Ho Chi Minh City Travel Guide

Ho Chi Minh City (Vietnamese: Thành phố Hồ Chí Minh), commonly known as Saigon (Vietnamese: Sài Gòn) or by the abbreviations HCMC or HCM, is the largest city in Vietnam (population and area) and the former capital of the Republic of Vietnam (South Vietnam). Tourist attractions in the city are mainly related to periods of French colonization and the Vietnam War. There are several museums, and a backpackers' district on Phạm Ngũ Lão Street and Bùi Viện Street, District 1.

You can get to the city center by taxi, but the buses are much cheaper. There are several routes, and all the buses are air-conditioned. Bus 152 is a city bus. It costs 5,000 VND (luggage is an extra 5,000 VND) and departs every 15 minutes. Bus 109 is an express bus. It costs 20,000 VND (luggage is an extra 20,000 VND) and departs every 45 minutes. If you're going from the airport to the city center, you can buy tickets at the terminal. If you're going from the city center to the airport, you ca

Getting around HCMC can be a challenge: traffic slows to a crawl for most of the day, the heat and chaotic streets make walking long distances impractical, and the public transport system has not kept up with the city's explosive growth.

In general, Ho Chi Minh City is a safe city, with violent crimes such as armed robbery being relatively rare. The most common crimes faced by tourists are pickpocketing and snatch theft from motorbikes.

Most hotels do not allow you to bring back a local female companion to stay overnight. However it's best to confirm guest policy as plenty of non-international chain hotels allow guests.