Crowded and fast-paced

Ho Chi Minh City

Crowded and fast-paced, vestiges of the Vietnam-American war, your portal to the Mekong Delta
It’s lucky that in 2005-2006, I had a chance to stay in Ho Chi Minh City for 7 months. Since then, I returned to the city several times but just stopped shortly, 1-2 nights before heading to the Mekong Delta and other nearby provinces. My deep impression about the city formerly known as (and still referred to by locals as) Saigon is its different weather to Hanoi and people’s life style is faster and more open.

Arriving in Saigon in dry season, I felt the heat and drought, very low humidity. Temperature can reach 40 degree Celsius in the daytime. People are hurriedly moving on streets and wearing thick “ninja” clothes, covering themselves head to toe. Some fruit and street food sellers were standing under the tree shadow, waiving their conical hats to cool down. Fresh seasonal fruits the Mekong Delta and Saigon’s surrounding areas are carried on motorbike and sold on street sides. Xe Om – motorbike taxi drivers – are laying straight on their motorbike, covering their face with a hat and sleeping. Sunlight burns their skin and turns it to dark color. It is a very big city, with taller buildings, busy streets.

But Saigon changes its pace when the dark falls. It becomes more lively and charming at night. There is a big gap in the temperature between day and night time. Wind the Saigon river cools down the city in the evening. Girls dress more sexily and stylishly, make up carefully, slowly and relaxingly ride motorbike on street. Men gather at “Bia Hoi” – draft beer shops – cheer and chit chat loudly. Shopping malls, cinemas, bars and restaurants are full of young people and families. It is said that Saigonians only live their life in the evening and it’s completely correct! Saigonians only go out of their house and enjoy life after sunset.
Cho Lon – China town in district 5, is always busy, crowded and is the most colorful area of the city. Streets are very narrow with small and low houses, selling Chinese medicine, spices and food. I was attracted by its smell of cinnamon, star anise and other herbals. Walking among its bustling streets reminded me about the beautiful scenes in a movie adapted the Lover, a novel of Marguerite Duras. The novel is about the passionate love between the author and a Chinese man in this China town. The movie revealed a flourishing and bustling Chinatown in the early 20th century.

I looked to the map to find the way to Binh Tay market and an old local man laughed at me. “We are Vietnamese people, why do you need a map? Road is in your mouth” he said and he showed me the way to the market. He means that since we speak the same language, why I didn’t ask other people to show me the way, why I must use a map. And I found it’s much easier to ask local residents to show me the way, and faster than looking at a map. Vietnamese people are friendly and helpful that way, so don’t be afraid to ask a stranger/local for help.

Rainy season in Saigon comes in May and lasts until the end of October. It rains more often in the afternoon and at night but sun shines in the morning. Heavy thunder showers come suddenly and fast. I rode motorbike to work, so I always brought a raincoat. Many streets are flooded and it causes heavy traffic jams during rush hours. Local daily life seems slower during this season and some travel activities are not suggested such as bird watching, or beach relaxation.

------Henry Nguyễn ------

CLASSIC SIGHTSEEING

Ho Chi Minh City’s must-see attractions are mostly within walking distance and they will take you a half day to visit. Reunification Palace, War Remnant Museum, History Museum, Ben Thanh Market, Opera House, Notre Dame Cathedral and Saigon Old Post Office, all are located in the district 1. If you have a full day, you can extend your visit to district 5 including the Chinatown, Thien Hau Cantonese temple and Fito Chinese medicine Museum.

The Cu Chi tunnel system attracts many travelers because of its sensational war stories and wonderful creation of Vietnamese people. The site is in Hooc Mon District, around 70km Ho Chi Minh City. The system is really challenging for me as I don’t really like dark and narrow places. When I went down to the tunnels, I completely lost my direction. Other people moved very fast and I couldn’t catch up with them. I met a T-junction and it took me a while to decide if I should move or right. I finally I decided to turn right and see sunlight at the exit. Big and tall people are not suggested to go down to the tunnels.

Many travelers combine Cu Chi Tunnels with Cao Dai Temple in Tay Ninh Province in a day tour. The temple itself is very colorful – red and yellow are two main colors. Many paintings were drawn on the wall inside the ceremony hall. It dedicates the followers’ conception about life, earth and heaven. Caodaism is the combination of many religions including Buddhism, Catholic, Muslim etc. Its noon ceremony is really impressive and interesting, and worth to arrange your time to come at noon time and attend this ceremony.

Ho Chi Minh City is a stopover hub to go to many other places. Ho Chi Minh city, you can travel to the Mekong Delta and back in a day. You can also stay longer in Mekong Delta with overnight at a hotel, a local house or on a river cruise. If you travel farther to Chau Doc, you can take a speedboat to Phnom Penh, Cambodia, or to Rach Gia, where you take a speedboat to Phu Quoc Island. There is also one flight per day Can Tho airport to Phu Quoc island if you face a time constraint.

Ho Chi Minh City, you can take an express bus to Phnom Penh thru the Moc Bai Border gate in Tay Ninh Province. It will take 7 hours if you choose this route, but it helps you to save much money rather than flying.

Ho Chi Minh City is also the best entry point for easy access to the best beaches in Vietnam including Vung Tau, Long Hai in Ba Ria province, Mui Ne & Phan Thiet in Binh Thuan province, or Nha Trang city in Phan Rang province. All can be easily reached by car, bus, train or airplane (Nha Trang).

HONEYMOON, RELAXING

Saigon offers interesting activities for honeymooners, for example, a dinner cruise on Saigon river, a dinner or a drink at a sky bar with panorama view of the twinkling city at night, a private corner at a jazz club with cool drinks or a traditional art circus show at Saigon Opera House.

Regarding accommodation, the best available in Saigon is Park Hyatt – a charming French colonial style hotel located near the Opera House, right in the heart of the city. Rooms are spacious featuring large windows and flooding in natural sunlight. Room amenities are luxurious and elegant with bright colors, handcrafted furniture, Vietnamese textiles and local artwork, with just enough technology is including in-room iPads and Nespresso machines.

Located around 8km the city center and along the bank of Saigon river, Villa Song is a lovely unique villa, a little hide-away oasis, with only 23 rooms. Each room has its own decoration and layout. Facilities are luxurious and charming, a perfect combination of dark wooden and white cotton items. For honeymooners, I would suggest a sanctuary river view room, a villa suite or a sanctuary suite with either balcony or domed roof parlor and amazing river view.

FAMILIES

Saigon is 2 hours by car to Vung Tau and Long Hai Beach, 5 hours by car to Phan Thiet, Mui Ne and 50 minutes by flight to Nha Trang city, Con Dao or Phu Quoc Island—good places where your children can swim in calm, blue sea and enjoy many water sports.

Saigon Zoo and Suoi Tien Water and Amusement Park are also interesting places for families in hot days. Some families also choose a tour of Saigon street food by motorbike. You sit behind our motorbike driver and enjoy different Saigon street foods, desserts and drinks. You can eat and drink as much as you can! The tour is also safe for families!

Other than that, your family can join in a cooking class. You will go to a local market, choose fresh seasonal fruits, herbs and veggies. Your kids will learn about many different kinds of local food ingredients and condiments. Later, your kids will practice cooking with our chef and who knows, your kids may become a master chef in the future.

FOOD

I fell in love with street foods in Ho Chi Minh City the first moment. Saigon is a hub of immigration all around Vietnam. People come and bring their own food cuisine. I found here original culinary style of Southern people Tay Ninh, Ninh Thuan, Mekong Delta, or food cuisine the North, Centre and Centre highlands of Vietnam. Different the Northern people, the Southern people use more sugar in their food. You will find their taste is sweeter than our Northern style, especially in sauces and soups. I can’t forget the special flavor and delicious taste of Saigon Banh Mi (bread roll), sautéed beef with bread, Tam steamed rice with grilled pork or Trang Bang pork roll with herbal and veggies.

Seafood shops in some narrow alleys are very cheap, fresh and delicious. Seafood is displayed in different plastic baskets on a table, you choose and they will cook for you - sea snails, squid or crab can be cooked with tamarind sauce, garlic and butter or simply grilled.

ADVENTURE

Ho Chi Minh City and its surrounding areas are good for biking bicycle. Biking Saigon to the Cu Chi Tunnels, Mekong Delta, Vung Tau, Phan Thiet or Nha Trang are interesting and fun. A van will escort you thru big towns or industrial zones where traffic is crowded and you will bike on less-crowded roads with beautiful scenery, explore countryside, local villages, flower or dragon fruit plantation. You will touch local daily life and experience beauty of each place you will pass by.

If you want a more challenging route, you can bike Saigon to Nam Cat Tien National Park in Dong Nai Province or farther to Dalat city in the Centre Highlands. This is a windy mountain road with high passes and amazing scenery. Both sides of the road are rubber and coffee plantations, forests and mountains.

WHAT TO EXPECT

Saigon is the biggest city, the most important center of commercial and culture in Vietnam. Same as many other developing cities in my country, Ho Chi Minh City attracts a huge number of laborers other provinces and many big projects are under construction such as the metro system. The city, therefore, is the most populated in Vietnam. You may feel the city quite crowded, noisy and even polluted.

While generally safe, robbery still exists in the city. One scam that exists is two men on a motorbike, drive fast past you and suddenly hitch your camera, handbags or phones…Be care with your bags, phone and camera when you walk on streets, especially at night. I would suggest you to wear a backpack or wear your bag around your neck and shoulder. You can leave important things such as passport and money in safety box at your hotel, just bring small amount of cash, enough for daily expense.

Dry season in Saigon (November to April) is very hot and dry. Don’t forget to bring a big bottle of water (for each person), a wide brimmed hat, and wear sunblock and sunglasses if you plan to explore the city on foot. In rainy season, it can be sunny and hot but suddenly cloudy and rain very fast, in 10-15 minutes, or some places can be sunny and some rainy at the same time. You should keep a raincoat or an umbrella in your backpack.