Traveller's Tales: Things to do in Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon), Vietnam

Learn about leisure and recreation in Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon), Vietnam. You may read about their travel activities and adventures. Find out their travel tips and guides and discover fun things to do in Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon), Vietnam.Also, you might want to read our Central Vietnam city guide, Halong Bay city guide, Hanoi city guide, Ho Chi Minh city guide, Phan Thiet city guide, and Hoi An city guide.

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S Chee	10 April 2005
Stayed at Bong Sen Hotel - Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon), Vietnam.
Buy a taxi coupon from the airport, hotels all charge too much...more than double. USD4-5 will get you into the heart of town while the hotels charge anything from USD12-22 for pick up service. Taxis are generally reliable but make sure they use the meter. Vietnamese food, especially the noodles (pho) are great and there are now chains eg Pho24 just around the corner from this hotel, that offer good fare at prices slightly above local stores but they are clean and hygienic. The highlight was a local restaurant within about 300m of the Reunification Palace that served fabulous local food at very reasonable prices. It is a restaurant housed in an old bungalow with seating both inside and al fresco with about 20 stalls lining the sides. Ask the hotel staff about the LOCAL restaurants for local fare and they will helpfully recommend them. We only took a tour to the Cu Chi tunnels which are well worth a visit. The firing range with charges of USD 1 per bullet is cheap compared to Phuket in Thailand which charges USD2 per bullet.The Russian Market at Saigon Sq and the BinTanh Market are worth exploring. There are bargains to be had for clothing, back packs and practically everything else. Good quality coffee can be bought at the latter. Be VERY careful when crossing roads, the motorbikes are everywhere and they don't necessary obey traffic lights!!
R Isaksen	04 April 2005
Stayed at Renaissance Riverside Hotel Saigon - Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon), Vietnam.
Saigon is a vibrant city, and Vietnam counrtyside is beautiful and interesting. It's a place to visit before it becomes too "touristy". Lots of people watching. Streets are safe, and fun to walk. Prices, even in the big hotels are still below average. Ann's Tours was exceptional. My wife is in a wheelchair, they arranged tours even on the Mekong Delta small boats and the Cu chi tunnels, having extra help along the way. The guide and driver were very helpful.
M Gerard (2nd call)	30 March 2005
Stayed at Kimdo Royal City Hotel - Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon), Vietnam.
Stayed at the Kimdo Hotel and it is literally next door to the TAX dept store. Not only did we use the supermarket for food, actually bought T-shirts, ao dai's, robes,etc in the supermarket.!!! There is a fountain in front of the Opera and we would go there in the evening...when families were there with their children! Great fun. Our most memorable day was the one when we went to DAM SEN PARK, District 11..we took a taxi and spent a Sunday with all the locals! We were the only caucasians there. We got stared at, bowed to, asked to be in photos with them,etc. For one whole day, there was not a vendor in sight who wanted us to buy anything! Another great place to mingle with the locals: Quan An Ngon restaurant at 138 Nam Ky Khoi Nghia...decent food and VERY few tourists. Had lunch one day at Vietnam House and I'd highly recommend it too. Our biggest disappointment in all of Vietnam was our 2 day Mekong delta trip. We signed on with Delta Adventures (highly recommended from Lonely Planet AND people we met along the way). Do not think they stuck to the itinerary. It was a very lackluster two days. Forgot to mention that although it IS a long day, thought the Cao Dai Temple was VERY impressive and worthwhile.
H Viikinniemi	02 January 2005
Stayed at Kimdo Royal City Hotel - Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon), Vietnam.
After visiting Hanoi, Halong Bay, Hue and Hoi An, Ho Chi Minh City (HCMC) had only little to offer as to ancient buildings / culture. Trip to My Tho (Mekong Delta) was in vain and local guide was hopeless. Cu Chi tunnel trip was good thanks to our excellent guide from Ben Thanh Travel, a young man originally from Siem Riep, Cambodia. HCMC is good for shopping and eating, but do not expect much of culture.
A Turner	01 January 2005
Stayed at Rex Hotel Vietnam - Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon), Vietnam.
Our stay in HCMC was a huge contrast to the slow lane of Hoi An. My wife revelled in the shopping opportunities and still complains of not having had enough time. We found the art particularly attractive and affordable in Vietnam, buying both in Hoi An and HCMC - the latter setting a new record for the family budget but was a piece we both instantly loved. Our kids survived well, HCMC is a tough place for the little ones (aged 2 & 4) - but we did find the zoo much better than expected and was a green space that also seems to be much appreciated by the locals. We also took the boat trip in the Mekong delta which was fun, but be prepared for a very bumpy drive down there...you can understand why river travel is so favoured!
D Tay	28 December 2004
Stayed at New World Hotel Saigon - Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon), Vietnam.
Unless you have USD to burn, don't book your tours with Saigon tours. They are very expensive. I paid 25 USD for a day trip to the tunnels and found out later that a local tour does it for 5 USD plus a trip up north looking at some temples. You can imagine the profits Saigon tours are making. I subsequently use the local tour operator to go to mekong delta for 15 USD as opposed to 40 USD. Look out for the small tour operators around, a good place to go find them is the park near hotel new world and you can see their ads at the lively bar and dinner area adjecent to the park.
A Rundle	24 December 2004
Stayed at Grand Hotel - Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon), Vietnam.
We only had one full day in Ho Chi Minh City so took a private tour in the afternoon. We organised this through Ben Thanh Tourist when we went to collect the Vietnam Airlines tickets they had purchased on our behalf. Our 4 hour tour included some of the more famous sites such as the Reunification Palace, Thien Hau Pagoda, Notre Dame Cathedral and the Central Post Office. In the evening we joined masses of people in the street outside the Municipal Theatre listening to the rehersal for a Christmas concert - carols and opera!! We then went on to dinner at Lemon Grass in D Nguyen Thiep, not far from the hotel. We were lucky to get in (the only free tables were on the second floor) and had a most enjoyable, inexpensive Vietnamese meal.
A Locus	21 December 2004
Stayed at Empress Hotel Ho Chi Minh City - Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon), Vietnam.
If you use a GSM phone bring it and get a sim card in vietnam. Should save you some money but more importantly is a great convenience. Try not to stay in HMC for more than a day or two. There are more interesting places to visit around the place and the backpack areas have all the information in english. Happy tours are fun and cheap though the guides are sometimes a bit inexperienced and the food is below par. If you fly to Nha Trang the plane will not arrive in time to catch any island tours during the day as the new airport is a fair way from the city now. A guide on a motorbike will happily take you around for a day or half a day.
B Barry	19 December 2004
Stayed at Empress Hotel Ho Chi Minh City - Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon), Vietnam.
I stayed 3 days in Ho Chi Minh and took a half day tour ($US 9) of Cu Chi tunnels and a full day Mekong trip ($US 7) through Sinh Travel Office. Both of these tours were good value for money and I would recommend. The war museum was also a well spent 2-3 hours for less han $1 entry. If using taxis, always make sure the meter is on.
I Brandao	14 November 2004
Stayed at Omni Saigon Hotel - Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon), Vietnam.
HCMC is chaotic to foreigners, but organized from a Vietnamese point of view. Traffic is hellish, but it flows, as there are few cars and lots of bikes, cyclos and motorbikes. I hired a private guide (for 15 Euro) on my first day, and went to all the must-see places, like the Reunification Palace and the War Museum, and also took a cyclo ride to Cholon, the busy chinese quarter. On my second day I toured the Mekong Delta for a mere 5 Euro, transportation and lunch included (advised by our tour guide - if booked at a hotel this tour would set you back at least 20 Euro). On the third day I went shopping at the Central Market where I had some local delicacies for lunch for very very little money. I skipped the Cu Chi Tunnels tour as it is not advisable for clautrophobics!!!