Travel information about Ho Chi Minh city (Saigon)

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General information

Хошимин Tourist district of Ho Chi Minh city by night

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

Ho Chi Minh city (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 people of Vietnam Ho Chi Minh city - still the good old Saigon, and almost nobody uses the new name in everyday speech.

Ho Chi Minh city is the largest city in Vietnam (more than 7.5 million inhabitants) and economic capital of the country (about 300 thousand enterprises). For many tourists arriving here Saigon may seem just a boring industrial city, few people linger here. But there are those who deliberately stay in Saigon, to experience the hustle and bustle, wander through shopping malls and walk through the rows of the market Ben Thanh (Ben Thanh market), visit the many parks and squares, enjoy evenings in cafes, restaurants and bars in the tourist district. There are also several historical monuments, famous places, museums and temples. Images of exotic and ordinary life are present everywhere - street markets where bargain and make deals, sidewalk cafés, whose stereo speakers fill the surrounding streets with music; net new pubs, where tourists chatting over a beer with peanuts and a huge bowl of soup Pho (Pho).

Дворец воссоединения, Хошимин Tank at the reunification Palace
View photos in 3D

The city is located in the South (Ho Chi Minh city on the map) and is quite an attractive place for tourists looking for an interesting vacation, not associated with lying on the beach. Saigon is also a transit point for tourists heading on holiday in the South of Vietnam resorts in Phan Thiet and MUI ne, Phu Quoc 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 to the Mekong Delta, in Cambodia, Laos and Thailand you can buy for just a few tens of dollars. In the heart of Saigon, you generally will not have any problems with visits to area attractions and relaxation: a well-developed network of public transport, plenty of taxis and motorcycle taxis will allow you to immediately after arrival in the country even from the airport to reach the threshold of your hotel in just a few rubles.

Of course, Ho Chi Minh city is not Bangkok, with its cutting edge restaurants and crazy night life (but who knows what will be here in a couple of years), but a few days stolen from his vacation, are visiting the city.

If you are not ready to visit Vietnam and Ho Chi Minh city on their own can pick up and buy tour in Ho Chi Minh city online.

360° panoramic photo of the square of Ho Chi Minh city


Square in front of Ho Chi Minh City Hall

Weather. Tourist seasons

Ho Chi Minh city is located in the South of the country, and it is very hot and tropical climate. Humidity average of 75%. In this part of Vietnam is divided into two seasons: the rainy season is from may to November; dry season from December to April.

The average temperature is +28°C, in particularly hot days in April the temperature can reach +39°C. By and large, the season of the year to stay in Saigon does not really matter. During the monsoon rains here, although abundant, quite short, and rather are a relief from the heat than an inconvenience.

Seasons in Ho Chi Minh city by months, when is the best time to go

Jan Feb Mar Apr May Jun Jul Aug Sep Oct Nov Dec
                       

*best time to visit;
appropriate time to visit;
not a recommended time to visit

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

Time in Ho Chi Minh city

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

Current time in Ho Chi Minh city*
The time difference with the cities:
Moscow: +4 Samara: +3
Kazan: +4 Nizhny Novgorod: +4
Ekaterinburg: +2 Novosibirsk: 0
Irkutsk: -1 Vladivostok: -3
* - if time is incorrect, refresh the page Ctrl+F5:

Helpful information

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

It is best to settle near the market Ben Thanh tourist area, formed along the Pham Ngu Lao (Pham Ngu Lao). There you can find as cheap hotels, guesthouses or hostels and the room for a long time.

Bus No. 152, which is very cheap to get from the airport to the tourist area or back service only operates 06:00 to 18:00. After 18:00 will be reached by taxi.

The exchange rate at the airport of Ho Chi Minh city is perfectly acceptable to exchange the initial amount. So, one day the exchange rate at the airport was 20 932 Dong per dollar, and in the course 21 of 250, i.e., a difference of only 1.5%. Also at the airport in both terminals have plenty of ATMs.

Shopping-Ben Thanh market. Because of the great popularity of the market Ben Thanh tourists and its Central position in the city all prices there are somewhat higher than in other markets or even malls.

Fruits in Ho Chi Minh city. Fruits in Ho Chi Minh city are found everywhere and are inexpensive, but particularly cheap market with fruits not far from the tourist area you can find, if you go on the street of Pham Ngu Lao to the West (away from the market Ben tan). At the end of the street you find a small local market Cho Thai Binh.

Cheap hotels. There is no point in trying to find affordable accommodation outside of the tourist district of Ho Chi Minh city formed by streets of Pham Ngu Lao (Pham Ngu Lao) and Bui Vien (Bui Vien). All the cheapest hotels are here, cheaper is simply impossible to find.

Comments / recent posts on the topic on the forum
Elysiumie 18 December, 2015
Friends, please correct the map location of the puppet theater on the water. A miss in Q2. ...
admin 18 December, 2015

Thank you, fixed! ...
ZardoZ September 5, 2016

Of course. There are two terminals in Saigon, one international,the other domestic. ...
admin February 20, 2017

Of course perhaps through Beijing. Only very expensive comes out more expensive than the plane. ...
January 9, 2018
Good day! Happy!
What is the amps. will you need to buy and apply for a visa in Vietnam, if you arrive from Kombodzhi a few hours before departure to Russia, i.e., the logic we transfer passengers to and from the airport is not going to go... Logic dictates that a visa should not, and come not to the home terminal, but who will disassemble them! very worried...
Thank You in advance for the answer! ...
admin January 9, 2018

Hello! You also happy!
If you are sure you no change of the airport terminal and tickets purchased in one airline, then no difficulty, just on arrival go to transit, and not to yield, and everything is OK. If you do not know where, contact the staff, they will direct you. Just need to remember to register for all flights and Luggage to the end point once in Cambodia.
If you have tickets of different airlines and they are acquired separately, then there is a problem. Theoretically, you should get out of the international zone, to Luggage, to check in with another company Luggage. It may be possible to pay staff at the airport of Ho Chi Minh city, and they arrange everything for you, but in practice I did not come, I have always been a change of terminal. ...
admin 11 January, 2018

But on the other hand, something totally forgot this option: you can in fact register for the second flight, get baggage (he's issued in the international zone), and already there to contact the staff to place your Luggage on the plane. Theoretically it should work. ...
Murzik 22 January, 2018
Worked))) ...
Sergey Ø 13 August, 2018
Got tickets from Nha Trang to Singapore via Saigon. Docked 2 hours, other companies are different. To Saigon turns a domestic flight, then the international registration and customs. There's no Luggage. Do you think you have time? ...
admin 13 August, 2018

For me, it's like Russian roulette to play, as all kick butt. If Nha Trang flight is even slightly delayed, you can not catch. Judge for yourself: even if you arrive on time and passengers aboard will release clear on the arrival time of the flight, it is necessary for the terminal to navigate to find a way to do a run of 300 meters to the international terminal, and there to quickly navigate and find the counter for registration. Even if you are a Sprinter, will take about 20 minutes. By the way, can get a bus from the airplane after landing, rather than the "passageiros", then another 20 minutes add, as long as all the passengers unloaded. Try at least online check-in done in advance, to not to waste time.
However, if the registration time, then pass the passport and customs control in time. The most important thing that the passport was not all, if you shout and ask to skip the queue. At the customs control everything as usual - the green and red channel, so if the customs officer you do not "like", it will pass instantly. ...

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