For many, it will probably always be Saigon, the former capital of South Vietnam before the north and south were reunited in the dramatic events which ended America's military involvement in Southeast Asia.
Ho Chi Minh City Hall
Saigon was not a very significant city until it was captured by the French in 1859. The French made Saigon the capital of their colony of Cochinchina, and later, all of Indochina. Much of what there is to see in Ho Chi Minh City today dates from the French administration.
The presidential palace, now the reunification palace
Naturally, many of the city's sights are also about the "American war" as it is generally referred to by the Vietnamese. There are no less than five museums dedicated to the struggle for a unified Vietnam.
Saigon is the major transportation hub of Southern Vietnam, making it easy to get to from elsewhere in the country. From other major cities in Vietnam, you can get to Saigon by train or airplane. The train is slow and leisurely, but it is the safest way to travel in Vietnam and it is rather comfortable. The trains are generally old, but an upgrade is in progress to make the facilities more appealing to international tourists.
Hotels in Ho Chi Minh City range from pre-war classics to posh modern properties. Many of the city's hotels are on or near Dong Khoi Street, the city's main shopping and restaurant district. This is indeed the best place to be, so we've selected a range of properties that we think represent the best and most interesting accommodations available in Ho Chi Minh City. If you don't like our picks, you can use the search box at the bottom of the page to compare rates from dozens of sites to find the best deals on Ho Chi Minh City hotels.
There are relatively few health risks in Ho Chi Minh City. You will want to take the standard precautions when traveling in less developed areas: avoid unwashed fruits and vegetables, water from unknown sources and unrefrigerated dairy products. Most hotels will provide free drinking water in your room.
Perhaps the most serious risk to your health is the heat. In Ho Chi Minh City's tropical climate, you need to drink plenty of fluids and give yourself some shade from time to time.
Like many other Asian cultures, close relationships and affectionate behavior in public between people of the same sex is very common and accepted. But such relationships are not necessarily gay. Still, sexual relationships between men are assumed to be quite common and accepted, so long as they are kept private.
There is no "scene" in the western style, since being overtly gay is still not acceptable. There are, however, many places for gay people to meet, especially in Ho Chi Minh city.
Saigon is a city full of museums. Although many were established since the end of the American War, most occupy historical buildings around the center of the city. Museums make a nice place to escape the heat of the street, even though many of them are not air conditioned.
Ho Chi Minh City Fine Arts Museum The Ho Chi Minh City Fine Arts Museum is housed in a former commercial building dating from the turn of the twentieth century near the Ben Thah market.
The restaurant scene in Saigon used to be surprisingly stable, but in recent years there have been signs that things are changing. On one visit in 2007, I was surprised to see that the 60-plus years old Brodard Cafe had been transformed into a Gloria Jeans coffee shop. There are dozens of good restaurants in Ho Chi Minh City, covering international, Vietnamese and other cuisines. As elsewhere in Vietnam, Saigon is very much a "cafe society" with many small coffee shops spread all over the city.
Vietnam's year is generally divided into just two seasons: the "dry season" and "rainy season."
Historical Weather Patterns for Ho Chi Minh City The dry season runs from December to April. Although this is also the hottest time of year, it cools off a lot at night-time, so this is the best time to visit.
Average Monthly Highs & Lows (°C) The wet season follows the cool season from about May to October.
Ho Chi Minh City can be a fun place to shop. You can buy things here from all over Vietnam. The main shopping district is Dong Khoi street, which runs from the Cathedral to the waterfront (see map). The side streets off Dong Khoi, as well as Nguyen Hue Boulevard which runs parallel to Dong Khoi are also full of shops. One of the nice things about shopping here is that the street is also full of many restaurants and coffee shops, so you can easily take a break from shopping and enjoy some of the local coffee.
The Municipal Theater sits at one end of yet another grand boulevard, Le Loi. Walking away from the front of the theater just one block will bring you to an intersection with an equally big street, Nguyen Hue. Just one block up to your right, sitting at the end of Nguyen Hue Boulevard, is the People's Committee building, formerly the Hôtel de Ville or city hall of Saigon.
Ho Chi Minh City's People's Committee building, formerly the Hôtel de Ville The building is modeled on Paris' own Hôtel de Ville and was completed in the early years of the last century.
The Reunification Palace sits at one end of the wide Le Duan Boulevard, which is lined with spacious parks on either side for two blocks in front of the Palace. On the other side of the park is Notre Dame Cathedral.
The Notre Dame Cathedral & General Post Office in Ho Chi Minh City The cathedral was built by the French late in the 19th century. The twin towered neo-Romanesque facade faces a small square which still has a large statue of the Virgin Mary.
The building now called the Reunification Palace was once the presidential palace for the republic of South Vietnam. This is where the South's fall to the North finally happened on 30 April 1975.
The presidential palace, now the reunification palace The modern concrete structure was completed in 1966. Its construction was required when planes from South Vietnam's own air force bombed the old palace built by the French in an attempt to assassinate the then president.
On the opposite side of the Virgin Mary square from the cathedral entrance runs Dong Khoi Street, the city's main shopping, hotel and dining street. Just a few blocks down from the cathedral is the Municipal Theater.
The Municipal Theatre of Ho Chi Minh City Built by the French and finished in 1900, the theater was originally intended to be an opera house. After the partition of Vietnam, the building was transformed into South Vietnam's National Assembly in 1955.
