Saigon Street Food Tour by Vespas

What Best Things to Do in Ho Chi Minh City Vietnam – The Best of Saigon

23 January, 2018
Vietnam Travel News

The collection of the best things to do in Ho Chi Minh City Vietnam promises to call you to this ideal city. Formerly called Saigon and famed as “The Pearl of the Far East,” Ho Chi Minh City today is quite magnetic and outstanding on the Vietnamese tourism map that you should always come to check whether it can enchant you, just like the other tourists worldwide.

#1: Do Shopping – Incredibly Enjoyable Experience in Ho Chi Minh City

The city named after Uncle Ho is a shopping paradise filled with numerous ideal shopping places that ensure you to bring home lots of fantastic items (clothing, accessories, footwear, luggage, handicraft, technical gadget, etc.). Both the local and overseas shopaholics should gather at the top places to shop in Saigon: Ben Thanh Market, Sai Gon Square, Nguyen Trai Street, An Dong Market, and Tan Dinh Market. Besides, you find dozens of the boutique shops and commercial centers to buy the local products. Particularly in the local markets, try bargaining to have fun, joy, and some dollars saved!

Especially, Ben Thanh Market itself is the famous historical attraction of Saigon. Whether for shopping or historical sightseeing, visit this market is amongst the top things to do in Ho Chi Minh City every season. Its architecture is great enough to photograph. As the well-known icon, Ben Thanh Market tells the world that you are in the best city of Vietnam.

Shopping in Saigon
Shopping in Saigon

#2: Eat Saigon Street Food – The Must to Do in Ho Chi Minh City

This dynamic city has long been a food paradise for foodies from all corners of the globe. It’s certain that you can enjoy various yummy dishes on the streets and alleys. Some of the best street food for the Saigon Food Tour includes the broken rice served with grilled ribs, Vietnamese sandwich, crab soup, beef stew, southern pancake, etc. Just a simple walk in the city streets, you can approach many good eateries and vendor carts to please the belly.

Mingling with the local vendors and foodies alike brings the happy experiences to feel the Saigonese’s open-minded and hospitable characteristics.  A good tip to eat like the locals is to find the eateries packed with the patrons, which reflects the delicious food as well as the reasonable prices. Of course, photography opportunities are boundless, which ensures the admirable photo albums. Saigon delivers the rewarding Vietnam culinary travel.

#3: Drink Coffee – The Addictive Pastime to Enjoy in Saigon

As one of the best destinations for the Vietnamese delicious coffee, Ho Chi Minh City owns the beautifully designed coffee shops located on the nice boulevards. If you ask for recommendations, come to these places: Deja Vu Coffee, Urban Station, Trung Nguyen Legend Coffee, The Café Apartment, and so on. The varieties of coffee – white or black, hot or cold, in various cafeterias and restaurants enrich the coffee scenes in Saigon.

#4: Visit Great Historical Attractions – One of the Top Things to Do in Ho Chi Minh City

Increasing your knowledge of the Vietnamese history by coming to see the top historical attractions namely War Remnants Museum, Reunification Palace (Independence Palace), and Saigon Post Office. Nearby the Post Office is the symbolic Saigon Notre Dame Cathedral which was formerly built in the late 1880s by the French colonists. All overseas tourists are stimulated to contemplate the impressive Cathedral famed for the distinctive neo-Romanesque traits, the stained glass window, the large bells, and the green gardens in the front. The Cathedral brings the touch of Paris to all visitors who appreciate its architecture and landscape for sightseeing and photography.

The Reunification Palace in Saigon
The Reunification Palace in Saigon

#5: Get High on Bitexco Financial Tower – Upscale Hangout in Ho Chi Minh City

Located in District 1, Bitexco Financial Tower stands out as the premium venue for all to chill out in Saigon, especially at night. At the height of 262m, this building owns 68 floors and was ranked the 5th in the list of world’s top 20 most iconic skyscrapers by CNNGo. Remarkably on the 50th floor, you savor the 36-degree view from the bar areas. Note that the prices of food and drinks in the Tower are much expensive.

Meeting the world-class standard, Bitexco Financial Tower has the shopping malls, restaurants, bars, helipad, offices, etc., which guarantee your upscale experiences in Saigon. Being excellent in both design and architecture (designed by the celebrated American Architect Carlos Zapata), this modern hangout is surely worth a visit.

#6: Discover Underground Cu Chi Tunnels – Memorable Activity around Saigon

Heading underground via the day tour to Cu Chi Tunnels, about 70km from Ho Chi Minh City, you will marvel at the original tunnel system as well as the subterranean life during the year of 1948.  The tunnels were 120 kilometers, including the chambers of hospital, command area, trapdoor, kitchen, and storage. In some moments, you might question how the old Vietnamese soldiers could build such the admirable system and live with the shortage of light, food supply, and other facilities.

Climbing underground is memorable while witnessing the war relics enhances your historical understanding. The rustic atmosphere of Cu Chi Tunnels gives you the perfect back-in-time journey around Saigon. This historical place of interest does attract numerous visitors all seasons.

Cu Chi Tunnels about 70km from Ho Chi Minh City
Cu Chi Tunnels about 70km from Ho Chi Minh City

#7: Do Homage to Local Pagodas and Temples – Things to Do for Free in Ho Chi Minh City

To get a glimpse of the Saigonese’s spiritual life, make sure you do homage to the local outstanding pagodas and temples. The must-see sites are Jade Emperor Pagoda, Giac Lam Pagoda, Vinh Nghiêm Pagoda, Nam Thien Nhat Tru Pagoda, Thien Hau Temple, and Mariamman Hindu Temple. Getting there, you cherish the religious architecture, the locals’ strong belief, and the fancy story. The listed religious sites are all worth visiting, and they are the indispensable venues for most of the Saigonese to do worshipping on the daily basis.

So if you long for the dreamy Indochina travel, make it true through these great things to do in Saigon. Enjoy the best of Ho Chi Minh City to the fullest soon!

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