Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam

As indicated in my previous blog post, my internship allowed me to work from the Ho Chi Minh City office for a week. Of course, I couldn’t pass on this opportunity, so I extended my stay in Vietnam a little longer to see the city and its surrounding areas.

Ho Chi Minh City, or “Thành phố Hồ Chí Minh” in Vietnamese, is the most populated city in the country, with around 10 million inhabitants (in 2023). It used to be called Saigon and was the capital of South Vietnam. Following the occupation by North Vietnam, the city was renamed in 1976.

The most important thing is that, like Singapore, there is no Uber in Vietnam; the alternative is called Grab. You can use the app to order food and/or a cab like Uber. You can also order a Grab motorcycle instead of a car in Vietnam. If you arrive by plane, as I did, you must go to Grab’s official pick-up point. To do this, you just need to follow the signs at the airport. It’s more or less just leaving the terminal and crossing the roads. However, you have to be careful on the way to the pick-up point, as you will be approached by locals who want to drive you to your hotel. They even flash the Grab app to you. Although they enter your hotel into the app to show you the route and price, they want to do the ride without the app and be paid in cash. Do not fall for this! The best thing to do is to ignore them simply. In my case, an official Grab employee in a green vest stood at the official pick-up point and helped all first-time travelers to Ho Chi Minh City. It does get a bit chaotic and overwhelming when you see the traffic for the very first time.

If you want to try out a Grab motorcycle, you should check the riders’ reviews, especially if you are not used to this type of transportation. The rider should provide a helmet.

This brings me directly to my next tip: How do you cross a street in Ho Chi Minh City? Especially at the beginning, I was shocked by the traffic and the lack of structure behind it, at least from my perspective. Crossing a road seemed almost impossible to me. Even when the pedestrian lights were green, the motorcycles continued driving and hardly recognized you. I got really lucky the first few times, and at least one local also wanted to cross the road so I could just tag along. The trick is that you just have to walk, and the motorcycles will get out of the way. If necessary, you must briefly stop in the middle of the road and wait for someone to pass you. Obviously, you shouldn’t do this when there are many motorcycles and cars on the road. The best place to start is on roads with less traffic. That’s it, but it is also easier said than done! However, even here, practice is the key, and the good news is that you get used to the traffic quite quickly.

As I had to work during the week, I arrived already the weekend before to spend as much time as possible in Ho Chi Minh City. I booked a GetYourGuide tour to and through the Cu Chi tunnels for my first day. We started in Ho Chi Minh City and took a speedboat to the tunnels. After the 1.5-hour boat ride, we had a local lunch before heading to the tunnels. There, the tour guide told us about the creation and history of the tunnels and explained various things about the war at the time. In addition to demonstrating the various traps, we were also shown how people made clothes and preserved their food back then. We could also look at the tunnels and walk through some of them. Afterward, we returned to Ho Chi Minh City by speedboat again. The ride and view along the river were very impressive.

I spent the remaining days sightseeing within the city; the corresponding spots are on the map below.

Additionally, I would like to mention another personal highlight: Saigon Riverside Park in District 2. It offers a phenomenal view of parts of the skyline and has a sunflower garden and a night market. Moreover, the whole area was extensive, and cars were prohibited. It was a very beautiful and peaceful experience. I almost felt like I was far away from all the hustle and bustle of the city itself.

There’s one thing I haven’t touched on yet: the food. I really liked that the food, in general, wasn’t too spicy. Of all the things I tried, bánh mì will remain my favorite. And, of course, the coffee! Vietnamese coffee is different from Singaporean coffee and worth trying. I liked it with coconut milk the best. You can also find all the restaurants and cafés recommended to me or that I have visited on the map below.

Finally, one last tip: Generally speaking, you should be cautious with tap water – especially if you are unfamiliar with the location. In many places, there are special drinking water taps. Of course, this also applies to ice cubes! If in doubt, leave it out or opt-out when ordering.