Tan Son Nhat International drops you into Vietnam's largest and fastest-moving city, still known to almost everyone who lives there as Saigon.
About the city
Ho Chi Minh City is loud, fast and immediately likeable. French colonial architecture — the Central Post Office, the Notre-Dame Cathedral Basilica — stands next to glass towers and a river of motorbikes. The War Remnants Museum and the Cu Chi tunnels outside the city give the twentieth century its weight; Ben Thanh Market and the street kitchens of District 1 give the present day its flavour. Coffee here is a serious local institution, thick and iced.
The Mekong Delta begins two hours to the south, and the beaches and old towns of central Vietnam are a short flight away. The dry season runs December to April.
Good to know
- —The airport sits unusually close to the centre — around 7 km.
- —Most visitors need a visa or e-visa arranged before travel.
- —The Vietnamese dong is the local currency; carry some cash for markets and street food.