Ho Chi Minh (Saigon) – a vibrant and culture-rich city in the southern part of Vietnam.
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| My sneak peek from my window seat of the beautiful Ho Chi Minh at night. |
Ho Chi Minh has a lot to offer for every unique experience you are looking for. There’s a lot of story and history to learn and explore in this part of the country of Vietnam.
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| Colorful and yummy sticky rice along the Night Market |
About Food
A strip of tasty and yummy street food stalls are available along the local markets like Binh Tanh and the Night Market.
Vietnam is known for their flavorful coffee so it will be best to try their local coffee, I personally like their iced coffee with milk after a long day of walking around the city and the hot coffee with sweetened milk in the morning.
And of course who would miss to try the very famous Pho when you are in this country.
Best Time to Visit
Ho Chi Minh City has a tropical kind of climate and that makes their weather warm throughout the year and is divided with wet and dry season.
Their wet season is around the month of May through mid of October and dry season is from late October to April. Keep in mind that from March to April can get very hot.
The best season to go is around December until February through December can be very crowded as tourists tend to visit this time of the year.
We’ve visited Vietnam for few times and each visit was on different season. When we visited during the month of July, late afternoon rain and drizzles until the evening time made our stay not so enjoyable. So plan ahead if you want to make the most of your time while there.
Going Around
There are different ways to go around Ho Chi Minh. You can ride a cyclo and ride like a local. This is a great way to see the city and they will take you to the famous spots and historical sites.
Just please take a lot of caution when getting cyclos along the road as they can be dishonest with their price.
For example, they will approach you and tell you that this is the price for getting around, then they will bring you to a couple of spots only and then after a few minutes of riding, they will stop to a very quiet street and then they will try to ask for the money that you thought you have agreed with, of course you will pay them with what you thought the price was but they will ask for more and tell you that the price is double with what they said to you earlier and they will force you to give them money.
Better get the cyclos from the guesthouses you are checking in as they can assist you with it.
You can explore the place by foot, they have open pathways that are safe to walk and one of the best way to see and explore Ho Chi Minh City and the local’s everyday lifestyle.
Ho Chi Minh is pretty easy to familiar with. Locals are very helpful and are willing to assist you. Tourist information are available everywhere.
Crossing the street in Ho Chi Minh can be quite scary.
Currency
Vietnamese Dong (VND) is their local currency. 1 US$ = 20,000VND is the rough estimate we are using. Money exchanger services are mostly available around.
Accommodation
Hostels, and guesthouses are very easy to find around the city. One room is around 15-20$ for a double bedroom.
Ho Chi Minh is fairly a safe city for tourist but extra caution is still advised as there have been reports of robbery and theft. Make sure you do not flaunt your valuables when you travel not just to this place but to any place you are visiting.
I would still recommend you visit this part of Vietnam for a great South East Asian experience!
I am Alphonse 
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