Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam

City · Vietnam

Ho Chi Minh City

Ho Chi Minh City is fast, glossy and food-obsessed, mixing colonial landmarks, rooftop energy and dynamic neighbourhood life.

Travel by Ildy tip

Architecture

In District 3, find Tân Định Church, consecrated in 1876 and painted pastel pink inside and out since 1957; the 'pink church' is the city's second-largest, a neo-Romanesque landmark few itineraries include.

Best time to visit

Best time to travel

December to April is typically drier; the city works year-round if you plan around tropical showers.

Travel tips

Travel by Ildy tips

  • From Tân Sơn Nhất airport, take public bus 109 into District 1: it serves the Bến Thành Market and Phạm Ngũ Lão area, and its stop is right outside the arrivals hall.
  • Eat cơm tấm, Saigon's broken-rice plate, at a street stall: grilled pork rib, pickled carrot and cucumber, a spoon of scallion oil and sweet-sour fish sauce over the fractured grains.
  • Ride Metro Line 1, opened in December 2024, from Ben Thanh towards Thủ Đức in the late afternoon; on its elevated stretch it crosses the Saigon River, a new view of the skyline.
  • In Chợ Lớn's Thiên Hậu Temple, built around 1760, look up at the porcelain roof dioramas of a 19th-century Chinese city — complete with Persian and European sailors among the actors and demons.

Travel by Ildy recommends

Follow the rhythm of the place first, then shape the journey around the experiences that feel most like your own.

Location

Ho Chi Minh City on the map

Vietnam

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Where to stay

Stay ideas — Ho Chi Minh City

Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam

Vietnam

Ho Chi Minh City

Park Hyatt Saigon

Classic luxury opposite the Opera House.

The Reverie Saigon

Bold, high-rise luxury in central District 1.

Mia Saigon

Calmer riverside resort feel away from the busiest centre.