Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon) is Vietnam’s largest city and river port, sprawls asross an area of 2,095 sq.km on the banks of Sai Gon River. The city is divided into 19 urban and five rural districts with population 6,200,000 (at 1 October 2004).

With the anual average temperature is around 27ºC, heavy and long rains during rainy season from May and November, the best time to visit tropical climate zone – Ho Chi Minh city is in the dry season – from December to April.

Getting there

Flights: Most visitors will arrive at Tan Son Nhat International airport located about 4 miles from Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon) serving both international and domestic flights. And from the airport you could reach the downtown by taxis costing around 5 USD.

Train: The Thong Nhat Express train runs from Saigon to Hanoi serving nearly all of the major cities along the coast. The travel time from HCMC to Hanoi by train may take up to 30 hours, but many people prefer to stop along the way in Hue, Danang, Nha Trang, etc. There is also a tourist train from HCMC to Phan Thiet.

Bus: Ho Chi Minh city is a great starting and ending points for open tour buses that go up the coast towards Hanoi. The two main bus stations in HCMC includes: Cholon or Mien Tay.

Highlights

• Reunification Hall


• War Remnants Museum


• Notre Dame Cathedral


• Saigon River


• Cu Chi tunnels


• The Ho Chi Minh City Museum

From Ho Chi Minh, it is easy travel on to the nearby beaches of Phu Quoc, Phan Thiet (Mui Ne), Vung tau, or the mountainous resort town of Dalat.