The Top 10 Things to Do in Ho Chi Minh City

5. Ben Thant Market

A nice little market within 10 minutes walking distance of the backpacker area. This market will sell you clothing and souvenirs at very low prices, once you have conquered haggling of course. Though prepared to be hassled, most shopkeepers have decided that travellers love to be attacked at every waking moment to by the items they are selling. (Don’t worry, Hanoi sellers generally have learnt the no hassle technique.)

6. Bitexco Financial Tower – 200,000 VND (£7/$10)

Want a fancy panoramic view of Ho Chi Minh City? Bitexco Financial Tower can offer you this service for a mere 200,000 VND and you do get a pretty damn good view. Just don’t be a rookie like us and make it up all 49 flights (don’t worry, there’s a lift) to find your camera is out of battery. It happens to the best of us! Admittedly this is a little touristy but a brilliant way to see how Ho Chi Minh has developed in the last 40 years, you can even spoil yourself to a fancy piece of cake, though meals were out of our budget!


7. Dam Sen Water Park – 120,000 VND (£4/$6)

Initially we thought this was a bit of a joke, I mean, you’ve gone to the otherside of the world, and your going to a water park… Surely Tenerife is a cheaper flight. However, this is when you have to sacrifice that snobby traveller mentality and spend a 30 degrees plus afternoon at a water park in the south of Vietnam. It does save you from sweating your armpits off at the Cu Chi Tunnels, sometimes being a typical western tourist seeking a cheap European amusement is the best afternoon you can have in the scorching sunshine.

8. Motorbike Saigon – 700,000 VND – 1,000,000 VND (£21-£30 / $32-$45)

There are two ways to do this. Numero uno: On the back of a locals bike. Numero dos: With your own bike. Most will be immediently put off by the latter when they see the roads, we don’t blame you. However, a motorbike driver will happily take you around in a group, show you the authenticity, treat you to amazing food and give you the real culture you want without you having to brace the roads by yourself. It’s a little costly for a day out we must admit, ranging from £21-£30 / $32-$45.

Additionally, if you are considering motorbiking Vietnam, firstly decide who’s going to be Jeremy Clarkson and then purchase your bike from a hostel, craigslist, expat website, etc. This actually seemed easier than being repeatedly scammed by taxis half the time. Motorbike’s are around £130-£170 / $200-250 but obviously you can sell them on at the other end and generally make your money back. We met loads of people doing this and we were completely jealous of them! So if you’ve got the bike, go get lost in Saigon, or make friends with a local and they’ll take you around instead.

9. People Watch

No one seems to mention this about Vietnam but it’s quite possibly the best place to people watch. It’s such a different lifestyle they live and the way everything works and runs is entertaining in itself. We spent a lot of time sitting in a cafe or bar a few floors up watching the locals fly on by on their motorbikes with a dining room stacked on the back and cycle rickshaws struggling to peddle a whole Chinese family around the block – it’s just brilliant! There’s a lot of roof top level bars in the backpacker area where you can sit and look over the street. Even better, next to Ben Thant Market there are some lovely cafes perched up a few levels so you can watch the chaos unravel on the roundabout. Despite the craziness of Saigon, it is actually possible to relax!


10. Conquer “Crossing The Road”

Now you may think this is a simple activity but you would be incredibly wrong. Crossing the road becomes a mission, you will only understand once you have attempted it. We’ve all seen the photos and videos of chaotic Vietnamese motorbikes and cars driving around, that may seem bad enough but little did you know that traffic lights are not very plentiful, and the ones that do exist don’t normally mean anything. Zebra crossings are merely irritating squiggles on the ground to drivers, do not expect any of the rules of the road at home to mean anything here. It is a huge achievement when you are able to walk across the road in Vietnam without twitching, but be warned, this might not happen in Ho Chi Minh City.

Overall, Saigon is chaos, the only word to describe it. We were’ the biggest fans of it but we heard plenty of mixed opinions about it on our travels. Most people we met who had travelled from North to South said the North was a tad nicer, whereas we met loads of people heading North who loved it and were already planning their trip back. So, I guess it’s similar to Bangkok, a love hate thing, each to their own!

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