Ho Chi Minh City
Saigon River, District 2 & the New Face of Ho Chi Minh City
The Saigon River waterfront and the emerging District 2 (Thu Duc City) across the river show a radically different face of Ho Chi Minh City from the colonial and wartime heritage of District 1 — the ultra-modern new city rising on the east bank of the Saigon River is Vietnam's most ambitious urban development project and a glimpse of the country's future.
Mekong Delta & Floating Markets — The River World Beyond Saigon
The Mekong Delta (Đồng bằng sông Cửu Long — 'Nine Dragon River Delta' — the vast flat river delta of the Mekong River (Sông Mê Kông) in southwestern Vietnam, covering approximately 39,000 km² and home to approximately 17 million people — the most productive agricultural region in Vietnam, producing approximately 50% of the country's rice and 70% of its fruit and vegetable output): the Mekong Delta is the essential day-trip or overnight destination from Ho Chi Minh City, offering a completely different landscape and lifestyle from the urban bustle of the city.
Phở, Bánh Mì & Saigon Street Food — Vietnam on a Plate
Vietnamese street food in Ho Chi Minh City (the most diverse and vibrant street food culture in Southeast Asia, encompassing the southern Vietnamese food traditions of Saigon and the surrounding Mekong Delta region alongside street food traditions from central and northern Vietnam): Ho Chi Minh City is the best single city in the world for Vietnamese food, with the full range of regional Vietnamese cuisines available at street stalls and local restaurants throughout the city.
Ben Thanh Market, District 1 & the Colonial Heart of Saigon
District 1 (Quận 1 — the central district of Ho Chi Minh City, containing the highest concentration of colonial French architecture, five-star hotels, international restaurants, and tourist attractions in the city) is the historic core of French colonial Saigon and the starting point for any exploration of Ho Chi Minh City.
Saigon After Dark — Rooftop Bars, Night Markets & the City That Never Sleeps
Ho Chi Minh City's nightlife (one of the most energetic in Southeast Asia, characterized by the city's reputation as a 24-hour city where restaurants, street food stalls, and convenience stores operate through the night, and where the rooftop bar scene, the backpacker bar district of Bui Vien, and the Vietnamese craft beer and coffee culture coexist with the traditional street life of the city): Saigon's nightlife is simultaneously the most hedonistic and the most culturally interesting in Vietnam.
Jade Emperor Pagoda & Saigon's Temple Culture
Jade Emperor Pagoda (Chùa Phước Hải — 'Phước Hải Temple', also known as Chùa Ngọc Hoàng — 'Jade Emperor Pagoda', at 73 Mai Thị Lựu Street in District 1 — the most atmospheric Taoist temple in Vietnam and the most visited temple in Ho Chi Minh City): the pagoda (built in 1909 by the Cantonese immigrant community in Saigon, dedicated to the Jade Emperor (Ngọc Hoàng — the highest deity in the Taoist pantheon)) became famous internationally after US President Barack Obama visited during his May 2016 trip to Vietnam.
Saigon's Creative Scene — Contemporary Art, Design Districts & Vietnamese Coffee
Ho Chi Minh City's creative scene (the most dynamic in Vietnam, centred on the Design District (Khu Thiết kế) emerging around Nam Ky Khoi Nghia Street and the surrounding cafes, galleries, and creative studios of the former French Concession area of District 3): Ho Chi Minh City has undergone a remarkable creative renaissance since the mid-2010s, with a flourishing café culture, a growing contemporary art scene, and an internationally recognized graphic design and fashion industry.
War Remnants Museum, Cu Chi Tunnels & the History of the American War
Ho Chi Minh City (Thành phố Hồ Chí Minh — the largest city in Vietnam by population (approximately 9-13 million including the metropolitan area), known as Saigon (Sài Gòn) until 1975, renamed after the revolutionary leader Hồ Chí Minh following the fall of the city on April 30, 1975 — the most significant event in recent Vietnamese history and the defining moment of the Vietnam War (known in Vietnam as the 'American War' (Chiến tranh Chống Mỹ cứu nước — 'War of Resistance Against America')): the city's wartime history and the physical and cultural traces of the conflict are the most powerful and internationally significant aspects of the city for outside visitors.
Cholon — Saigon's Chinatown & the Chinese Community of District 5
Cholon (Chợ Lớn — 'Big Market', the Chinatown of Ho Chi Minh City in District 5 and District 6 — the largest Chinatown in Southeast Asia and the commercial heart of Vietnamese Chinese (Người Hoa) culture in Vietnam): Cholon was historically the commercial engine of Saigon and remains the most economically important Chinese community in Vietnam, with a population of approximately 500,000 ethnic Chinese (Hoa) residents.