A day in Ho Chi Minh City

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See & Do

Saigon River Express

Take a well deserved break from Saigon’s traffic

Word to the wise: For all tours, Saigon River Express allows their boats to be privately charted for groups of up to ten - perfect for a special occasion.

A hotbed of activity throughout the country, the river plays such a huge role in Vietnamese life that to miss out on a visit to the River Saigon would be like missing a chunk of the city itself. Literally going with the flow, Saigon River Express encourages visitors to see the city from a different point of view, offering a variety of tours geared around the city’s waterways.

The city and canals private charter tour shows the contrasting styles of life in Saigon, starting from the busy port and soaring tower blocks and taking you to the hidden canals of the city where locals live simple, traditional lives by the water. If you feel like venturing further afield, Saigon River Express also offer group tours to the Cu Chi tunnels and the Mekong Delta via speedboat, substantially cutting your traveling time, allowing you to take in more of the sights.

Price sample: From USD 69-92
Private charters from USD 150-920
Address: Pick ups from outside the Renaissance Riverside Hotel, Ton Duc Thang Street, District 1
Phone: +8412 8592 0018
Saigon River Express' webpage

See & Do

Quan Am Pagoda

Buddhist temple at the heart of Cholon

Word to the wise: As with most Chinese places of worship, visitors to the pagoda are welcome to purchase incense from the vendors outside and make an offering.

Built in the early 19th century and located in the Cholon district of Saigon, Quan Am Pagoda is one of the most famous and frequented pagodas in the city, attracting scores of both Vietnamese and Chinese worshippers on a daily basis. As with most temples of its kind, a meticulous attention to detail was displayed in its creation, with numerous intricate carvings depicting icons of the Buddhist faith protruding from every inch.

A combination of Buddhist and Taoist symbolism, the pagoda is dedicated to the goddess of compassion, Quan Am, whose statue dominates the inner chamber. Visitors to the temple can also pay their respects to numerous other deities such as Thien Hau or The Lady of the Sea, the Jade Emperor and Amitabha, who is said to offer salvation through faith. For those who wish to fully understand the depictions within the pagoda, it would serve well to do a little background research before visiting.

Fee: Free
Open Hours: Daily: 8am - 4.30pm
Address: Lao Tu Street, Cholon

See & Do

Golden Dragon Water Puppet Theater

A buoyant performance of traditional tales

Word to the wise: Book your tickets as far in advance as you can, particularly in the high season, as the limited seats in the small theater fill up fast.

Chances are, you’ll be told that a visit to a water puppet show is bordering on obligatory when you visit Vietnam and to miss it is nigh on sacrilege. Now whilst deigning to give it a miss is unlikely to cause too many sleepless nights, it is well worth making the effort to witness this most Vietnamese of performances.

In Saigon, the Golden Dragon Water Puppet Theater is the leading performer of this traditional art form, where brightly painted wooden puppets ‘act out’ tales of rural folklore on a stage made of water. Not to ruin the magic, but the puppets are controlled by hidden bamboo sticks and string from behind a bamboo screen, designed to look like a temple. All performances are in Vietnamese but an abundance of bright colors, simple effects and a live orchestra of traditional folk music combines to create an atmospheric and watery little opera.

Fee: Approx VND 50,000
Open Hours: Shows: 5pm, 6.30pm (duration 50 minutes)
Address: 55B Nguyen Thi Minh Khai Street, District 1
Phone: +848 3840 4027
Golden Dragon Water Puppet Theatre's webpage

Shopping

L'Usine

Creative and contemporary lifestyle store

Noteworthy for: All the clothing for sale in the store has been selected for its suitability to Saigon's climate - the perfect place to pick up your summer essentials.

Housed in an achingly beautiful French-colonial era mansion, L'Usine is Ho Chi Minh City's 'jack of all trades' for the image-conscious shopper. The industrial/retro (1930's French garment factory to be precise) styling's of the shop fit comfortably with its history as a ballroom and boutique hotel, making this easily one of the hippest joints in town.

Stocking exclusively sourced brands such as Rittenhouse, Colab and Vanishing Elephant, this art-gallery-cum-cafeteria-cum-lifestyle-shop is not only the place to pick up your latest vintage Lomo camera or retro specs; the attached gallery space gives local artists the opportunity to showcase their work.

Open Hours: Daily: 10am - 10pm
Address: 151 Dong Khoi Street, 1st Floor, District 1
Phone: +848 6674 3565
L'Usine's webpage

Shopping

Binh Tay Market

Sprawling, fascinating and full of bargains

Word to the wise: If the boisterousness (and heat) becomes too much for you then head to the surprisingly placid central courtyard which houses a statue in honor of the market's founder.

The centre-piece of Cholon, Binh Tay was funded by Quach Dam, an innovative Chinese immigrant who raised the necessary funds by collecting and selling old bottles, duck feathers and other waste.

Nowadays, over 2,300 stalls cram together to create a market with an electrifying atmosphere, plying wares such as dried shrimp, fragrant rice, hand-made soaps, discount woks and papaws to Chinatown's masses.

Famous for being one of the cheapest markets in Ho Chi Minh, many retailers buy their wholesale goods at Binh Tay and sell them on at other markets around the city. Cut out the middleman and head here yourself.

Open Hours: Daily: 6am - 7.30pm
Address: Hau Giang Street, Cholon
Phone: +848 8571 512
Binh Tay Market's webpage

Restaurants

Nha Hang Ngon

Street food with style

Word to the wise: Up until very recently, this restaurant was known as Quan An Ngon and many will still refer to it as such.

Popular plate: The shrimp, pork and beansprout-filled Banh Xeo, wrapped in lettuce and dipped in fish sauce, is to die for.

If you like the idea of street food but just can't bring yourself to squat on those tiny plastic benches at the side of the road, Nha Hang Ngon may just be the place you're looking for.

A certified local hit, Nha Hang Ngon offers a more refined version of a food court, serving up excellent versions of regional dishes from all over Vietnam in a restored colonial mansion. Light and airy at lunchtime and twinkling with fairy lights at night, here you can sample authentic Cau Lau without travelling up the coast to Hoi An, Bun Bo just like it tastes in Hue and Bun Cha without even setting a foot in Hanoi.

Price sample: Main course: VND 6,000-150,000
Open Hours: Daily: 7am - 10pm
Address: 160 Pasteur, District 1
Phone: +848 3827 7131

Restaurants

Temple Club

Vietnamese classics in an old-world setting

Word to the wise: Skip dessert and head downstairs to Fanny's ice cream parlor, whose creative flavors include ginger, salt caramel and love-it-or-hate-it durian.

Talk of the town: Double-whammy eye candy couple Brad Pitt and Angelina Jolie dined at the restaurant whilst in Saigon and made a local-style exit on a scooter after their meal.

Seductively low-lit and adorned with Indo-Chinese decor, Temple Club evocatively conjures up images of a mysterious 1930's Saigon. Housed within a former guesthouse, this restaurant and lounge makes full use of a decorative wooden bar, retro furnishings and antique ceiling fans to create an enigmatic atmosphere that's a little like a romantic opium den. If there is such a thing.

The menu features classic Vietnamese dishes for a more upscale wallet, with their seafood prepared to perfection. Highlights of the menu include their fried fish 'Cha Ca' (a specialty of Hanoi), lemongrass-stuffed snails and a tender Peking duck salad but if you only have time for a cocktail, there's no better place to escape into the world of old Saigon.

Price sample: Main course: VND 120,000-200,000
Cocktails: VND 70,000-85,000
Open Hours: Daily: 12noon - 12midnight (last orders 10.30pm)
Address: 29-31 Ton That Thiep Street
Phone: +848 3829 9244
Temple Club's webpage

Restaurants

Cuc Gach Quan

Vietnamese country cuisine just like mama used to make

Noteworthy for: The restaurant only gets its ingredients from reputable sources, with the soya sauce specially made for Cuc Gach Quan and the tofu made in house by chef Ms Diep.

Popular plate: With so much to choose from, you may find it hard to narrow it down but the crab steamed with coconut is always delicious.

Priding itself on a menu containing all natural ingredients and no msg (an ingredient seemingly ubiquitous in Vietnamese cooking), Cuc Gach Quan serves up hearty and healthy traditional dishes in an equally wholesome setting.

Occupying the ground floor of a lovingly restored colonial building, at Cuc Gach Quan, homely with a modern twist is the order of the day in both surroundings and cuisine. Retro furniture is accompanied by equally vintage music whilst well chosen contemporary flashes keep this traditional restaurant sufficiently modern.

The extensive menu can be overwhelming but maître d' Ty is on hand to give his recommendations which may include a crispy sea bass with passion fruit sauce or a tender stewed pork claypot.

Address: 10 Dang Tat, District 1
Phone: +848 3848 0144
Cuc Gach Quan's webpage

Bars & Nightlife

2 Lam Son

Jet set bar with a super-sleek interior

Tipple of choice: The bartenders here have their signature Southeast Asian Ambrella Martini down to a fine art. It would be rude not to sample the fruits of their labor, wouldn't it?

Word to the wise: 2 Lam Son has its own independent entrance so there's no need to go traipsing through the hotel.

A plush bar befitting its location in the equally slick Park Hyatt Hotel, since its opening in 2010, 2 Lam Son has become one of the go-to bars on Saigon's late-night drinking radar.

Designed by renowned Tokyo design firm Super Potato, a medley of sleek black marble, warm wood panels and stainless steel combines to create a futuristic take on old Saigon. An illuminated glass and stainless steel central bar dominates the space, with the overlooking mezzanine seats the most prized in the house.

Cocktails, champagnes and a wide selection of wines by the glass are on offer but just remember to pace yourself as the action doesn't really start 'til later in the evening.

Price sample: Cocktails: Around VND 200,000
Age: 18
Open Hours: Daily: 4pm - 2am
Address: Park Hyatt Hotel, 2 Lam Son Square
Phone: +848 3824 1234
2 Lam Son's webpage

Bars & Nightlife

Yoko

Musical bar with artistically eclectic appeal

Word to the wise: If you don't fancy sitting through the numerous band sound checks, avoid arriving between 5pm and 7pm; aim for 8pm to bag yourself a decent seat.

Despite a simplistic, bare-bones interior, Yoko has amassed a fiercely loyal clientele of Saigon's creative hipster crowd. A bright white space that uses natural light to its full capacity, a large picture of John Lennon adds the only decoration and confirms suspicions surrounding the bar's name.

Punters recline in large comfy sofas and spacious mezzanine day beds whilst listening to the crème de la crème of Saigon's live music scene. Each night covers a different genre ranging from jazz to psych, blues to rock and roll, with the eponymous Yoko band taking the helm with classic pop at the weekends.

Price sample: Drinks: VND 25,000-75,000
Open Hours: Daily: 5pm - 12midnight
Address: 22A Nguyen Thi Dieu, District 3
Phone: +848 3933 0577
Yoko's Facebook page