11 things to know before visiting Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam

17.10.2024 - 15:19 / lonelyplanet.com

Oct 17, 2024 • 7 min read

Having lived in and out of Ho Chi Minh City for the last 10 years, I’ve had a chance to look at this city through the eyes of a local and sometimes a visitor. In Vietnamese, we refer to this city as Sai Gon hoa le, literally translated into "Saigon flowers and tears".

While the city's glamorous side allows easy travel and top-notch entertainment, it can take time to feel deeply connected to its unfiltered side, which is equally beautiful to the core. So, it's important to set reasonable expectations, depending on the amount of time you spend in the city, knowing that once you do it right, Saigon will never fail to impress you. Here are some essentials to help you get the most out of your visit to this lively metropolis.

Several Vietnamese festivals and holidays, including cultural, religious, and social events, are based on the lunar calendar. As the leading economic city of the south, Ho Chi Minh City is the venue for most of these significant celebrations. By checking the lunar calendar against a Gregorian one, you can better plan for potential disruptions – such as crowded transport hubs and possible closures of businesses during the Tet holiday – and special opportunities, like witnessing unique religious ceremonies that take place once a year at certain pagodas.

Ho Chi Minh City is very close to becoming a cashless destination with the widespread use of online payment methods. Almost any walk-in business, from a luxury restaurant to a street vendor, accepts local bank transfers. Even if you don't have a local bank account, you can still get around the city without unnecessary haggling by installing one of the ride-hailing apps, like Be or Grab, and linking the account to your foreign credit card. In addition to transport, these apps are also integrated with multiple services, such as food delivery and accommodation booking, which will save the hassle of exchanging money and carrying cash around.

There are over 20,000 free wi-fi hot spots across Ho Chi Minh City, and every business, regardless of scale and class, offers a free internet connection. If you need online access when you're out, just open the wi-fi networks list on your phone, walk in to the nearest provider and ask for the wi-fi password (in restaurants and cafes, the wi-fi info is often posted on a sign somewhere). The locals are super helpful, too; ask a random (preferably young) person and they will likely be willing to share their hot spot with you so you can make a quick payment or check your onwards route.

The Saigonese have a very relaxed sense of boundaries and personal space, partly due to the emphasis on collectivism and communal interdependence. Don’t be offended if you are pointed at or even laughed at