Formerly known as Saigon, Ho Chi Minh City is easily Vietnam’s largest and most vibrant city. First-time visitors will no doubt find its mixture of excessive traffic, bustling markets, unceasing pagodas and smiling locals pleasantly intoxicating.
Reminders of the war are still evident, with the Reunification Palace being the most obvious and imposing with its armoury outside. However, Ho Chi Minh City has moved on with the times and thriving markets, glitzy skyscrapers and luxury hotels can now be seen alongside crumbling French colonial structures.
Ho Chi Minh City’s markets are the main focus for shoppers, especially lovers of silk and souvenirs. The food is also colourful, with varieties of Chinese-influenced dishes in natty eateries and hawker stall noodle soups too numerous to mention. Ho Chi Minh City’s lively nightlife, collection of cultural festivals and ever happy locals also add to the favour.
In addition to the many popular cultural sights in the city are opportunities to enjoy some leisure, with water parks, Saigon Zoo, and several busy city parks. Farther afield, Vung Tau Beach is just an hour away by hydrofoil, while the world famous Chu Chi Tunnels and the beautiful Mekong Delta are also within reach.
Ho Chi Minh City has a vast amount of accommodation with everything from budget lodgings to luxury hotels. The Central and Phu Nhuan districts are the most popular parts to be based in and are within reach of most major attractions on foot.
Vietnam’s main airport, Tan Son Nhat International Airport, is situated in Ho Chi Minh City and receives flights from all over the world via Southeast Asian hubs including Bangkok, Singapore, and Hong Kong. Facilities are good in the International Terminal and transfers to the city centre and hotels are provided by public shuttle buses, taxis and courtesy hotel shuttles.
Ho Chi Minh City has the richest history in Vietnam, which stretches back before the birth of Christ and includes Chinese and French colonial influences. Southern Vietnam has always been different to the rest of the country and was its own entity from an early age.
The South and Saigon were heavily influenced by China, with the Chinese language, Confucianism, and Chinese architecture all in evidence from the arrival of the Chinese. However, the Vietnamese didn’t welcome the Chinese with open arms; they spent a lot of effort repelling them.
The South achieved independence in the 11th century under the Ly dynasty, who also pressured the North. The Middle Ages were also a time of tension, with constant tussles between South Vietnam and the Khmer empire to the west, which would eventually led to Vietnam seizing the Mekong Delta in the 15th century.
The house of Nguyen took control of Saigon and the South in the 16th century. The arrival of the French saw them supporting a mercenary army to rid the land of the Nguyen rulers. France was after trading rights, however, as opposed to helping the Vietnamese rid themselves of the Chinese aggressors.
When Emperor Napoleon III stepped in, he pushed for a Vietnamese protectorate state, and by 1862 this came about for most of the South. Subsequently, many French-style buildings still in evidence today date from this period.
The locals wanted rid themselves of the French, however, and the Indochinese Communist Party was set up, led by Ho Chi Minh. With the Japanese occupation during WWII, the French were all but helpless.
After the war, the Vietminh declared independence. A guerrilla war ensued after the French wouldn’t concede, which went on for eight years and ended in the decisive battle of Dien Bien Phu. This led to the splitting of Vietnam along the 17th parallel, with the Vietminh in the North and the French in the South.
The war continued between North and South and saw the Americans side with the South in the early 1960s. The Vietnam War ended first for the US in 1973 and then for the Vietnamese in 1975 when the Vietnam People's Army stormed Saigon. The North parked a tank on the lawn of the Presidential Palace, now known as Reunification Palace, which has served as a continual reminder of that day since.
Vietnam remained broke and isolated through the Cold War years and eventually Saigon was renamed Ho Chi Minh City along with the erasing of many foreign landmarks in the city. Things really began looking up for Ho Chi Minh City and Vietnam in general in the 1990s, after the fall of the Soviet Union, when the country underwent serious economic reform.
Ho Chi Minh City is now unified under the Socialist Republic of Vietnam and is enjoying previously unseen prosperity. Now a member of ASEAN, the Vietnamese economy is on the up and tourism is booming.
Being located in South Vietnam, Ho Chi Minh City experiences just two seasons; wet and dry. Its proximity to the equator and low altitude ensures a tropical climate. Although the dry season is relatively cool, the wet season is typically warm and can go on for seven or eight months.
With this in mind, the best time to visit is between the dry season months of December and April, when temperatures, rainfall and humidity are lower. It gets busier with tourists during this time, however, and hotel prices reflect this.
The most uncomfortable time to be in Ho Chi Minh City is generally between June and August, when hot and humid conditions deter a lot of travellers. Expect heavy downpours during this time of year that can often last for days, or even weeks, on end. The one saving grace is that Ho Chi Minh doesn’t get the destructive typhoons that the North regularly sees.
We have traveled to france, england, australia,italy and asia. the best hotel we stayed in was sheraton saigon hotel & towers and expect to stay again in 2yrs...
