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First time in Vietnam or Ho Chi Minh City / Saigon and now what …
You just arrived in HCMC , the first things that you might consider are :
Exchange some Money
If you did not do it yet, at least some to go to the hotel / city.
Inside the city you will find a lot of exchange places which usually give a better rate than at the Airport
Getting a Sim Card
(you can get one at the airport or at any Network provider shop in the city )
Even though almost every shop/ Restaurant has free Wifi, i still think its better to have a Sim card especially if you want to explore the City and surrounding a bit more
( i stayed a bit longer in Vietnam so I took one for 6 month —and I paid only VN550k + they gave me 2 additional month, with 5GB data per DAY ,…how amazing is that …
Download Grab App ( its like Uber) or Vinasum Taxi
Book a grab or Taxi via the App in order to not get scammed. At the Airport you can also find some Vinasums Taxis (white & green), they run by meter. ( Just to give a rough idea, from the Airport to District 1, I usually pay around 200k.
Inside the city you can find Grabs ( Motorbike Taxis ) everywhere, so if you do not want to walk or just experience the traffic on a motorbike, grab a Grab ( just check in the app the approximate price )
Reached your hostel / Hotel and know whats next …
Depending on the time, i would suggest you first try :
Vietnamese Coffee or Egg Coffee
Coffee Shop , Coffee Shop , Coffee Shop…The Vietnamese really like their coffee.That is whay you will find so many different Coffee places here. One nicer than the other. See best coffee Shops in Saigon/ HCMC )
Enjoying a nice cold Vietnamese Coffee and just watching the busy city, is one of my favorite things to do.
Roof Top Bars & Breweries
In The Evening you should definitely check out The Roof Top bars or the local Breweries
Try some local food
Food is always a good option 🙂 . There are a lot of places around the city, but if its your fist time here and you want to try as much as possible for just a few $ than I would suggest you to go the the Ben Thanh Market. There you can find a lot of local food stalls to try from
(also check out : the Best places to eat in Saigon )
Shop till you drop
Keep in mind that you need to bargain in all those local markets. Start with 75% off from the original offered price and than see if you can match somewhere
o Ben Thanh Market
Here you can find everything from Food, souvenirs cloth and other supplies
o Russian Market
This market is selling mainly cloth , even through you will find some Russian food and crafts there as well
o Saigon Square Market
Cloth and souvenirs
Tip: if you stay longer in Saigon or in general in Vietnam, and you want to avoid the big markets or you are just tired of bargaining get Lazada app – its an online shop where you can find everything including all the tourist souvenirs .
I for example just bought the famous fruit shirts for my entire Family there, just check it out :
Another tip is that Ho Chi Minh is one of the most expensive Cities here in Vietnam, so if you visit any other city here, just do the shopping there .
Try a Vietnamese Massage
Believe me, after a long flight or after the whole day walking a massage treatment is exactly what you need ( Best spas in HCMC )
Other things to See
Almost all of the tourist attractions are in a walking distance in District 1. However, if you want to see all the tourist attraction and you don’t have a lot of time or had enough of walking, the City Bus Tour is always a good option. It literally drives you through the whole city and you have time to get off, take some pictures and hop on to the next attraction.
• Notre Dame Cathedral
(its under renovation at the moment , so you can only have a look from the outside)
• Central Post Office
• History Museum
• Saigon zoo
• War Remnants Museum
• Bitexco Finance tower
(The roof Top bar was closed the last time I was there, but it should open soon)
• Independence Palace
• City Hall
• Nguyen Hue Walking Street
• Saigon Opera
Other thigs to do:
• Visit Golden Dragon Water Puppet show
• Saigon night tour
• Cooking class
• Saigon Evening Food Tour with motorbike
• Visit a show at the Saigon Opera
• Dinner Cruise
Day Trips from HCMC:
CU CHI Tunnels (Definitely a must -see)
The best way to visit the tunnels is if you book a tour, just compare different TA as prices may differ a lot . We did a morning half day tour and paid VN320k per person (excluding F&B). Furthermore, the TA also had an option for the full day tour including CAO DAI Temple for VN360k per person (excluding F&B).
You can also take the bus or rent a car/ bike, but i thinks its a big hassle and in the end you are not really saving money .
Mekong Delta / Floating Markets
Another Must – Do ! (if you have the time for it)
If you have 2 days time I would suggest to take the 2 day tour in order to see the floating markets.
There are TA that sell 1 day tours including the floating markets, however the time you will reach, almost all the boats will be gone. It will be very disappointing as its not giving the real “ Floating market experience “.
Can GIO – Mangrove Forest
If you are into nature and Monkeys , you should take this tour . just be careful as the Monkeys try to grab everything incl. Glasses , phones ,…