Ho Chi Minh City, also known as Saigon, is Vietnam in high gear. To travel to Ho Chi Minh City is to be introduced to a dramatic meeting of old and new culture, a dynamic metropolis of skyscrapers and traffic juxtaposed with a wealth of ancient temples and traditional markets. Whether you're traveling to Ho Chi Minh City for a quick stop en route to other parts of Vietnam or are planning a visit to the city exclusively, you will be won over the city's frenetic energy and the many local gems just waiting to be discovered.
Things Not to Miss in Ho Chi Minh City
From buzzy new hotels and restaurants to ancient temples and markets steeped in culture and history, our Ho Chi Minh City travel guide will point you to the city's must-see sights, including:
• The underground tunnels of Cu Chi
• The Jade Emperor Pagoda
• Nha Hang Ngon, one of the city's most popular restaurants
• The War Remnants Museum
• The Cao Dai Temple in the nearby town of Tay Ninh
When to Visit Ho Chi Minh City
The best time to visit Ho Chi Minh City is between December and April, when the temperatures are warm and the air is dry. If you visit Ho Chi Minh City from May to November, during the rainy season, the city can be very wet—it receives more than 70 inches of rain each year.
-
The Most Popular Destinations for Solo Travelers
Solo travel is becoming an increasingly popular choice for travelers, according to data from Airbnb.The home booking site revealed that the... Read More
-
VIDEO: Five Things to Do in Ho Chi Minh City
You’ll find there are many sides to the vibrant Vietnamese metropolis of Ho Chi Minh City—still often called Saigon by visitors and locals from the... Read More
-
Amazing Post Offices With Architecture Worth Traveling For
Post offices often get a bad rap these days, but in earlier times, they were vital urban institutions that often inhabited grand buildings. ... Read More
-
A Lauded War Photographer Rediscovers Vietnam
Just after noon on June 8, 1972, a South Vietnamese Skyraider dropped napalm on Trang Bang, a village 25 miles northwest of Saigon. The payload, meant... Read More
-
An Insider's Guide to Ho Chi Minh City
How do you find the best of ever-vibrant, ever-changing Ho Chi Minh City? Get an insider guide. T+L asked three plugged-in residents to open their... Read More
-
Movable Feasts: Five New Food Tours on the Go
Five culinary adventures that put a new spin on the traditional food tour.Ho Chi Minh City: See (and taste) Saigon from the back of a vintage scooter... Read More
-
Hottest Cruise Destinations for 2013
Polar RegionsLooking for something truly exotic? Go north. These days you can hike across Iceland’s fjords with Cunard or visit Russia’s reindeer... Read More
-
Best New Cruise Ships
Seagoing vacations have come a long way since TV’s sunny Love Boat sailed across 1970s screens. These days, passengers can snuggle up to an ice bar,... Read More
-
The Flip Side of Vietnam
"Actually it's livening up. and beautiful, besides.""Uh-huh.""Great food too.""Hmm. Well, it's not exactly Saigon."I've had this conversation more than... Read More
-
Muriel Brandolini's Design Inspiration
With a new book out this month and a pop-up store at Barneys New York through November, Vietnam native Muriel Brandolini has truly landed on the... Read More
-
Top Travel Destinations: 1971–2011
The 1970’sThe traveler’s map sure looked different in T+L’s first decade. Future hot spots like Shanghai, Prague, Moscow, and Saigon were still well... Read More
-
A War Reporter's Most Memorable Hotels
In the midst of last winter’s revolts across the Middle East and North Africa, I kept getting e-mails and text messages from friends and colleagues in... Read More
-
Best New Asian Hotel Restaurants
BeijingQiThe Lowdown In Chinese, Qi means "Seven"— the number of China’s provinces whose cuisines are on the menu of the Ritz-Carlton Beijing, Financial... Read More
-
Saigon's Best Shops
Planning a trip to Vietnam invariably summons visions of the purchases that await: flawless custom clothing, one-of-a-kind colonial curios, high-gloss... Read More
-
Vietnamese Food: The Ultimate Food Guide
“An com chua?”If you’re going to understand Vietnam and the Vietnamese, this three-word phrase is key. A friendly greeting exchanged throughout the day,... Read More
