Money Saving Tips to Vietnam
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Taxis – Taxi drivers will rip you off so agree to a price ahead of time. Or better yet,
skip them and walk. Or rent a bike and try to navigate the chaos of the city.
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Markets - When shopping in any of the city’s markets you may feel like a wallet on
legs as the traders call out to you. Be firm and be ready to walk away.
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Eat Street Food - Street food in Ho Chi Minh City is inexpensive and delicious. Be
sure to try a banh mi, a Vietnamese sandwich popular in the south.
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Enjoy Happy Hour- The bars in the Pham Ngu Lao area have plenty of Happy
Hour drink specials, from half-price drinks to dollar cocktails.
Top Things to Do
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Crawl through the Cu Chi Tunnels. Crawl through the extensive network of nearly
500 km of tunnels utilized by the Viet Cong in the 1960s to fight American
soldiers. Tours involve a description and tour of the tunnels.
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Get Lost in Chinatown. Chinatown is a hive of activity; it is a maze of temples,
restaurants, jade ornaments, and medicine shops. Aside from the sprawling Binh
Tay market, you’ll find some fascinating temples in the area including the Chinese
Chua Quan Am Temple and Cha Tam, which is a Catholic cathedral.
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Visit the Museum of Ho Chi Minh City. Not to be confused with the “Ho Chi Minh
Museum”, at one point or another, the city museum has been a Governor’s Palace,
committee building and Revolutionary Museum. Nowadays, its picturesque
grounds attract newlyweds posing for photographs. You’ll find a collection of
weaponry and memorabilia from the country’s revolutionary struggle as well as
captured U.S fighter planes and tanks.
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Check out the Vietnam History Museum. The History Museum is a great place to
learn about the colorful events of Vietnam’s past. The museum houses a fantastic
collection of ceramics, weaponry and cannons. There are photographs, clothes and
household objects dating back as far as the 1700s. The English translations leave a
lot to be desired though.
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See the Emperor Jade Pagoda. Emperor Jade is one of the most impressive
pagodas in Vietnam. The intricate carvings and depictions of deities including the
Emperor Jade himself.
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Admire the Notre Dame Cathedral. The Notre Dame Cathedral is an imposing red
brick building built between 1877 and 1883. The two towers that front the cathedral
tower over visitors at nearly 200 feet tall while the neon-lit statue of the Virgin Mary
is also an arresting site.
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Visit the War Remnants Museum. The War Remnants Museum is a must-see for
anyone with an interest in Vietnam’s history of combat with both the French and the
Americans. Inside you’ll find informative exhibits focusing on biological warfare,
weaponry and in-depth statistics of Vietnam’s armies during the conflicts. The
museum’s best exhibit is the collection of bombs, tanks, planes and war machinery
which can be found in the courtyard. The museum has a very pro-communist, down
with the capitalist pigs bent to it and it’s interesting to see. It’s as much propaganda
as it is history.
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See the Cao Dai Holy See Temple. The Cao Dai religion is relatively new at less
than 100 years old. The temples are distinguished by the “all-seeing eye” which
dominates the architecture. This Cao Dai temple is the main temple for the religion
and is hugely ornate and impressive. Most people combine a trip to the temple with
the Cu Chi Tunnels excursion.
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Shop at the Ben Thanh Market. Though the market is crowded and rife with
pickpockets, it is the ideal place to pick up a bargain or try some traditional (and
inexpensive) Vietnamese food. It’s an ideal shopping place.
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Escape to Can Gio Island – The Can Gio island is popular with tourists and Ho
Chi Minh locals as a way to escape the chaos of the city. The beaches here aren’t
mind blowing like they are in Thailand but it’s a great place to relax and one of
Vietnam’s better islands. The island’s monkey sanctuary and mangroves are great
for wildlife fans.
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Ascend the Saigon Skydeck – For a 360 degree panorama of the city, you can
head to the Saigon Skydeck tower. The observation deck is on the 49th floor and
entrance costs $9.50 USD.
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Unwind in the Twenty-Three September Park - In the hours just preceding and
just after the working day, this park is packed with people exercising and playing
games. Watch a Tai Chi class, play a badminton game, or chat with one of the
many students who hang out in the area.