Sleep - Eat - See - Saigon, Vietnam
Sleeping
HCMC offers everything and anything when it comes to hotels. Most budget minded travelers head directly to the streets and laneways surrounding Pham Ngu Lao. This area is chocker block with mini hotels offering clean and comfortable rooms for around 10USD per/night.
If comfort is your thing, you will have a huge choice of 3 and 4 star establishments. Tons of new hotels have pooped up around Ben Thanh Market and most offer rooms with air-con, ensuite, mini bars, cable TV and more for 30 – 50USD per night.
Looking for more stars? Then head to District 1 and around Hai Ba Trung/Dong Khoi Street you will find places like the Caravelle, Rex, Continental, Park Hyatt and the Sheraton all ready and waiting to give you that 5 star treatment. A number of 4 and 5 star hotels are also located along the Saigon River.
For more information on hotels in HCMC, visit Hostelbookers.com (budget) or Hotelscombined.com (mixed) for more details and online bookings.
Eating in HCMC
Like hotels, HCMC has a massive array of choice when it comes to food. If you’re keen to go local, hit the streets and go wild! The food is fresh, cheap and tasty.
One of the best streets for food is in District 3, Ly Van Si Street. Here you will find tons of really cool restaurants offering a somewhat noisy and busy place to dig into some local dishes at ridiculously low prices. Many also have spit roasts, live seafood and most will have plenty of choice if you are vegetarian.
With so many places to choice from, it’s hard to write them all down! Here’s a couple around the District 1 area that will get you started:
- Quan An Ngon and Bun Ta – 138 Nam Ky Khoi Nghia Street. Located next door to each other, both have great food. Quan An Ngon gets super busy and it is nothing to waiting 20 minutes for a table. Bun Ta i slighly more pricy, but the service is better and it’s much quieter.
- BBQ Garden – Corner of Nam Ky Khoi Nghia. A great place with outdoor dinning. BBQ Garden serves up great bbq’s which you cook at the table. They also do lunch and breakfast. Very popular all round!
- Pho Noodle Soup – Nguyen Du Street (opposite Commonwealth Bank). A local hang out offering up great Pho Bo and Pho Ga (beef and chicken noodle soup). Mostly eaten for breakfast, a teaming bowl pho is always a great way to start the day!
- Ben Thanh Market – Le Loi Street. Ben Thanh Market is a busy and lively market by day, but at night, it transforms in to a wicked, bright, noisy food market! Huge range of foods and cheap prices. For more info and photos check out this article on Ben Thanh.
- Pham Ngu Lao – The backpacker area has millions of cafes, restaurants and stalls. Many offer great food (local and western) at great prices and if you grab a street side table, the view alone is magic!
- Fanny – 30 Ton That Thiep. Great spot for ice-cream and fruit shakes.
Sightseeing around HCMC
HCMC has plenty of great sights to see. Regardless of your interests, there is something for everyone! Here are few things to keep you busy during your stay in this crazy yet magical city.
- Ho Chi Minh Museum (Dragon House Wharf) – 1 Nguyen Tat Thanh Road, District 4 (just over the bridge)
- Revolutionary Museum – 65 Ly Tu Trong Street, District 1
- Vietnam History Museum – 2 Nguyen Binh Khiem Street, D1 (inside Thao Cam Vien Park)
- War Remnants Museum – 28 Vo Van Tan Street, D3
- Vinh Nghiem Pagoda – 339 Nam Ky Khoi Nghia Street, D3. Bigget in HCMC.
- Notre Dame Cathedral/HCMC Post Office – Cnr of Dong Khoi and Han Thuyen Streets.
- Zoo and Botanical Gardens – Main Entrance is at the end of Le Loi Street (intersection of Nguyen Binh Khiem Street)
- Reunification Palace – 106 Nguyen Du Street.
- Dam Sen Water Park – Lac Long Quan/Hoa Binh Streets, D11
- Cho Lon (China Town) – Tran Hung Dao Street, D5 (also includes Districts 6, 11 and 10)
Resources
- HCMC Hotels Online
- Travel Insurance
- Travel Gear
- Tours (Vietnam and Cambodia)
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