Ho Chi Minh City– tag –

A complete guide to Vietnam's basket bags and plastic baskets from a resident's perspective. Covers famous brands like MONET, HANA, and Saigon Swagger, three shops on Hanoi's Hang Chieu Street, price ranges by size, and Japanese online shopping routes.

A complete guide to Vietnamese chocolate from a resident's perspective. It covers comparisons of 7 brands—MAROU, Pheva, Alluvia, T-BROS, BINON—flavor differences across 6 cacao-producing areas, 4 places to buy, and routes to obtain it in Japan.

From supermarket snacks to premium chocolate, a resident introduces 15 classic treats you can only get in Vietnam, organized by purpose—individually wrapped souvenirs, gifts for the whole office, and special treats.

A complete guide to Vietnamese food from a resident's perspective. It covers 20 staples (pho, banh mi, fresh spring rolls, etc.), flavor differences across north, central, and south, exotic dishes, traditional Tet foods, food souvenirs, and carry-on restrictions.

A resident explains flight times from Japan to Vietnam (Hanoi about 5h / Ho Chi Minh City about 6h), the four direct-flight carriers (Vietnam Airlines, Vietjet, JAL, ANA), departure airports, and points to watch when carrying souvenirs home.

Walking the sidewalks of Ho Chi Minh City, you'll see stainless-steel containers and colorful insulated buckets placed by the roadside. Handwritten signs reading "Nước uống miễn phí (free drinking water)" and "Nước mát cho người đi đường (cool water for passersby)." This is Saigo...

The "digital arrival card (PAI)", a pre-arrival declaration filed before entering Vietnam, went into pilot operation at Ho Chi Minh City (Tan Son Nhat) on April 15, 2026 and expanded in June to the airports at Hanoi, Da Nang, Phu Quoc and Nha Trang (Cam Ranh). Vietnam's Ministry of Public Security and the Japanese embassy say it is not mandatory, while the U.S. Embassy describes it as mandatory. Registration is free from three days before your scheduled date of entry, and you can also file it at the airport after you arrive.

The small café "An Miên Coffee," nestled in an alley of Phu Nhuan District, Ho Chi Minh City, has, since being featured in the Vietnamese local media Saigoneer's "Hẻm Gems (alley gems)" series, drawn renewed interest among foreign travelers as a spot to experience "Vietnam's unique ginger-coffee culture"...

On April 2, 2026, Vietnam Airlines (Vietnam Airlines) began operating direct flights connecting Ho Chi Minh City (Tan Son Nhat International Airport) and Phuket, Thailand (Phuket International Airport). With five flights a week on Airbus A321 aircraft, the promotional round-trip fare in economy class is 40...

The Michelin one-star restaurant "Pot Au Pho 2.0" in District 1, Ho Chi Minh City, was the only Vietnamese selection in U.S. magazine Condé Nast Traveler's "29 Best New Restaurants in the World." It's a 14-seat counter crafted by Vietnamese-American chef Peter Cuong Franklin...