat over a mug of beer with peanuts and a huge plate of pho soup.

Tank at the Reunification Palace / View photos in 3D

The city is located in the south of the country (Ho Chi Minh City on the map) and is quite an attractive place for tourists looking for an interesting holiday not related to lying on the beach. Saigon is also a transfer point for tourists who go on vacation to the resorts located in the south of Vietnam Phan Thiet and Mui Ne, Fukuoka Island or Vung Tau.

From Saigon you can go to almost all corners of Vietnam, and not only. Numerous excursions in the vicinity of Ho Chi Minh City, the Mekong Delta, Cambodia, Laos and Thailand can be bought for just a few tens of dollars. In Saigon itself, you will not have any problems with visiting attractions and recreation areas at all: a developed public transport network, an abundance of taxis and motorcycle taxis will allow you to get to the threshold of your hotel immediately after arriving in the country, even from the airport, in just a few rubles.

Of course, Ho Chi Minh City is not Bangkok, with its cutting-edge discos and nightlife frenzy (but who knows what will be here in a couple of years), but a few days stolen from your vacation is well worth a visit to the city.

If you are not ready to visit Vietnam and Ho Chi Minh City on your own, you can pick up and buy tour to Ho Chi Minh City Onlinea.

360 panoramic & deg; photo of Ho Chi Minh City Square

Weather. Tourist seasons

Ho Chi Minh City is in the south of the country and has a very hot tropical climate. Humidity averages 75%. The year in this part of Vietnam is divided into two seasons: the rainy season - from May to November; the dry season - from December to April.

The average temperature is +28°C, on especially hot days in April the temperature can reach +39°C. By and large, the season of the year for staying in Saigon is not a big deal. In the wet season, the rains here, although abundant, are rather short-lived, and are rather a relief from the heat and stuffiness than an inconvenience.

Seasons in Ho Chi Minh City by month, when is the best time to go

Current weather in Ho Chi Minh City and forecast for the near future:

Ho Chi Minh City time

In summer and winter, Vietnam time is +4 hours ahead of Moscow time.

Useful information

Rush hour in Ho Chi Minh City is usually from 7:00 to 8:30 and from 16:30 to 18:00.

Settling is best in the Ben Tan market area and the tourist area formed along Pham Ngu Lao Street. There you can find both cheap hotels, hostels or hostels, and a room for a long time.

Bus number 152, which is very cheap to get from the airport to the tourist area or back, runs only 06:00 to 18:00. After 18:00 will have to get a taxi.

Currency exchange rate at Ho Chi Minh City Airport quite acceptable for exchanging the initial amount. So, in one day, the exchange rate at the airport was 20,932 dong per dollar, and in the city the rate was 21,250, i.e. the difference is only 1.5%. Also at the airport in both terminals there are many ATMs.

Shopping in Ben Tan market. due to the great popularity of Ben Tan market with tourists and its central position in the city, prices for everything there are somewhat higher than in other markets or even shopping centers.

Fruits in Ho Chi Minh City. Fruits in Ho Chi Minh City are ubiquitous and inexpensive, but a particularly cheap fruit market near the tourist area can be found if you walk along Pham Ngu Lao Street to the west (away from Ben Tan market). At the very end of the street you will meet a small local market Cho Thai Binh.

Cheap hotels. There is no point in trying to find affordable accommodation outside the tourist area of Ho Chi Minh City formed by Pham Ngu Lao and Bui Vien streets. All the most inexpensive hotels are located here, it is simply impossible to find cheaper.