Ho Chi Minh City

Local eatery · District 3

Since 1958

Banh Mi Hoa Ma

Breakfast skillet banh mi with cold cuts and egg, running for nearly 60 years.

Since 1938

Local eatery · Ban Co

Cheo Leo Cafe

Alley cafe serving sock-filtered coffee, with a history dating to 1938.

60+ years

Hu Tieu Ca Nam Loi

Fish hu tieu noodle soup from a Chinese-Vietnamese family shop, over 60 years old.

Banh Xeo 46A

Legendary sizzling crepe house in a Tan Dinh alley, frying giant banh xeo since the 1940s.

Illustration of Ho Thi Ky Market and Night Food

Seasonal

Market · District 10

Ho Thi Ky Market and Night Food

Long-running flower market that doubles as an evening street food cluster.

Banh Mi Huynh Hoa

Saigon's most famous banh mi shop, stacking a dozen kinds of cold cuts and pate into one overloaded baguette.

3rd generation

Street cart · Da Kao

Banh Mi Bay Ho

Long-running banh mi cart with house-made pate and fillings from a family recipe.

Local eatery · Phú Nhuận

Com Tam Ba Ghien

Michelin-listed broken-rice joint famous for pork chops the size of your face.

Food street · Cho Lon

Ha Ton Quyen Dumpling Street

A street of Chinese-style dumpling shops in Cho Lon.

Seasonal

Local eatery · Cho Lon

Che Ha Ky

Chinese-style sweet soups in Cho Lon, open into the night.

Local eatery · District 5

Pho Le

Cho Lon's beloved pho house, often named by locals as the best southern-style pho in the city.

Tour & guide · Hotel pickup (Districts 1, 3, 4, 5)

Sells out early

XO Tours (women-led motorbike food tour)

Since 2010, local women ride you pillion through Saigon's food districts on a 4.5-hour night tour.

$$$$ · High-end

Hidden Gem

Oc Dao

Saigon's most famous snail house, hidden in an alley off Nguyen Trai and packed nightly.

The Lunch Lady

The Da Kao street cart made world-famous by Anthony Bourdain, serving a rotating noodle soup daily.

Food street · Tan Dinh

Tan Dinh Market Food Strip

Long-standing strip of budget eateries around Tan Dinh Market, many serving Central and Hue dishes.

Local eatery · District 3

Pho Hoa Pasteur

One of Saigon's most famous pho institutions, serving southern-style pho on Pasteur street for decades.

The Workshop Coffee

Saigon's pioneering specialty coffee roastery in an industrial-chic loft above Ngo Duc Ke street.

$$$ · Pricey

Cong Ca Phe

The cult Vietnamese coffee chain with communist-nostalgia decor and the country's best-known coconut coffee.

Food street · Xuân Hòa

Bánh tráng nướng at Hồ Con Rùa

Evening vendors grilling rice-paper “pizza” around the Turtle Lake roundabout.

Cooking class · District 1 (Saigon ward)

Saigon Cooking Class

Ben Thanh market shopping with a chef, then three dishes in a District 1 kitchen.

$$$ · Pricey

8 places

Culture in Ho Chi Minh City

Sight · District 3

War Remnants Museum

Vietnam's most visited museum, documenting the Vietnam War with unflinching photography and preserved military hardware.

Independence Palace

The perfectly preserved 1960s presidential palace where the Vietnam War ended on 30 April 1975.

Jade Emperor Pagoda

A smoky, atmospheric 1909 Taoist temple filled with carved deities — famously visited by Barack Obama in 2016.

Hidden Gem

Sight · District 5

Thien Hau Temple

A 19th-century Cantonese temple to the sea goddess Mazu, the spiritual heart of Cho Lon's Chinatown.

Saigon Central Post Office

A working 19th-century French colonial post office with a soaring vaulted hall and vintage phone booths.

Notre-Dame Cathedral of Saigon

The red-brick twin-spired cathedral at the heart of colonial Saigon, built entirely with materials shipped from France.

Sight · District 1 (Saigon ward)

Saigon Opera House

An 1897 French colonial theater hosting the acclaimed AO Show and classical performances.

$$$ · Pricey

A O Show at Saigon Opera House

Lune Production's bamboo-circus show with live folk music, at the colonial-era Saigon Opera House.

$$$$ · High-end

4 places

Things to explore in Ho Chi Minh City

Illustration of Nguyen Hue Walking Street

Nguyen Hue Walking Street

Saigon's grand pedestrian boulevard running from the People's Committee Hall down to the river.

The Cafe Apartment

A nine-story 1960s apartment block on Nguyen Hue converted floor-by-floor into cafes, studios, and boutiques.

Ben Thanh Market

Saigon's century-old central market — chaotic, touristy, and still the city's symbolic heart.

Sight · District 6

Binh Tay Market

Cho Lon's great wholesale market, a 1920s Chinese-roofed landmark where Saigon's shopkeepers buy their stock.

4 places

Shopping in Ho Chi Minh City

Tan Dinh Market

A 1920s neighborhood market famous for fabric stalls and untouristed local food, opposite the pink Tan Dinh Church.

Book Street

A leafy pedestrian lane of bookshops, sidewalk cafes, and weekend book fairs beside the Central Post Office.

Saigon Square

An air-conditioned bargain maze of clothing, shoes, and accessories — where locals actually shop for fashion deals.

Sight · District 5

An Dong Market

Cho Lon's multi-storey wholesale fashion market, stacked with clothing, shoes, jewelry, and a famous basement food court.

3 places

Nature in Ho Chi Minh City

Sight · Củ Chi

Cu Chi Tunnels

The vast Viet Cong tunnel network northwest of Saigon — crawl through widened sections and see how a guerrilla war was fought underground.

Saigon River Sunset Cruise

Evening boats from Bach Dang Wharf gliding past the lit-up skyline, from budget water buses to dinner cruises.

Saigon Zoo and Botanical Gardens

One of the world's oldest zoos (1864), doubling as central Saigon's biggest green lung.

3 places

Nightlife in Ho Chi Minh City

Live music · District 3 (Vo Thi Sau ward)

Chill Skybar

The rooftop bar that started Saigon's sky-bar craze, with 360-degree views from the 26th floor of AB Tower.

$$$$ · High-end

Acoustic Bar

Small, packed live-music bar where local bands rotate classic rock and Vietnamese covers from ~9:15pm.

Bui Vien Walking Street

The neon-soaked backpacker party street — beer towers, thumping speakers, and plastic-stool people-watching until late.