Ho Chi Minh City (formerly known as Saigon) is the most populous city and the important center of economy, culture and education in Vietnam. On the basis of the existing urban area, Ho Chi Minh City is the Vietnam's largest urban. Currently, Ho Chi Minh City and Hanoi are special kinds of urban in Vietnam.
Ho Chi Minh City (formerly known as Saigon) is vibrant and charming, filled with friendly people, an alluring culture, and all the conveniences of a modern city. Dynamic and ambitious, it is the safest, fastest-growing city in Southeast Asia. With a rising economy, a well-educated populace, and modern facilities, HCM City is considered the economic, cultural, scientific, and technological hub of the country. The total area of Ho Chi Minh City is 2,056 square kilometers.
The temperature is mild, at the average of 27oC - 29oC. The difference in temperature between the highest month and the lowest month does not surpass 5 C. The annual rainfall is about 2,000mm. The average humidity is 75-80%.
There are two seasons in a year. The rainy season lasts from May to November. The sunny season lasts from December to April of the next year. Two mainly annual wind directions are West - Southwest and North - Northeast. There are nearly no storms or floods in many years.
Ho Chi Minh City used to be known as Saigon although this was officially changed after Ho Chi Minh unified Vietnam following the Vietnam War. As such, Ho Chi Minh City is a place that is steeped in some of the most important modern history in the world, and you will find references to this on every street corner. If you want to learn more about the period of reunification in Vietnam, then you can visit monuments, museums and spots used during the Vietnam War like the Cu Chi Tunnels, but you will also find a vibrant modern side to the city at the same time
1. Reunification Palace: the former home of the president of South Vietnam during the Vietnam War. The building is also steeped in history as this is also the spot where the North Vietnamese invaded in 1975 and Ho Chi Minh City surrendered.
2. War Remnants Museum: The War Remnants Museum is one of the most moving sights in Ho Chi Minh City and is dedicated to educating visitors about the atrocities of the Vietnam War. This is one of the most popular museums in all of Vietnam and more than half a million visitors come here every year
3. Central Office: A post office may not sound very exciting but the one in Ho Chi Minh City was designed by Gustave Eiffel, of Eiffel Tower fame. The building is designed in the Gothic style and dates from 1886 and is still one of the most famous monuments in the city.
4. Notre Dame Cathedral: was built from 1877 and 1883 and sits in the heart of the city. The cathedral is designed in the neo-Romanesque style and you can check out the towers here which soar to a height of 40 meters and are topped with impressive iron spires.
5. Crawl through the Cu Chi Tunnels: have been used by the Vietcong guerillas at the time of the Tet Offensive in 1968. The tunnels are made up of a series of underground chambers which stretch for 30 kilometers out of the city and you can now visit sections of the tunnels and crawl through the small spaces to experience the conditions of the Vietcong during the Vietnam War.
6. Travel to the Mekong Delta: around four hours away from Ho Chi Minh City, and many visitors choose to visit as part of an organized tour. Here you will find floating markets as well as schools and homes and this is one of the most unique sights in all of Vietnam.
Ho Chi Minh is most definitely a magical place for your taste buds. The balancing act between warming and cooling ingredients, between heavier meats and lighter rice-based carbs, fresh herbs to round out the taste, never get old.
1. PHO: the most popular noodle in Vietnam
2. Banh beo (literally “water fern cake”) are small round discs of rice flour, formed to look like lily flower pads found in the estates surrounding the old imperial city of Hue
3. Banh canh noodles are Vietnam’s version of udon, a thicker noodle that can be made with either tapioca flour, rice flour, or a combination of the two. The cua in this soup is crab, and the result is a viscous crab soup with thick noodles — not for those who shrink from goopy foods.
4. Com Tam Suon Bi (rice and grilled pork chop): you will also get a spoonful of green onions fried in pork fat atop the chop itself, as well as some crispy pieces of pork rind.
5. The noodles in a bowl of hu tieu can be chewy clear tapioca noodles, opaque white rice noodles like you’d use for pho noodle soup, or thin Chinese egg noodles (mi).
6. Che chuoi is a sweet banana and tapioca dessert, floating in a sea of coconut cream and topped with sesame and crushed peanuts.
Nightlife in Ho Chi Minh means very different things depending where you are in the city. Downtown in District 1, rooftop bars, high rolling casinos and smooth jazz bands are the choice forms of nightlife entertainment in Saigon. But move a few kilmoetres west into District 3 and the backpacker street of Pham Ngu Lao, with its boisterous street bars, cheap eats and good time vibe, is certainly the place to be when night falls.
1. Take a cruise dinner along with dinner and the views of the HO Chi Minh City at night, there is a live jazz performance on board and a traditional Vietnamese dance to enjoy
2. View Ho Chi Minh City from Rooftop bar: Ho Chi Minh City has one of the most impressive collections of rooftop bars in the world. Sit back with a cocktail and soak up the stunning view of Ho Chi Minh City from sunset until the early hours of morning
3. Get luck with casino: Several of the best hotels in Ho Chi Minh have casinos within so you can hit the roulette table, play some mah-jong or get lucky on the slot machines (Caravelle Hotel and Sheraton Saigon Hotel).
4. Enjoy local beer at backpacker streets (District 1 & District 3): there are a mix of foreigners and local Vietnamese who mix freely and chat the night away, drinking cheap beers on small plastic stools all along the street. There are many cheap restaurants here too and several nightclubs if you want to hit the dance floor later in the night
5. Live Music Bar: From smooth jazz to heavy rock and everything in between, there is probably a bar or club that caters to your music preference
6. Lush Nightclub It is the place to see the young and beautiful of Saigon, dressed to impress and not afraid to spend a little cash. The venue is kitted it out in an industrial chic style, with space to dance and an upstairs area with ample seating. Music ranges from house to hip hop and a bit of mainstream party pop, depending on the night
7. Shopping at Ben Thanh night market: Although busiest during the day, night time brings many food vendors onto the streets serving a wide variety of seafood, as well as many fashion stalls and souvenir type stalls