SAI GON TRAVEL INFORMATION

Ho Chi Minh City, or Saigon as it is still known to many, is Vietnam’s largest city with a growing population of around 7 million. This is a city on the go 24 hours a day, where everybody seems to be busy either buying, selling, studying, working or just enjoying themselves. Despite the fact that modern high-rise buildings have begun to dominate the skyline in recent years there are still many fine examples of French colonial architecture in Ho Chi Minh City such as the Notre Dame Cathedral, the Old Saigon Post Office and the former Hotel de Ville. A stroll down Dong Khoi Street, the Rue Catinat of Graham Greene’s ‘The Quiet American’, will reveal more colonial classics like the Continental, Grand and Majestic hotels as well as dozens of tempting boutiques and galleries.

Ho Chi Minh City is a real shopper’s paradise with modern shopping centers and trendy boutiques rubbing shoulders with traditional street markets. The city’s best-known market is Ben Thanh Market where you can buy anything from fresh fruit and flowers to the latest imported electronics and cosmetics.

One of the most interesting places to visit in Ho Chi Minh City is the former Presidential Palace, now renamed the Reunification Hall. This building remains almost exactly as it was on the morning of 30th April 1975 when the Saigon regime surrendered to the victorious liberation forces and the country was reunified for the first time since 1945. For more war-related history the War Remnants Museum with its thought provoking display of weapons and photographs is also worth visiting.

Cholon, Ho Chi Minh City’s Chinatown, is the frenetic commercial centre, where every building has a shop or workshop on the ground floor. Cholon also has the city’s largest market, Binh Tay Market, and some fine pagodas including Thien Hau Pagoda, with its huge incense coils suspended from the ceiling.

Com Nieu 1 and 2

6C Tu Xuong Street, District 3 Tel: (84-8) 932 6388

59 Ho Xuang Huong Street, District 3 Tel: (84-8) 930 2888

Cuisine: Vietnamese (Mekong region)

Specialized on food from the south and the Mekong Delta region, these 2 restaurants see very few tourists, maybe some local expats and are very popular for its menu. Their “flying rice” adds to the fun. Recommended.

Open 1000-2200

AnVien

178 A Hai Ba Trung

Tel: (84-8) 824 3877

Cuisine: Vietnamese

Fine Vietnamese cuisine in the quiet and elegant setting of a villa dating back to the 50s. A variety of small rooms on 2 levels.

Open 1000-2300

The Temple Club

29 Ton That Thiep Street, District 1

(84 8) 829 9244

Cuisine: Vietnamese

The Temple Club consists of a bar, a restaurant serving Vietnamese cuisine and a stylish Club lounge in Indochina retro look.

Reservation recommended for dinner

Open 1130 - 2400

Ngon Restaurant

138 Nam Ky Khoi Nghia Street, District 1

Tel: (84 8) 829 9449

Cuisine: Vietnamese

Ngon Restaurant is VERY popular and crowded with locals and visitors alike for its wide variety of delicious and affordable hawker-style food. Near the Reunification Palace.

Open 0630-2300

Pho 24

Various locations throughout Saigon

The Vietnamese equivalent of fast food based on the classic Vietnamese dish. Franchise with quick and friendly service. The 24 in Pho 24 stands for the 24 ingredients and the 24 hours that it takes to prepare Vietnam’s best known soup.

Vietnamese soup.

Highland Coffee

Modern coffee house chain Starbucks-style with various locations around town.

Fanny Ice Cream

29-31 Ton That Thiep, District 1

Tel: 821 1633

Best ice creams and sorbets in town. Hygienic and great setting

Saigon Bar

19 Lam Son Square, District 1

Tel: (84-8) 8234 999

Modern alternative in the past and the present to the Rex Terrace. Great views. Inside Caravelle Hotel.

Open till late