Things to do in Ho Chi Minh City

Ho Chi Minh City is Vietnam's largest city and economic centre, not its capital: Hanoi holds that role, roughly 1,100 km to the north. Locals still call the central districts Saigon, the name in use before 1976, and travellers hear both. The city sits on the Saigon River, and its layout runs from the colonial-era streets of District 1 out to the Chinatown quarter of Cholon and the modern towers rising across the water in Thu Duc City.

Flights land at Tan Son Nhat Airport, close enough to the centre to reach by taxi or ride-hailing app without a long transfer. The climate has two seasons rather than four: a drier stretch through the early months of the year and a wetter one built around short afternoon downpours, so most months remain workable for walking the centre.

Most visitors give the city itself a few connected days before heading out to the districts covered on this site.