Ho Chi Minh City was quite the introduction to Vietnam. We got off the plane in Vietnam and navigated our way through the line to pick up our visas and get through customs. The arrival process is one of the most important things to know before traveling to Vietnam because it’s a bit confusing and overwhelming, especially when you are traveling tired.
After a few unsuccessful attempts to find a taxi, we finally connected with our Grab driver and made our way to our apartment in District 1, Ho Chi Minh City’s central neighborhood. The apartment we stayed in had great air conditioning, laundry, and amazing city views. Airbnb had many options in the city to choose from.
What We Did in Ho Chi Minh City
We had two days before our friends arrived, so we stayed close to the apartment and caught up on sleep, laundry, and FaceTiming with those back home. After having some major eating fails, we found a vegetarian place near us—Veggie Saigon. An Irish pub was just down the street, with leprechauns painted on the wall and a few expats who were very friendly—one great pub helps any situation.
Once our friends arrived, we were energized to get out and make things happen. We visited the War Remnants Museum which was a very intense and emotional introduction to this country. To lighten things up a little that evening, we went to Bui Vien Walking Street and checked out a few rooftop bars. We had a feast of street food vegetables and had a great time catching up.
The second full day that we were all together was a quiet day at the apartment where we discovered that you could easily order food right to the apartment, so we took full advantage. By sunset, we were ready to venture out and explore. That heat is no joke. We took ourselves on our own walking tour of some of the popular sites in the city center. We enjoyed dinner at the Cafe Apartments, strolled by the Post Office and finished our night with a cold beer at Pasteur Street Brewing.
I wanted to share our favorites from Ho Chi Minh City, formerly Saigon. It wasn’t my favorite place we visited, but I blame the heat, the humidity, and our food struggles. You can read more about that in our month 3 recap. I am glad we went there because it was amazing to learn more about history and see some of their beautiful architecture.
Our Ho Chi Minh City Favorites
Bui Vien Walking Street
This area is filled with hostels and bars. It’s a great place to do some people watching. We enjoyed a feast here of street food – mostly vegetables and spring rolls. Plan to spend an evening here trying out a couple different spots. We found some great rooftop bars here to watch the chaos happen below us.
War Remnants Museum
This is a tough place, but it’s so important to see. We had heard conflicting reviews but went to see for ourselves. It takes at least an hour to walk through, but it’s air-conditioned. Some of the exhibits are very hard to see and would not be good for children. We all took a while to process afterward. I didn’t take any pictures while we were there, but we did enjoy the parks that are all located in that area.
The Cafe Apartments
This is exactly what the name sounds like. It’s an apartment building that has a whole bunch of cafes and shops instead of living quarters. The elevator costs a little money, but the stairs are free. There is a big variety of places to try out and most have a balcony where you can see the street below. I wish we would have been hungrier to try out multiple places when we visited.
Saigon Central Post Office
This building was built in the late 1800’s when the area was part of French Indochina. It is located across the street from the Saigon Notre-Dame. Right next to this beautiful building, there is a street lined with nothing but bookshops. They had everything you could think of and I would love to return and spend a day sipping coffee and slowly making my way through each shop.
Pasteur Street Brewing Company
We visited the original location for this brewing company in Ho Chi Minh City and went on to visit their locations in Hoi An and Hanoi as well. The beers are definitely more expensive than the usual ones you will find in the streetside restaurants, but they were worth it. When I say expensive, I mean they were about $4 instead of $0.60. The Passionfruit Ale and Watermelon Wheat were two of our favorites. They have a small rooftop area and a taproom below, and the location is central to most of the attractions in the city center.
Things We’d Add for Our Next Trip to Ho Chi Minh City
Because of the heat, there were a few things that we didn’t get to and if we find ourselves back in this bustling Vietnamese city, I would do these first:
- Ben Thanh Market
- Tan Dinh Church
- Tour the inside of the Independence Palace
- Cu Chi Tunnels
Final Thoughts on Ho Chi Minh City
We always discuss the cities we visit by asking ourselves the question of whether or not we could live there. We definitely didn’t see ourselves spending much time in Ho Chi Minh City in the future. I would like to come back when it isn’t quite as hot and explore a little more. It was a good place to start our Vietnam adventure, and we were so happy to have our friends with us to experience it all.
We headed north to the coastal city of Da Nang next.
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