Before you write Vietnam’s biggest city off, think again, because there’s so much more to it than honking horns and squeaking breaks
Ho Chi Minh City – Vietnam’s biggest and most vibrant city – has long struggled to rid itself the tag of being just another airport destination code (it’s SGN if you were wondering) and a place that deserves a night, maybe two, before getting the hell out.
So in this series of posts, I aim to chip away at that perception noodle by noodle, dollop of condensed milk by dollop of condensed milk, beer by beer, with some of the best things to do and experience in the town I’ve called home for over a decade.
Here are the first five to get you started!
Eat at a Michelin Star restaurant
Vietnam has built an enviable reputation for its street food along with unique dishes like pho, banh mi, and bun cha.
But it’s never been a destination for fine dining, until now.
Last year the Michelin Guide came to town and handed Ho Chi Minh City with its first ever Michelin Star to Anan Saigon.
It’s a cosy little establishment in the middle of a historic downtown market that earned the accolade by innovating on existing street food and traditional dishes with French culinary techniques while retaining the quintessential flavours of Vietnamese cuisine that we’ve all come to know and love.
Do a craft beer pub crawl
There’s a good chance you didn’t know it, but Vietnam could make a reasonable claim to being the mecca of craft beer in Asia – if not, at least in Southeast Asia.
Scores of brands are produced right here in Ho Chi Minh City by local and foreign brewers.
And with tons of great beers available to taste, you need somewhere to drink them, right?
Well, Ho Chi Minh City has plenty of those, too!
Some are easy to find, while others are a bit trickier, so that’s where The Ho Chi Minh Ale Trail comes in handy.
Willing pub crawlers can download a map so they can navigate themselves to each watering hole in the city centre.
And not just a nagging hangover awaits at the end of it all.
If you make it to all the venues and collect the stickers, you get a t-shirt to wear with pride to prove you survived!
Stay in a love hotel
There’s no shortage of hotels in this city, ranging from flea-bitten ratholes all the way up to five-star opulence.
And somewhere along that continuum sit love hotels.
Owing to how densely populated Ho Chi Minh City is, there’s simply very little privacy (basically none) in multi-generational households for intimacy.
As a result, there are actually a lot of “short-time” hotels here (known as nha nghi) that charge as little as a couple of bucks per hour.
As societal pressures and expectations have loosened over the years, more high-end establishments have popped up (shall we say) and aim to provide a more sensual experience for couples with themed rooms, jacuzzis, saunas and furniture that assist in making things more exciting and pleasurable.
Take the water bus to dinner & drinks
Thao Dien is a small enclave on the bend of the Saigon River less than 10km from the city centre where you can find great bars, cafes and restaurants within the five-sqkm that make up the neighbourhood.
And one of the more novel ways to get here is to ride the Saigon Water Bus from District 1.
From the nearest water bus station you can explore the streets and alleyways on-foot for hidden restaurant and bar gems.
There are also a few venues on the river that are lovely for a sundown beer or cocktail as you watch the city light up across the river.
Tickets for the water bus are cheap and the experience can bookend a night out with a difference.
Catch a show at the Opera House
There aren’t that many live shows in Ho Chi Minh City these days, but if you happen to be in town at the right time, you really need to catch a show at the Opera House.
One of those I recommend is the Teh Dar Show.
Without giving too much away, there are multiple elements to it that include daring acrobatics, mesmerising dance, chants, circus, theatre and a narrative that draws the audience in from the get-go to the origins of a culture in the central highlands of Vietnam.
Teh Dar means “going round in a circle” in the K’ho language, which hints at the direction the show literally takes.
It’s beautiful, it’s sad, it’s breathtaking, and it’s incredibly primal.
If you plan to see a cultural show while you’re in Vietnam, then this one has to be it and the Opera House is a great place to see it!
Click on the image below to direct you to the full list with details.
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