Saigon in 3 days: how to read Southeast Asia's most intense city

Ho Chi Minh City — which everyone still calls Saigon — is Vietnam’s most intense city and, probably, Southeast Asia’s. 9 million inhabitants, 8 million motorbikes, 80-storey towers next to street markets, French colonial architecture next to Chinese temples, and an economy that accounts for 23% of the country’s GDP. If Hanoi thinks Vietnam, Saigon produces Vietnam.

Why it has two names

After the fall of Saigon on 30 April 1975, Hanoi’s government renamed the city Ho Chi Minh City. But nobody calls it that in practice. Southern Vietnamese say “Sài Gòn”. Taxi drivers, menus, songs, locals: all, Saigon. The official name is reserved for documents and politics. That duality is exact to the city: officially communist, culturally capitalist.

• 👥Population 9 million + 8M motorbikes
• 📅Fall of Saigon 30 April 1975
• ⏱Stay 3 full days
• 💰Mid budget €50-80/day

Day 1: colonial Saigon + war context

Start in District 1, the French colonial heart.

• Notre-Dame of Saigon (1880): replica of the Paris one in red Toulouse brick. Under restoration until 2027 — exterior fine, interior closed.
• Central Post Office (1891): designed by Eiffel’s pupils. Still a functioning post office, French Indochina maps on the walls. Free.
• Municipal Opera House (1897): colonial exterior, sober interior. Worth attending a show (A O Show, 700-1,500,000 VND).
• Reunification Palace (1966): the South Vietnamese presidential palace where on 30 April 1975 a North Vietnamese tank crashed through the gates and ended the war. Today a museum: President Thieu’s office frozen in 1975, underground war room with original maps and radios. 65,000 VND, 2 h. Essential.
• War Remnants Museum: the hardest. Photos of Agent Orange, collection of American weapons, UH-1 Huey helicopter in the courtyard. 40,000 VND. Give it 2 hours — no one leaves the same.

Dinner: Banh Xeo 46A (authentic Vietnamese crepe, 40-60,000 VND) or Cuc Gach Quan (restored French villa, 300-500,000 VND).

Day 2: Cu Chi tunnels

70 km northwest of Saigon. The Cu Chi tunnels are a 250 km network dug by the Viet Cong between 1948 and 1975. Three depth levels (3 m, 6 m, 10 m), kitchens, hospitals, dormitories, schools — a subterranean city where 10,000 combatants lived during the war. Tunnel entrances measure 40 cm × 40 cm — an anti-American design (US soldiers didn’t fit).

Two entry options:

• Ben Dinh: more touristy, tunnels enlarged for Westerners.
• Ben Duoc: more authentic, original tunnels, fewer people.

Tours from Saigon: 150-300,000 VND with shared bus. 8:00 am departure, return 14:00. Pricier alternative: speedboat down the Saigon river (€120-180, spectacular, 2 h each way).

Includes optional shooting range where you can fire AK-47 or M-16 (€5-10 per 10 rounds). Controversial but widespread.

Day 3: Chinatown + markets + farewell

Cholon (District 5) is Vietnam’s largest Chinatown, with 2 million inhabitants of Chinese origin. Soul different from the French centre.

• Thien Hau Temple (1760): dedicated to the sea goddess, incense spirals hanging from the ceiling. Free.
• Binh Tay Market: the central wholesale market, huge, dense, non-touristic. 2 h walk.

Back to the centre:

• Ben Thanh Market: the tourist one, next to the Opera. Haggle 50% off initial price. Open 6-18 h (the night market is a different animal, 19-24 h, 100% food).
• Bitexco Financial Tower: 262 m, SkyDeck 200,000 VND. Skippable on tight budget. Social Club at Hotel des Arts (rooftop bar) offers the same view with a cocktail.

Saigon food

The south eats differently from the north: sweeter, spicier, more herbs.

• Com tam: broken rice with marinated pork and egg — proletarian breakfast. 30-50,000 VND.
• Bun thit nuong: vermicelli with grilled pork. 40-60,000 VND.
• Banh xeo: crispy turmeric crepe, stuffed with shrimp and bean sprouts, wrapped in lettuce. 50-80,000 VND.
• Pho bo (beef pho): sweeter and more herb-heavy here than in Hanoi.

Benchmark restaurants: Pho Hoa Pasteur (iconic pho since 1968), The Deck (river view, premium), Quan Bui (refined modern Vietnamese, 200-400,000 VND).

Saigon coffee

Saigon is the world capital of Vietnamese coffee. Three styles:

• Ca phe sua da: coffee with condensed milk, ice. The classic.
• Ca phe trung: coffee with beaten egg — Hanoi specialty, but available here.
• Ca phe muoi: with salt — recent innovation going viral.

Cafés: The Workshop, Shin Coffee, Phuc Long (reliable chain).

Where to sleep

• Park Hyatt Saigon: classic colonial, opposite the Opera, €250-400.
• The Myst Dong Khoi: boutique, €120-180.
• Silverland Sakyo: mid-range, District 1, €60-100.
• The Hammock Hotel Ben Thanh: budget, €25-40.

The complete Vietnam guide from Far Guides dedicates a section to Saigon with District 1 map, War Museum analysis and Mekong Delta day-trip strategy.