Ho Chi Minh (Saigon), Vietnam City Travel Information
The Pho (Vietnamese noodle soup) in Ho Chi Minh City was fantastic!
City Description:
Ho Chi Minh City (HCMC) or "Saigon" as many locals and foreigners still refer to is the largest city in Vietnam located in the South. It is bustling with activity, extremely congested with traffic and has a feel to it all of its own making it unique amongst the cities of Vietnam.
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City Highlights:
The best "Pho" (a traditional Vietnamese soup you can find anywhere in Vietnam) that I had was in Ho Chi Minh City. It was very, very good! I highly recommend trying some during your stay in Vietnam, make sure to go to a place with the locals though.
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City Lowlights:
The traffic in Ho Chi Minh City is pretty crazy. Simply walking across the street can be enough to turn your hair grey.
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Restaurants:
In the touristic heart of Ho Chi Minh City you can find many restaurants that cater to Western Taste at very good prices. Venture out a bit and make sure to try some "Pho" (noodle soup) at one of the many stands. Also, on many of the sidewalks you can find vendors selling sandwiches made out of baguettes that will fill you up at a very cheap price (I can't vouch for the cleanliness of those stands though).
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Nightlife:
A good deal of clubs and pubs can be found at the Pham Ngu Lao area which is where most of the tourist hotels and hostels are. If you want to hang out with the locals, you are going to have to venture out of this area. In either case, Saigon has plenty of places to party at.
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Public Transport:
There is a bus system, but I never figured out how to use it and it always looked packed to the brim with people ready to burst. A cheap and easy way to get around is by motor bike, but make sure to agree on a price before you leave (same goes for taxis). There are also cyclos (three wheeled bicycles that have a bench seat on the back two wheels), but they aren't as plentiful and take forever to get around.
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The People:
For being a "communist" country the people sure do seem to be on a capitalistic kick. Almost anywhere you walk in the tourist area is greeted with offers to buy souvenirs or rent motor bikes. However, if you say no and keep walking for the most part the Vietnamese in Ho Chi Minh City will respect that and let you be. As for the locals I got to meet, they were all very friendly and helpful. I wasn't sure what kind of reception I would get being an American in Vietnam, but people always had a smile on their face and I never had any problems with anyone.
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Sights:
There isn't much to see in Ho Chi Minh City. There are a couple of museums, with the most popular one being the "War Remnants Museum" where you can see a lot of atrocities from the Vietnam War (along with a good deal of propaganda). One very popular thing to do from Ho Chi Minh City is to visit the Cu Chi Tunnel complex on a day trip. It is a series of tunnels used by the Viet Cong during the Vietnam War.
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My Thoughts on this City:
Ho Chi Minh City was an extremely busy place that seems to be on a freight train of economic and cultural progress. It is hot, loud and exhausting to walk around in, yet the people I met were usually very friendly and helpful making the stay there somewhat pleasant. It is still a very busy place without a ton of things to do in regards to tourism, so I think anywhere from three to six days would be more than enough.
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