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Ben Thanh Market's clock tower and colonial facade above a busy intersection full of motorbikes.
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Ho Chi Minh CityTravel Guide

Vietnam8 stories

Vietnam's largest city — still Saigon to most of its residents — is a roaring, motorbike-borne metropolis whose true landmarks are its noodle soups, baguette stalls, and sidewalk kitchens.

Is Ho Chi Minh City right for you?

When to come

The dry season, roughly December to April

Around 35°C by day in May, 32°C in December — recorded at the local weather station.

What it costs

Cheap by regional standards — eating, sleeping and moving around all cost little.

What we've planned, and who for

We publish a multi-day route for this one.

Ho Chi Minh City is inWarm in JanuaryKind to a budgetWhere the food is the reason
When to go
January: around 32 degrees by day, 23 at night, 12 millimetres of rain, dry and hot. We recommend this month.
February: around 33 degrees by day, 23 at night, 8 millimetres of rain, dry and hot. We recommend this month.
March: around 34 degrees by day, 25 at night, 18 millimetres of rain, dry and hot. We recommend this month.
April: around 35 degrees by day, 26 at night, 57 millimetres of rain, some rain. We recommend this month.
May: around 35 degrees by day, 26 at night, 202 millimetres of rain, very wet.
June: around 34 degrees by day, 26 at night, 224 millimetres of rain, very wet.
July: around 33 degrees by day, 25 at night, 231 millimetres of rain, very wet.
August: around 33 degrees by day, 25 at night, 219 millimetres of rain, very wet.
September: around 33 degrees by day, 25 at night, 490 millimetres of rain, very wet.
October: around 32 degrees by day, 25 at night, 340 millimetres of rain, very wet.
November: around 32 degrees by day, 25 at night, 128 millimetres of rain, wet.
December: around 32 degrees by day, 24 at night, 41 millimetres of rain, some rain. We recommend this month.
Cold to hot, by dayDry to wetWhen we would go

The dry season, roughly December to April

Average daily highs, recorded at Ho Chi Minh City (Tan Son Nhat International Airport).

Where this comes from

Vietnam Institute for Building Science and Technology; World Meteorological Organization (rainfall) — Weather box uses 'rain mm' rows.

Budget level

Budget

Typical cost profile for visitors

Combine it with
Plan itWhere to stay in Ho Chi Minh Cityad · Booking.comTours and tickets
On the map

Finding Ho Chi Minh City

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The stories

Reading Ho Chi Minh City

Binh Tay and Cholon, Ho Chi Minh City
01
Itineraries

Three Days in Saigon, Timed Around the Heat

Saigon is awake and eating before six and close to unbearable by noon, so the plan has to follow the clock rather than the map. Three days, an early start, Cholon at seven, and an honest verdict on the tunnels.

Vietnam · 11 min
Ben Thanh, Ho Chi Minh City
02
Stays

Where to Sleep in Saigon Now the Districts Have Gone

Vietnam abolished its districts in July 2025 and the hotel listings still say District 1. A working guide to the four faces of the old centre, the outer neighbourhoods worth the commute, and what quietly ruins a room here.

Vietnam · 14 min
The Landmark 81 tower and the riverside high-rises of Ho Chi Minh City rising above the Saigon River, mirrored in still water under a bright blue sky streaked with white cloud.
03
The List

What Deserves a Day in Saigon, and What Deserves Ninety Minutes

Three days in Ho Chi Minh City ordered by what each thing pays back for the hours it eats: two hours at the War Remnants Museum, ninety minutes on the colonial spine, and the Mekong only if you sleep there.

Vietnam · 13 min
A Vietnamese meal seen from above — two bowls of phở with sliced beef, spring onion and coriander, a filled bánh mì baguette and a glass of iced orange juice
04
Destinations

The Roads Out of Saigon, and How Long Each One Really Takes

Mangrove, delta, dunes and mountain forest are all reachable from Ho Chi Minh City, but only some of them in a day. Here is what each direction actually costs in hours, which trips demand an overnight, and which to refuse outright.

Vietnam · 15 min
A bowl of Vietnamese-style rice noodle soup with sliced meat, fresh greens and carrots, chopsticks resting on the rim, surrounded by lime wedges and star anise
05
Food

What to Eat in Ho Chi Minh City — and Where

Pho at dawn, the city's most famous banh mi, broken rice sizzling over charcoal: a dish-by-dish guide to eating brilliantly in Saigon.

Vietnam · 2 min
A banh mi baguette packed with pork, pickled carrot and coriander
06
Food

The Markets of Ho Chi Minh City: What to Taste, and When to Go

In Saigon the market is not where you shop before eating — it is where you eat, and the hour you walk in decides what you get.

Vietnam · 11 min
A tropical downpour seen from inside a Ho Chi Minh City food stall, a rider in a poncho sliding past rows of empty blue plastic stools and the lit sign of a pho and bo ne shop across the wet street.
07
Hidden Gems

Ho Chi Minh City in the Off-Season: Its Secret Best Months

Saigon's rainy months are cheaper, greener and quieter than the December-to-April peak - here is how to travel them well, month by month.

Vietnam · 13 min
A bánh mì street cart in Ho Chi Minh City: a glass case of grilled meats, pâté and pickles, a drawer of baguettes and a bag of prawn crackers, with a vendor working at the counter
08
Stays

Saigon at Three Budgets: The Street Matters More Than the Hotel

In a city where three kilometres can take forty minutes, the block you book matters more than the room, and the right block changes with what you can spend.

Vietnam · 10 min
In pictures

Ho Chi Minh City, framed

The ochre clock tower gateway of Ben Thanh Market in Ho Chi Minh City, its name painted in red above the arch between red banners, with visitors and women in ao dai gathering on the plaza in front.
Photo: Long Chung / Unsplash
Landmark 81 skyscraper silhouetted against a pink sunset sky, motorbikes streaming along the road below.
Photo: qui nguyen / Unsplash
Ben Thanh Market's ochre clock-tower entrance under a bright blue sky, visitors gathered outside.
Photo: Khanh Nguyen / Unsplash
Ben Thanh Market's clock tower overlooking a street thick with motorbikes under a blue sky.
Photo: Edwin Petrus / Unsplash
Our picks

What we'd do in Ho Chi Minh City

See and do

Eat and drink

Where to stay

Before you go

Practical essentials for Vietnam

Money

Vietnamese đồng (VND)

Language

Vietnamese; English is widely spoken in tourist areas but school-taught proficiency is generally poor elsewhere

Power

Type A/C/F, 220V 50Hz — most sockets accept both flat and round two-pin plugs

Getting around

The Grab and Be apps cover taxis and motorbike rides in every city and sleeper trains link them; Ho Chi Minh City's Metro Line 1 has been open since December 2024.

Tipping

Not obligatory but appreciated — round up or leave 5–10% in a restaurant, and a few dollars for a guide or driver.

Tap water

Tap water is not safe to drink anywhere, Hanoi and Ho Chi Minh City included — stick to bottled or filtered, even for teeth.

Driving

Right-hand side; a 1968 International Driving Permit is required with your national licence to drive a car or a motorbike.

Emergency

113 police, 114 fire, 115 ambulance

Country-level guidance, checked against official sources. Currency, fares and entry rules change — confirm anything time-critical before you travel.

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