Travellers booking flights to Ho Chi Minh City are sometimes taken aback once they land. Ho Chi Minh City, often called HCMC, is bustling and buzzing and sometimes feels as if it is bursting at the seams. The city centre is filled with street vendors, cafés and family-owned souvenir shops all eager to make a living and stay afloat. But stay alert while you’re wandering between them or you'll wind up flat on the street: Ho Chi Minh City's chaos is fuelled by three million motorbikes that run the streets on a daily basis.
Located on the Saigon River, Ho Chi Minh City is home to more than eight million people and is Vietnam's commercial and industrial centre. Known as Saigon until 1970, its old name is still frequently used by tourists and the Vietnamese. The city has a turbulent past, and evidence of its many periods can be seen in the architecture: a mixture of French-colonialism, pagodas and temples and Communist-style concrete blocks. The city is much younger than the venerable Hanoi, only growing to a significant size in the 17th century. It is an expansion that carries on today; the erection of modern blocks and skyscrapers constantly takes place throughout the city, adding to the general noise, chaos and sense of movement.
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Ho Chi Minh City is in the tropics and close to the ocean, making the city hot and humid year-round. November through January are the coolest months with temperatures reaching the low to mid-20s (Celsius). February through April the temperature rises to 32 degrees. Then it goes down to the high 20s during the rainy season.December to March is the dry season with the least amount of rain and humidity. The rain starts in May and is heavy from June to August with sudden but short showers. The typhoon season is July to November.
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Peak Season:
Reservations for Tet, the lunar New Year, must be made far in advance. Most businesses close for the holiday, including museums and shops. The holiday lasts for a week and falls between January 19 and February 20.
The dry season is the best time to visit, December through March. The crowds start arriving in November and stay until April.
Off Season:
The wet season is humid and hot, but the showers tend to be short. Late autumn is a particularly nice time to visit southern Vietnam.
The end of the high season, March to April, can also be somewhat less crowded.
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Minibuses and metered taxis are available for transport to the city centre. Make sure the driver is wearing an official name badge and that the meter is on. Most hotels can arrange transport for arriving passengers, but visitors should organise this in advance.
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Ho Chi Minh City is reputed as having the planet’s most chaotic traffic. If you want to join in, bikes and mopeds are easy to rent. Motorcycles are also easily rented.
Another option is to hail a motorcycle taxi and negotiate an hourly rate. For a shorter trip, flag down a cyclo (pedicab) and agree on a fare before boarding. Many cyclo drivers speak English and, for a fee, can be tour guides. You can ask a driver to wait for you at a sight and to take you around the next day.
For something less hair-raising, take a taxi. Most taxis have meters; make sure it is running or negotiate a fare. You can also arrange for a car and driver for the day through a tour operator. For a change of pace, hire a boat and view the sights from the river.
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- One of the first things most travellers mention about Ho Chi Minh City is the fantastic food. From street sellers to gourmet restaurants, the choices are endless. Buying food from street stalls can be intimidating at first, as it’s so different from the food experience in the West. Take a stroll round the area, have a look to see what food looks fresh and well cooked, follow your nose to the best smells and – as a fail-safe option – see where the locals are eating. Then order, sit down on a small plastic chair and enjoy. Pho – a thin soup – is one of the most popular dishes.
- The Chu Chi tunnels are a short trip from Ho Chi Minh City and certainly worth visiting. The series of tunnels were used in the Vietnam War to make surprise attacks and to hide. The tunnels stretch out over more than 241km (150 miles).
- The Ben Than market is the biggest in the city and has everything under the sun for sale. It is distinguished by its clock tower, with clocks facing in four directions, which has become a symbol of the city. Come early in the morning to browse or buy food, clothes, jewellery, cooking utensils, arts and crafts or pretty much anything else you can think of. The busiest days at the market are Friday and Saturday when the crowds can become intense and the prices you’re charged may be higher than the rest of the week. Whenever you visit, though, make sure you haggle hard for your purchases.
- Ho Chi Minh City is a city on wheels. It can seem as if everyone is on a motorbike or cyclo. Crossing the road may seem terrifying – make sure to keep walking and don’t suddenly stop and the traffic should avoid you. For the brave, hiring a motorcycle and joining the fray is a surefire way to feel like a local.
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Tan Son Nhat International Airport (SGN)
The airport is situated 7km (four miles) from Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon).
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