Ho Chi Minh City is a city kind even to first-time visitors.
The strong tropical sun, the ceaselessly running swarms of bikes, the smell of life spreading on the street. This city is full of overwhelming energy. People eating seated on small plastic chairs at the foot of high-rises coexist with a refined rooftop bar a few meters away. New and old, local and global exist at once — that's Ho Chi Minh City.
By not overloading your schedule and slipping into the back alleys, the city's essence comes into view. The less a place is arranged as a tourist destination, the more concentrated the Ho Chi Minh City-ness. A sightseeing style that values feeling over efficiency functions comfortably in this city.
This time, we've compiled 14 practical tips for enjoying Ho Chi Minh City efficiently.
1. Use bike taxis well
Indispensable as a means of getting around Ho Chi Minh City is the bike taxi.
Using the Grab app fixes the fare in advance and lets you avoid money troubles. For short-distance moves it's faster than an ordinary taxi and can slip through traffic — that's the appeal. However, first-timers may feel a bit nervous.
When riding, always wear a helmet and hold your belongings in front. If you're not used to riding on the back of a bike, starting with short distances at first is recommended.
2. Tour French colonial-era architecture
Ho Chi Minh City has many beautiful buildings from the French colonial era remaining.
Saigon Notre-Dame Cathedral, the Saigon Central Post Office, and the Reunification Palace are concentrated within walking distance. These buildings are maintained as tourist spots, but interestingly they blend into everyday scenery.
The Saigon Central Post Office functions as a working post office, and you can actually send mail to Japan. Buying a retro-designed postcard and sending it to yourself makes for a travel memory too. Hours are 7:00 to 19:00 on weekdays and 8:00 to 18:00 on holidays.
Feel history at the Reunification Palace
The Reunification Palace is known as the place where the Vietnam War ended.
A building used as the presidential palace in the South Vietnam era, the interior is preserved as it was at the time. The contrast between the lavish interiors of the meeting rooms and reception rooms and the basement code-breaking room and communications room is striking. From the rooftop helipad you can command a view of Ho Chi Minh City.
3. Experience café culture
Ho Chi Minh City's cafés are not mere eateries but a part of life.
Before work, between tasks, an evening break, a nighttime rendezvous — different people gather by time of day. Options are wide-ranging, from simple sidewalk cafés to hideaway-like shops renovated from old buildings.
Vietnamese coffee is rich and sweet, characterized by condensed milk. On hot days iced coffee is recommended, but drinking it hot lets you enjoy the coffee's inherent flavor. Once you enter a café, spending time slowly without rushing is the Ho Chi Minh City way.
4. Feel the local air at a market
Ben Thanh Market is famous as a market for tourists, but if you head to a local market a little off-center, everyday life unrelated to tourism spreads out.
People choosing ingredients, people chatting, people carrying goods by bike come and go, and the market becomes a crossroads of life. Ben Thanh Market has a full range of souvenirs and local food, but since haggling is common, starting negotiations from about half the quoted price is the trick.
Shopping techniques at the market
At the market, many staff speak English or Japanese, so it's good to enjoy haggling without getting worked up.
Looking around several shops to grasp a sense of the going rate before buying is recommended. The early morning hours have many locals, and from evening on a night market for tourists is held.
5. Walk the town at night
Ho Chi Minh City at night shows a completely different expression from the day.
The temperature drops a little, people's movement grows lively, and the whole town becomes open. The lights of stalls, music, and the engine sounds of bikes resound. Gazing at the night view from atop a high-rise is fine too, but entrusting yourself to the flow of people on the ground lets you feel the town's pulse more strongly.
Around Dong Khoi street, the lit-up buildings are beautiful at night, ideal for a stroll. In front of the Ho Chi Minh City People's Committee building, the fountain is lit up, letting you enjoy a fantastical atmosphere.
6. Slip into the back alleys
Turn one street off the main road and laundry flutters, children play, and the smell of meals drifts.
The less a place is arranged as a tourist destination, the more concentrated the Ho Chi Minh City-ness. You may be puzzled at first, but walk a while and that jumble comes to feel comfortable. Hidden in the back alleys are small eateries and cafés known only to locals.
Without fearing getting lost, try slipping into an alley that catches your eye. With your smartphone's GPS, you can return to your original spot anytime.
7. Watch water puppet theater
Water puppet theater, a traditional Vietnamese performing art, can be watched in Ho Chi Minh City too.
At the Rong Vang Water Puppet Theater, puppet plays themed on Vietnamese rural life and legends are performed. Even without understanding the words, the music and puppet movements are plenty to enjoy. The show runs about 50 minutes, performed multiple times from evening into night.
8. Learn history at the War Remnants Museum
The War Remnants Museum is an important facility conveying the realities of the Vietnam War.
The indoor exhibits introduce in detail, through photos and materials, the weapons used during the war and the effects of defoliants. Outdoors, actually used fighter jets, helicopters, and tanks are displayed. The exhibit content is shocking, but it gives an opportunity to deeply consider the misery of war and the preciousness of peace.
Cautions when visiting
The explanations in the museum are available in Vietnamese, English, and Chinese.
Since the exhibit content deals with heavy themes, visiting after preparing yourself mentally is recommended. Hours are 7:30 to 17:30.
9. Take Instagrammable photos at Tan Dinh Church
Tan Dinh Church is also called the "Pink Church" for its vivid pink exterior.
Built in 1876 during the French colonial era, it's characterized by a neo-Romanesque design. The interior too, based on white and pink, lets you feel a solemn yet gorgeous atmosphere. Since Catholic worship and rites are still held, avoiding worship times when you visit is advisable.
10. Day trip to the Cu Chi Tunnels
The Cu Chi Tunnels, an hour and a half to two hours one way by car from central Ho Chi Minh City, are an underground tunnel network used during the Vietnam War.
You can actually enter inside the tunnels and experience the life and combat of the time. The narrow, dark tunnels make you feel the harshness of the war. Many day tours are run, and you can choose from half-day to full-day courses.
11. Shopping on Dong Khoi street
Dong Khoi street is known as Ho Chi Minh City's main street.
French colonial-era buildings line up, dotted with stylish cafés and shops. You can enjoy wide-ranging shopping, from luxury brands to local handmade goods. There are many spas and massage shops too, and dropping by between strolls is recommended.
Recommended goods shops
Around Dong Khoi street are many shops handling Vietnam-like goods.
Embroidery products, ceramics, accessories, and other items ideal for souvenirs are available. The prices are tourist-spot prices, but the quality is high and you can buy with peace of mind.
12. Command a view of the city at the Saigon Skydeck
The Saigon Skydeck on the 49th floor of the Bitexco Financial Tower is an observation deck with a 360-degree view of Ho Chi Minh City.
The city scenery looked down on from a height of 178 meters is overwhelming; you can enjoy the city's expanse by day and the night view at night. Buying tickets online in advance can cut wait times.
13. Enjoy authentic flavors at a local eatery
Ho Chi Minh City's appeal is, above all, the food.
The standard Vietnamese dishes like pho, banh mi, and fresh spring rolls are tastiest eaten at a local eatery. Restaurants for tourists are fine too, but trying an eatery bustling with locals lets you experience the authentic taste.
If you're concerned about hygiene, choosing popular or crowded shops is reassuring. Shops with fast turnover have fresh ingredients and stable taste.
14. Value feeling over efficiency
What matters in Ho Chi Minh City sightseeing is sensation over efficiency.
Even if things don't go as planned, there are unexpected discoveries. The time you fled into a café worn out by the heat, the eatery you reached after getting lost, the short conversation exchanged at a shop you entered by chance. Such fragments pile up and become the memories of a trip.
This city feels difficult if you try to understand it perfectly. But accept staying without fully grasping it, and it suddenly becomes comfortable. Ho Chi Minh City is not a city to look at, but a city to place yourself in. Even just staying a few days, by the time you leave, this city's rhythm remains within you.
Ho Chi Minh City is a city where new and old, local and global exist at once. Touring sightseeing spots efficiently matters too, but by not overloading your schedule and walking while feeling the town's air, this city's essence comes into view.
Mastering bike taxis, taking a breather at a café, wandering into the back alleys. The accumulation of such experiences is the real charm of Ho Chi Minh City sightseeing.
On your next trip, be sure to visit Ho Chi Minh City and experience this town's rhythm.
