5 Things To Do In Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon), Vietnam

Vietnam is a country located in South East Asia. It’s capital city is Hanoi. I’ve been to Vietnam twice but only stayed in Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon). Saigon is where all the parties at. So yeah! That’s pretty much the main reason why I spent all of my time in that city. Hah!

Vietnamese Culture is heavily influenced by that of Southern China. Nevertheless, Vietnamese culture remains distinct from Chinese culture as it has also absorbed cultural elements from neighbouring Hindu civilizations such as the Champa and the Khmer empires. The French colonization has also left a lasting impact on Vietnamese society, with baguettes and coffee remaining popular among locals.

Below are the top 5 things to do in Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam.

1. MOTORBIKE FOOD TOUR

I have booked a motorbike food tour called TASTE OF THE NIGHT through Saigon Food Tour website. I found it through tripadvisor and has the best review. They will pick you up from the hotel at 5:30PM and will drop you off wherever you want after the tour which is at around 10PM.

Here’s all the food that we tried.

Bánh xèo, bánh căn, chả cuốn (thai basil, purple perilla, mustard leaf, lettuce, fish mint, green mango) from District 3.

Bún bò Huế (hot mint, ramie leaf, thai basil, morning glory, banana flower, beansprout) from District 10.

BBQ (pork, fried chicken wirh fish sauce, oyster, corn, okra, mushroom) from District 4.

Chè khúc bạch (flavors: matcha, coconut, mulberry, strawberry, passion fruit) from District Phú Nhuận.

Michelle and Linh were our tour guides/drivers. I did this tour with my friend, Naomi. Michelle and Linh speak English really well. They said that they learned most of it from watching English movies. The whole trip was incredible. It rained a bit but it didn’t ruin the trip at all. It actually made it more fun. Vietnamese food are soooooo good!!!

We rode though the busiest streets of Ho Chi Minh City. CRAZY!!! I highly recommend this tour!!!

2. EAT, RELAX & GET DRUNK IN BUI VIEN STREET

Bui Vien Street is the backpackers area in Ho Chi Minh City. The whole street has everything you need. It’s Vietnam’s own version of Khaosan Road in Thailand or the Pub Street of Cambodia.

There are many choices of restaurants and bars.

There’s clothing shop, travel and tour center, tattoo shop, spa, art gallery and a barber shop.

And if you’re running out of cash, there’s always ATM on the side.

3. ATTEND A COOKING CLASS

It’s always a good idea to attend one of Vietnamese cooking classes. I know that you can now learn everything through YouTube but doing it in person with a real chef is always a unique experience.

I have booked the class through Saigon Cooking Class. It’s one of the Top 3 cooking classes in Ho Chi Minh City and I must say that it deserves the spot.

The meeting point was at the Ben Thanh market for a quick tour about what ingredients to use and where to find them.

After the market tour we took a taxi and went straight to class.

We were set to make 3 dishes.

After a quick briefing we started to cook. The Chef was very hands on and very helpful. You will learn a lot from her. And she speaks English well. The actual cooking was a lot of fun. It’s really something you MUST do when you visit the city. You will never regret it!

Here’s the final result. These are the 3 dishes that I made. I DID REALLY WELL, DIDN’T I? =)

If you want to make a booking, you can send them an email through contact@saigoncookingclass.com.

4. HAVE A DINNER IN BEN THANH STREET FOOD MARKET

This place is where all the good food are. This is heaven to all food lovers out there. Photos below wouldn’t need much explaining!

5. MEKONG DELTA TOUR

This is probably the most famous day tour from Ho Chi Minh City. It takes 2 hours before you actually reach Mekong river. We stopped by few places for a short break and to see few temples.

After several minutes, we finally reached Mekong river. We rode a boat to another island and there we tried fresh honey from the hive, a honey tea and some fresh fruits while being serenaded by Vietnamese locals with their traditional songs.

We then took the ever famous Mekong Boat Ride.

We got off the boat and checked how the coconut candies are made. We also tried the snake wine. Didn’t know snake tastes like tequila. Haha!

After having the snake wine shot we took a horse ride to the restaurant for our lunch.

I didn’t really realize that I don’t have photos of the food we have eaten until I got back to the hotel. I was only able to take a photo of this giant fried fish.

After eating we took 2 more boats to get back to the main land while drinking fresh coconut juice.

Ok, the story about the whole Mekong Delta tour is over but I haven’t mentioned the best part yet. Do you wanna know what it was? It’s when I met new friends. And that’s the best thing that happens when you travel. Shout out to these people! You guys were awesome!!!!!!!!!

“Wherever we travel to, the wonderful people we meet become our family.” 

GOOD NEWS!!!

For those nationalities who require visa to enter Vietnam, you can get 10% DISCOUNT when you apply online. Just go to Vietnam Visa Online, fill out the form and don’t forget to use the promotion code DOTHINGSSOLO. You’re welcome! 🙂