Ho Chi Minh City Vietnam Travel Guide

If a city’s fate can be judged by the number of cranes that dot its landscape, high hopes will be placed on Ho Chi Minh City. Posters adorn construction sites touting luxury apartment towers and a landscaped shopping center under development. The subway system currently under construction is expected to eventually provide comprehensive public transportation. Change is afoot, and the city’s unusually young population (more than half of whom are under the age of 35) is leading the way.

Yet despite Ho Chi Minh City’s rapid development and the fact that locals and foreigners still refer to it as Saigon, it still retains its old-world charm. Beyond the obvious signs of new wealth — imported cars, chic restaurants and gated mansions with lavish Italianate façades — is old Saigon. Shirtless men nap in hammocks, hens peck at roadside rubble, and food stalls fill up with steaming pho for boisterous friends seated at plastic tables. Known as the “Pearl of the Orient” during French colonial times, Vietnam’s largest city boasts elegant tree-lined boulevards and picturesque parks designed by its occupiers. A perfect blend of historic French architecture and vibrant Vietnamese culture, built along the mesmerizing curves of the Saigon River, it remains captivating today.

Ho Chi Minh City is divided into 24 districts, each of which is numbered according to a pragmatic urban plan. District 1 is a financial and commercial center, home to many of the most noteworthy tourist attractions, as well as a concentration of five-star hotels and luxury fashion boutiques. The nearby Third Arrondissement is also worth exploring, with its colonial villas, a few museums and restaurants on every corner. The Second Ward, an enclave east of downtown, is a charming smorgasbord of sleepy alleyways, lush foliage and stunning private homes. A host of cafés, boutiques and gourmet supermarkets give you an insight into how the city’s richest live, meaning it’s a relaxing place to while away the afternoon.