Ho Chi Minh City

Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam

The Landmark 81 tower reflected in the Saigon River at sunset, framed by a wooden boat.

Ho Chi Minh City is Vietnam's biggest city, a fast, humid, money-minded place where colonial avenues, temples and street-food stalls share the same blocks.

The place

Ho Chi Minh City, still called Saigon by many people, is the most populous city in Vietnam, with about 14 million residents. Its streets are cut by rivers and canals, the largest of which is the Saigon River, and much of daily life happens along the water or in the lanes branching off the main roads. The city is the country's leading financial centre, and its port and airport make it the main gateway for visitors arriving in Vietnam by air. Expect a lot of motorbikes, a lot of noise and a heat that rarely lets up, even when the rain arrives in the afternoons.

The centre mixes French colonial buildings with glass towers. Among the landmarks people head for are the Independence Palace, the Bitexco Financial Tower, the Landmark 81 tower, the War Remnants Museum and Bến Thành Market. Neighbourhood life is most visible in the narrow alleys, where small cafés spill onto the pavement. After dark the streets of Phạm Ngũ Lão and Bùi Viện fill with bars and food stalls.

Once the main avenues are left behind, the pace slows. Markets open early, and the best time to see the city at work is before the midday heat. Locals set their rhythm by scooters rather than timetables, and that rhythm is the easiest way to understand the place.

Its story

Ho Chi Minh City grew out of a string of small settlements on the Saigon River, and its early history carries traces of Funan, Champa and Khmer rule before Vietnamese control took hold. A Funan temple, founded in the 4th century AD, stood on the spot now occupied by the Phụng Sơn Buddhist temple. In the 11th century the Champa founded a settlement there called Baigaur. After a Khmer conquest around 1145 it became Prey Nokor, a town that grew from a fishing village and the forest edge.

The area changed hands through marriage and diplomacy as much as through war. In the seventeenth century a Vietnamese princess married a Cambodian king, and his gift of the town to the Nguyễn lords gave them a foothold in the delta. In 1679, a lord of the Nguyễn family granted permission for refugees fleeing the Qing empire's rule in China to make their homes in the delta towns, Saigon included. Their presence brought in more traders and skilled artisans. In 1698 Nguyễn Hữu Cảnh was sent from the court at Huế to set up Vietnamese administration, which cut the area's ties with Cambodia.

The town later became the southern seat of Nguyễn power in the lords' final years, before the dynasty took the throne in 1802. The present municipality took its current shape in 1976, when the old city and its surrounding provinces were brought together. The city's museums and monuments now tell several overlapping chapters of this long story, from ancient settlement to the modern metropolis of about 14 million people.

What to see

Culture

Ho Chi Minh City is a city of museums, galleries and performance venues as well as street life. The Museum of Fine Arts, the History Museum, the Opera House and the Southern Women's Museum sit alongside the War Remnants Museum, and the city's art scene mixes traditional and contemporary work. Creative life here feels less formal than in many Vietnamese cities, with galleries in converted houses and small studios tucked into side streets.

Food is social in a way that shapes daily routines. Roadside restaurants, coffee shops and food stalls are where people meet, talk and watch the street, and a long coffee on a plastic stool is a normal part of the afternoon. The city is often ranked among the best in the world for street food, and the stalls offer a good window onto everyday life.

Sport is popular too. Football is played across the city on pitches large and small, and the city's largest stadium, Thống Nhất, hosts matches and public events. Avoid walking past temples without slowing down, and always ask before photographing people at prayer or at their stalls.

What to wear

Traditional dress in Ho Chi Minh City is the áo dài, a long fitted silk tunic worn over trousers. Its side panels and close-fitting waist follow the wearer's figure, and it is usually made from silk or lighter silk blends, with embroidery reserved for special occasions. Women still wear it for weddings, festivals, school ceremonies and studio portraits. The conical nón lá hat, woven from palm leaf, remains a familiar sight in the countryside and at some older food stalls.

Day-to-day dress is shaped by heat and traffic. Most people wear light cotton shirts, T-shirts, shorts or loose trousers, and almost everyone rides a motorbike in a helmet with a long-sleeved sun guard or jacket to keep off the sun. Office workers often wear tailored clothes, and young people follow global fashion closely in the malls and boutiques of the central districts.

What a visitor should wear comes down to climate and customs. Loose, breathable cotton or linen works best, along with a hat, sunglasses and sunscreen, since the midday sun is fierce. Cover your shoulders and knees for pagodas, temples and churches, and carry a light scarf to drape over your shoulders when needed. Pick footwear that can cope with uneven pavements and rain-soaked streets; closed sandals or light trainers are far more practical than heels. Bring a light layer too, because the air-conditioned museums and restaurants can feel cold after the street.

What to eat

Plan it

Best time. December to March is the drier season and the most comfortable time, though heat and humidity are constant year-round. June to October brings the heaviest rain, usually in the afternoon, with May and November also wet and flooding on some streets.

How long. 2–3

Getting there. Tân Sơn Nhất International Airport handles most arrivals, and the city centre is a short ride away by taxi or ride-hailing app. City buses are cheaper but slower with heavy luggage. Trains from Hanoi run along the Reunification line, but the journey is so long that most visitors fly.

Budget. low

Tips

Etiquette

Nearby

Sources