Introduction
Ho Chi Minh City is one of the two most important cities in Vietnam. Ho Chi Minh city is also known as the Far Eastern pearl of Southeast Asia. From very early on, this place became a busy commercial center, exchanging with foreign countries, and a place where handicrafts thrive.
Here you can take part in many kinds of entertainment activities catering to every budget, interest, or group size. From budget to luxury, couples to family, day or night, early morning or late night, Saigon’s activities have its all. The city welcomes visitors with loads of vibrant nightlife activities to do in exquisite sites, mouth-watering food and beyond.
How to travel from Hanoi to Ho Chi Minh city
There are many ways to travel from Hanoi to Ho Chi Minh. However, for Tourists, the most convenient ways to travel is by plane or train.
- Flying is the best option to travel the 1,600 km from Hanoi to Ho Chi Minh. The flight itself only takes about 2 hours, with fares is about 1,000,000 VND ($40) to 2,000,000 VND ($80)
- It is also possible to travel directly from Hanoi to Ho Chi Minh by train, but the journey will take at least 32 hours. Such a long journey will be exhausting, which is it is not recommended to travel by train. Also, trains are very expensive with fares from 1,400,000 VND ($57) for a sleeper berth.
For more information, visit: https://www.geckoroutes.com/vietnam/hanoi-to-ho-chi-minh/
Means of transportation in Ho Chi Minh city
Motorbikes: motorbike is the most popular way to travel in Viet Nam. Motorbike rental price ranges from 4 – 6 USD/day.
Grabbike: Grab is the Uber of Southeast Asia. First 2km, the fare is 0.5 USD/km, the fare for the next kilometers is 0.2 USD/km.
Taxis: In Ho Chi Minh, you can easily call a taxi. Taxi fare is about 0.5 – 0.7 USD/km.
Buses: Bus is a familiar form of public transport in Ho Chi Minh. Bus fare is about 03. – 0.4 USD/route.
Tourist electric cars: This is the vehicle often chosen by tourists for transportation to nearby areas. The fare for the ride is about 0.5 USD/15 minutes.
Where to visit in Ho Chi Minh city?
Independence Palace
Independence Palace is one of the tourist attractions in Saigon and is classified as a special national monument. If you have the opportunity to visit the city, you should stop here to experience and explore this unique structure.
The feng shui architecture of the Independence Palace is slightly oriental style. However, every detail of the structure also shows a unique modernity. This Saigon tourist destination attracts a large number of tourists on the occasion of April 30 and May 1 every year.
Related information:
Address: No. 135 Nam Ky Khoi Nghia Street, Ho Chi Minh City
Opening hours: 7:30 – 11:00 and 13:00 – 16:00 everyday
Entrance ticket price: 3000 – 30,000 VND (~US$ 0.1 – 1.2) depending on the type of visitor.
For more information, visit: https://independencepalace.gov.vn
Ben Thanh Market
Ben Thanh Market is a large market located in the city center. From a market built on the banks of the Ben Nghe River in the 17th century, Ben Thanh Market transformed itself into an iconic structure of Saigon. With total area of more than 13000 square meters, Ben Thanh market is a place to trade and exchange goods of the people of Saigon as well as the surrounding areas, with nearly 6000 small traders and about 1500 stalls.
Related information:
Address: Le Loi Street, Ben Thanh Ward, District 1, Ho Chi Minh City
Opening hours: 7:30 – 22:00 everyday
For more information, visit: https://vietnamdiscovery.com/ho-chi-minh-city/shopping/ben-thanh-market/
Central Post Office
Saigon Central Post Office with beautiful architecture is still preserved until now. One of the things that makes Saigon Central Post Office attract visitors by its meticulous and delicate carvings, the system of large curved arched doorways… The combination of royal European and liberal Asia styles makes this place one of the tourist attractions in Saigon.
Related information:
Address: No. 125 Paris Commune, Ben Nghe, District 1
Opening hours: 8:00 – 17:00 everyday
For more information, visit: http://hcmpost.vn
Museum of History
At this tourist site, visitors can comfortably admire the artifacts of historical value. Currently, the museum is storing tens of thousands of artifacts and 25,000 books and precious documents. Besides sightseeing, many tourists come here to gain more knowledge and knowledge about archeology, history, ethnology…
Related information:
Address: No. 2 Nguyen Binh Khiem Street, Ben Nghe Ward, District 1, Ho Chi Minh City
Opening hours: 8:00 – 11:30 and 13:30 – 16:30 (From Tuesday to Sunday every week)
Entrance ticket price: 15,000 VND (~US$ 0.6)
For more information, visit: http://www.baotanglichsutphcm.com.vn/en-US/about-us
Chinatown (Cho Lon)
Cho Lon neighborhood is home to a large number of Chinese people, located along the Tau Hu canal from District 5 to District 6 in Ho Chi Minh City. Chinatown includes the areas of District 5, 6 and 11, but the busiest and most popular area is in District 5.
Related information:
Address: District 5, Ho Chi Minh City
For more information, visit: https://vietnamdiscovery.com/ho-chi-minh-city/attractions/cho-lon-chinatown/
Cu Chi tunnel system
Cu Chi tunnel system is one of the famous tourist attractions that many tourists know when visiting this area. This tunnel system has a total length of up to 250km, with 3 different depths, the highest floor is about 3m from the ground, the middle floor is 6m from the ground, and the deepest floor is up to 12m. This is one of 6 famous man-made works in the world today. Besides, Cu Chi tunnel system also entered the top 7 most exotic destinations in Southeast Asia.
Related information:
Address: Provincial Road 15, Phu Hiep, Cu Chi, Ho Chi Minh City
Opening hours: 7:00 – 17:00 everyday
The entrance ticket price is 25,000 VND (~US$ 1.1).
For more information, visit: http://en.diadaocuchi.com.vn
Can Gio Mangrove Biosphere Reserve
Can Gio Mangrove Forest, also known as Sac Forest, is famous for its typical flora and fauna populations of the mangroves. Among them, the most prominent are the long-tailed monkeys and many rare birds. This place was also recognized by UNESCO as a world biosphere reserve in February 2000. Nowadays, this place has become one of the national key eco-tourism areas, attracting the attention of many tourists.
Related information:
Address: Le Loi Street, Ben Thanh Ward, District 1, Ho Chi Minh City
Opening hours: 7:30 – 22:00 everyday
For more information, visit: https://vietnamdiscovery.com/ho-chi-minh-city/shopping/ben-thanh-market/
And many other places that tourist may visit Ho Chi Minh city such as: War Remnants Museum, Golden Dragon Water Puppet Theatre, Notre Dame Cathedral Basilica of Saigon, Saigon Opera House, Reunification Palace, Museum of Vietnamese History, Jade Emperor Pagoda, starlight Bridge (Anh Sao Bridge), etc.
Foods and drinks
Speaking of the busiest and most developed area in Vietnam, Ho Chi Minh City cannot be ignored. One of the special things about this place is its long-standing culinary culture. The feature of culinary culture in the most magnificent city in Vietnam is likened to a mixed hotpot. This place gathers and crystallizes a lot of cultural trends not only from other areas but also from other countries.
Foods in Ben Thanh market
Because it is located near the tourist area, the food court of Ben Thanh market also receives a lot of attention. Go to Ben Thanh market, try rieu noodles, crispy pancakes, steamed rice cakes, clear shrimp and pork dumplings, sweet sticky rice, etc. The market is open from 7:00 a.m. to 7:00 p.m. every day
Foods in Ho Thi Ky market
Ho Thi Ky market has been popular in the snacking world for a long time. This is the convergence of attractive dishes from Cambodia such as Cambodian sweet soup, Cambodian sweet rolls, etc. Currently, the market is full of dishes from many regions, not just Cambodia anymore. Although the market is only encapsulated in a section of less than 100m, there are countless stalls. The market opens from 14:00 to 20:00, but you should visit the time frame from 14:00 to 18:00, this is when the market has the most dishes and every dish is fresh.
Foods in Ba Hoa market
Considered as the “Miniature of Quang” in the heart of Saigon, Ba Hoa market attracts diners by selling Quang specialties. Ba Hoa market has every dish in the Central region, even the taste is 90% similar to the original dish. The market opens around 3-4pm, but at 5-7pm, it is very crowded.
For more information and to book a tour, visit: https://www.bestpricetravel.com/ho-chi-minh-city-tours/ho-chi-minh-city-tour-full-day.html
