Ho Chi Minh City: Ten Million People and Nowhere Else Like It

The city has two names and most residents use both. Saigon is what people call the urban core: Districts 1, 3, Binh Thanh. Ho Chi Minh City is the official administrative name and covers a much larger area including rural districts and satellite towns. The distinction matters when you are navigating, because your taxi driver will understand “Saigon” as an address shorthand and “Ho Chi Minh City” as a reference to the whole metropolitan area. The city proper has around 10 million residents. The metropolitan region is closer to 13 million.

In 2025, Ho Chi Minh City welcomed an estimated 8.5 million international visitors, part of a broader acceleration in Vietnamese tourism that followed the reopening of the country after the pandemic and the subsequent expansion of the e-visa regime. Vietnam’s 90-day e-visa, valid for single or multiple entries and costing $25 or $50 respectively, processes in approximately 48 hours through the official portal. As of April 15, 2026, all foreign nationals must also complete a pre-arrival declaration through prearrival.immigration.gov.vn before arriving at Tan Son Nhat International Airport. The system generates a QR code that is checked at immigration. Completing this step takes about 10 minutes but skipping it creates significant delays.

Getting Oriented

Tan Son Nhat Airport sits about 7 kilometres northwest of District 1. The new metro line (Line 1, Ben Thanh to Suoi Tien) opened in late 2024 and does not yet reach the airport; taxi and ride-share remain the practical airport transfers. Grab (the dominant Southeast Asian ride-share app) is universally used, prices are fixed, and it functions as a more reliable alternative to negotiating with taxi drivers. Download it before you arrive.

The metro Line 1 is useful for moving between Ben Thanh (District 1) and the eastern districts; 17 stations cover the route. Payment accepts Visa, Mastercard, JCB, UnionPay, Apple Pay, Google Pay, and Samsung Pay as of early 2025.

The city runs on motorbikes. Crossing major streets requires committing to a steady pace and trusting oncoming traffic to flow around you. Standing on the kerb waiting for a gap that never comes is a reliable way to spend 20 minutes going nowhere.

The Cu Chi Tunnels: What Most Tours Miss

Cu Chi is 50 kilometres northwest of the city centre, roughly 90 minutes by road depending on traffic. Most tour packages bring you to Ben Dinh, the closer and more commercially developed site. Ben Duoc, further out, preserves more of the original tunnel system and receives fewer tourists. If you are deciding between the two, Ben Duoc gives a more direct sense of scale.

The tunnel network began in the late 1940s, dug initially against French colonial authority and later expanded through the American war period. At its peak, the system stretched 250 kilometres and contained underground hospitals, weapons workshops, kitchens, and sleeping quarters. The soil at Cu Chi is unusual: it cuts easily with hand tools but hardens to near-concrete when exposed to air, making the tunnels relatively stable despite their age and the bombing campaigns aimed at destroying them.

One detail rarely mentioned in standard tour commentary: the ventilation shafts for underground cooking fires were disguised under termite mounds and dusted with pepper to confuse American military dogs searching for entry points. The Tet Offensive of 1968, which fundamentally shifted American public opinion about the war, was coordinated in part from the Cu Chi tunnel network.

The entrance fee at Ben Dinh is around 110,000 VND (approximately $4.50); Ben Duoc is similar. Tours from the city typically bundle transport and guide for around $20 to $40 per person. Going independently by bus is possible but time-consuming; most visitors opt for a guided half-day trip.

The War Remnants Museum

Located in District 3, the War Remnants Museum is one of the most confronting museums in Southeast Asia. The outdoor collection of captured American military hardware (helicopters, aircraft, tanks) is extensive; the indoor galleries document the conflict through photography including the work of foreign photojournalists killed in Vietnam and Cambodia. The Agent Orange exhibition covers the long-term health impacts of herbicide use, which remain an active public health issue in Vietnam today.

Admission is 40,000 VND (around $1.60). Hours are 7:30 am to noon and 1:30 to 5 pm daily. Arrive early; the museum is busiest between 9 am and noon when tour groups move through. The photography alone rewards a slow, careful visit of two hours or more.

The Reunification Palace

On 30 April 1975, a North Vietnamese tank broke through the gates of what was then the Presidential Palace. The moment was filmed and photographed and became one of the most reproduced images of the 20th century. The building is open to visitors today, essentially frozen in 1975 condition: the rooftop helicopter pad, the war room in the basement with its communication equipment and maps, and the formal reception rooms with their late-1960s South Vietnamese state decor. It is a genuinely strange experience.

Admission is 40,000 VND. Hours are 7:30 to 11 am and 1 to 4 pm; the palace is closed during state events. Check before visiting on national holidays.

Where to Eat

Pho 2000, near Ben Thanh Market, became notable in 1999 when Bill Clinton stopped there during a state visit. The pho is straightforward and reliable, the prices are tourist-level (around 100,000 to 150,000 VND per bowl), and the location is convenient for District 1 visitors. There are better pho options in the city, but this one has a story attached.

For better value pho, look for street-facing stalls in Districts 3 and 10 where a bowl of beef pho typically runs 50,000 to 80,000 VND.

Anan Saigon in District 1 serves contemporary Vietnamese food with the range and quality of a serious restaurant. The banh mi tasting menu, which reinterprets the street sandwich in multiple formats, is one of the more interesting things being done with Vietnamese cuisine at the moment. Budget around 500,000 to 700,000 VND per person for a full meal without drinks.

Bep Me In near Ben Thanh Market holds a Michelin Bib Gourmand listing and serves traditional Vietnamese home cooking rather than the tourist-adapted menu typical of the market area. Reserve ahead; it fills up.

For com tam (broken rice with grilled pork, fried egg, and pickled vegetables), the street stalls on Vo Van Tan in District 3 serve the dish from early morning until they sell out. Eat where locals are eating; avoid places with picture menus in five languages near major tourist sites.

Where to Stay

The Reverie Saigon in the Times Square building in District 1 is the city’s most overtly opulent property, with theatrical Italian-designed interiors and rooms from around $300 per night.

Sheraton Saigon Hotel and Towers on Dong Khoi Street is the established large-format business hotel, with rooms from around $150 to $250 depending on season.

For mid-range options, the area around Pham Ngu Lao in District 1 has a concentration of guesthouses and smaller hotels from $40 to $100 per night, most within walking distance of major sights. The neighbourhood is traveller-oriented and convenient, if not particularly quiet.

Serviced apartments in Districts 2 and 7 offer significantly more space for the same price as a mid-range hotel room in District 1, and are well-suited to stays of a week or more. Districts 2 (now Thu Duc City) and 7 are quieter than the core and have good food options, though they require Grab or metro to access central attractions.

Practical Notes

Vietnamese Dong is the local currency. Most ATMs dispense it at reasonable rates; withdrawals typically carry a flat fee of around 50,000 VND per transaction, so withdraw in larger amounts. US dollars are accepted in some tourist contexts but at worse rates than exchanging at banks or gold shops. Credit cards are accepted in hotels and most restaurants; street food is cash-only.

Temperature in Ho Chi Minh City averages 28 to 35°C year-round. The wet season runs May through November; afternoon downpours are intense but usually brief. The dry season (November through April) is the conventional tourist season. February through April is the most comfortable weather-wise, with lower humidity and consistent heat rather than heavy rain.

The best single tip for navigating the city is to book Grab in advance for any trip with a fixed time requirement. The app shows you the registered driver and vehicle before you confirm, prices are non-negotiable in the app, and surge pricing in Ho Chi Minh City is substantially less aggressive than in most other large cities using similar platforms.