2 Days in Saigon (Ho Chi Minh): An Unforgettable Travel Experience

 

Your Asia trip can not be complete without a visit to Ho Chi Minh city - the most dynamic city in Vietnam. It's famous for bustling atmosphere, historical French Architecture, culinary experience... and you must be interested in incredible buildings, such as: the Reunification Palace, City Hall, Municipal Theatre (also known as the Opera House), City Post Office, State Bank Office, City People’s Court and Notre-Dame Cathedral.

This note is my quick diary for 2 days in Ho Chi Minh city, an unforgettable travel experience

DAY 1 

Wake up in comfortable bed at The Alcove Library Hotel - a lovely hotel where you can immerse yourself into hundreds of books in literally (check website here), I understand that there are to many things to do, many places to explore in Ho Chi Minh within my 2 days, I put priority attractions at the top of my list

1. Notre Dame Catheral

Notre Dame Catheral is the highlighted building in this post's cover.

The building’s architecture is based on Notre-Dame de Paris. It possesses numerous historical values and also cultural values. Notre-Dame Cathedral Saigon was built with materials imported from France. With a height of 57.6 meters, its bell towers is are highest ones in Vietnam

2. Ben Thanh Market and other local markets

You must visit this market. This old market was originally built with brick and wood, was built in from 1912 to march of 1914.

Source: @ian.benedict21

People still called the new market Ben Thanh. However, up till 1975, the name Ben Thanh only appears in books, people often call it Sai Gon Market.

The best time to explore Ho Chi Minh's markets is in the morning because you can truly see the life of the people in the morning, it’s when the market work at highest capacity

Ben Thanh Market is the most famous, however there are also Cholon (or Binh Tay Market), An Dong Market, Dan Sinh market, and a lot more. While exploring the markets you can also experience traditional Vietnamese street food like pho, meat bun, Banh Xeo,…

3. Ho Chi Minh Central Post Office 

I love learning about history and visiting historical building too.

Ho Chi Minh Central Post Office

Located next door to Notre Dame Cathedral, the two cultural sites can be visited together and offers visitors a chance to imagine life in Vietnam during the times of the Indochinese Empire. Ho Chi Minh Central Post Office was built from 1886 to 1891 by The French under the design of the architect Villedieu with an assistant named Foulhoux, combined European style with Asian decor (Source: http://www.vietnam-guide.com/post-office-ho-chi-minh.htm)

3D Map View

4. Bui Vien Backpacker Street

In the evening, I have a quick dinner with a little delicious dishes of street food (regarding to street food, you should read this post What To Eat With One Dollar in Ho Chi Minh to understand about Saigon street food - it's really a special culture)

Then I head to Bui Vien Street - a famous walking street for tourist in Ho Chi Minh city

Bui Vien street is famous for tourist

People also name this street as Western Street or “Backpackers Street” because you will easily come across expats, foreigners, backpacker travelers.

You can take advantage of many services from hotel, from transportation to massage, tattoo, cafe, dining and even street food

DAY 2

5. Eat Pho in Saigon

I decided walking around to enjoy the fresh atmosphere in the morning, to capture moments of local's life in Saigon as well as find something for my breakfast

Many of you can know that "Pho" (a kind of food looks like noodles but made from rice) is the most famous traditional food that represent Vietnamese cuisine. Pho is sold everywhere in Vietnam, from street vendors to luxury restaurants, so choosing Pho as breakfast must be a good idea.

I chose Phở Hòa restaurant, a famous "Pho" restaurant is highly recommended in a list of best 20 restaurants in Saigon I found on Medium

Address: 260C Pasteur, Ward 8, District 3, Ho Chi Minh city

Price: 2 - 6 USD

6. Saigon Chinatown

Also known as Cho Lon (“huge market”), Saigon Chinatown stretches into many areas of Ho Chi Minh like District 5, Dictrict 6, District 10 and a part of District 11. This place is the central of Chinese culture and where the majority of Chinese communities have been established.

Chinatown is an attraction not only for tourists but also for the Saigonese. There are numerous local stores selling a wide variety of goods, including contemporary toys to ancient Chinese-styled handicrafts

The most interesting thing in Chinatown is "Chinese food". If you are fan of Chinese cuisine, Saigon Chinatown must exactly be where you can immerse yourself into delicious Chinese local dishes

7. Saigon Sense Market

Have you ever visited an underground market? If not, you can come to Saigon Sense Market - an unique underground market in Ho Chi Minh city, located in the central of District 1, inside a park (September 23 Park)

Saigon Sense Market

Map: https://goo.gl/maps/rj2YcTM6Ai62

Opened in 2017, Saigon Sense Market is probably the youngest shopping centre in Ho Chi Minh City. the market is 10-minute away on foot from the Ben Thanh market and is surrounded by different services and stores. There are two zones in the September 9th Park with the market being situated in Zone B, facing Pham Ngu Lao street and Le Lai street

Inside the Sense Market

Sense Market has become a phenomenon for its fantastic and diverse street foods, especially in Saigon street foods that can only be found in small street markets.

Those are highlighted places in Saigon I have visited during my 2 days trip. I know they are not all the most famous attractions, there are still many hidden gems where I did not explore. Please give your suggestions at the comment below, thank you!