Ho Chi Minh City
Ho Chi Minh City, formerly Saigon, is the most populous city and centrally-governed city of Vietnam, with a population of more than 14 million in 2025.

Ho Chi Minh City, formerly Saigon, is the most populous city and centrally-governed city of Vietnam, with a population of more than 14 million in 2025. Its geography is defined by rivers and canals, of which the largest is the Saigon River.
Adapted from Wikipedia, CC BY-SA 4.0.
Worth seeing in and around Ho Chi Minh City
10 places within 25 km that the world writes about, in the order of how widely: the ones a visitor has heard of first, then the ones only a local would name.
- 01Landmark 81
Landmark 81 is a supertall skyscraper in Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam. It is primarily invested in and developed by Vinhomes, the largest Vietnamese real-estate developer.
3.1 km · skyscraper · Wikipedia - 02Vietnam National University
Vietnam National University Ho Chi Minh City is a public research university system in Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam. VNU–HCM is one of two Vietnam's national universities, the other one being Vietnam National University, Hanoi.
1.1 km · university in Ho Chi Minh City · Wikipedia - 03Saigon Notre-Dame Basilica
Notre-Dame Cathedral Basilica of Saigon, officially the Cathedral Basilica of Our Lady of the Immaculate Conception is a cathedral located in the Saigon ward of Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam. The cathedral, established by French administrators who originally named it the Church of Saigon, was constructed between 1877 and 1880.
600 m · cathedral located in Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam · Wikipedia - 04War Remnants Museum
The War Remnants Museum is a war museum at 28 Võ Văn Tần Street, Xuân Hòa, Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam. It contains exhibits relating to the First Indochina War and the Vietnam War.
1.2 km · military museum in Vietnam · Wikipedia - 05Independence Palace
The Independence Palace, also publicly and officially known as the Reunification Convention Hall or simply Reunification Hall, is a historic landmark and government-owned public hall in Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam. It was designed by architect Ngô Viết Thụ and was the presidential palace, home and workplace of the president of the Republic of Vietnam.
700 m · Presidential Palace of South Vietnam · Wikipedia - 06Thong Nhat Stadium
Thống Nhất Stadium, formerly Cộng Hoà Stadium is the second-largest multi-purpose stadium in Ho Chi Minh City, and the oldest in Vietnam. It is located on 138 Đào Duy Từ Street, Diên Hồng.
4.5 km · stadium in Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam · Wikipedia - 07Bến Thành Market
Bến Thành Market is located in the center of Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam in District 1. The market is one of the earliest surviving structures in the city and an important symbol of the city.
500 m · market in Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam · Wikipedia - 08Saigon Zoo and Botanical Gardens
The Saigon Zoo and Botanical Gardens, or locally and coloquially known as The Zoo, is Vietnam's oldest zoo and botanical garden. The Saigon Zoo and Botanical Gardens was commissioned by Admiral Pierre-Paul de La Grandière in 1864, and was opened to the public in 1869, making it one of the world's oldest continuously operating zoos.
1.4 km · zoo in District , Ho Chi Minh City · Wikipedia - 09Museum of Ho Chi Minh City
Museum of Ho Chi Minh City, formerly known as Gia Long Palace, is a historical site and museum in Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam. The museum is situated at the corner of Lý Tự Trọng and Nam Kỳ Khởi Nghĩa streets, located on a 2-hectare block near the Independence Palace.
300 m · museum in Ho Chi Minh, Vietnam · Wikipedia - 10Thien Hau Temple
The Thiên Hậu Temple, officially the Tuệ Thành Assembly Hall is a Chinese-style temple of the Chinese Goddess of Sea, Mazu on Nguyễn Trãi Street in the Chợ Lớn ward of Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam.
5.1 km · Chinese-style temple in Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam · Wikipedia
Ranked by the number of language editions of Wikipedia with an article on each, from Wikidata; the sentences are the openings of those articles, CC BY-SA 4.0.
Where to eat
You're spoiled for choice in Saigon, which offers the country's largest variety of Vietnamese and international food. Bargains are getting harder to find, however, and restaurant prices have been rising at up to 30% per year due to a combination of higher food prices, rising wages, and soaring real estate costs.
- 01Ben Thanh Market
It's a rather touristy market where you still can enjoy the most authentic Vietnamese pho.
- 02Bánh Mì 37
Absolutely delicious even though a bit different than the traditional.
- 03Pho Quynh
Locals come regularly and lucky backpackers stumble upon it.
- 04Nhà Hàng Chay Ngọc Thọ
Incredible range of delicoius veggie options, but also meat and chicken.
- 05Nhà Hàng Asian Kitchen
Very good place for delicious and diverse food, big choice.
From Wikivoyage: Ho Chi Minh City, CC BY-SA 4.0. Not yet checked by us.
Getting to Ho Chi Minh City
- Airports
- Tan Son Nhat (SGN), 7 km · Can Tho (VCA), 133 km · Techo (KTI), 205 km
- Stations
- Tan Son Nhat International Airport, 7.3 km · Saigon railway station, 2.8 km · Bến Thành station, 700 m
- Can Tho → Ho Chi Minh City127 km · quickest by road, 2h 50m · ₫158,000–211,000
- Phu Quoc Island → Ho Chi Minh City293 km · quickest by air, 3h 53m · ₫1,167,680–1,810,620
- Nha Trang/nha Trang aiurportCam Ranh → Ho Chi Minh CityTrain, bus, flight, ferry and road, side by side
- Plan a tripFrom anywhereThe planner compares every way there from wherever you are.
Road and air are today’s quick answer; timetabled trains, buses and ferries load on the results page from the operators’ feeds.
No local-transport research exists yet for Ho Chi Minh City
Our researched notes are written from a sourced entry: every shared taxi, boat and village bus with its operator, its rule, its fare and the year we saw it, and what could not be confirmed. Nobody has done that work for Ho Chi Minh City. What is above is what we hold from open sources; nothing here pretends to be more.
- Get aroundTaxis are mostly Toyota Vios sedans (up to four passengers) and Toyota Innova minivans (up to six passengers), which are assembled in Vietnam and inexpensive to buy.
- Go nextCu Chi Tunnel — day-trips are tirelessly flogged by travel agencies around Pham Ngu Lao, and can be done as a half-day trip, or as a full-day with a stop at Tay Ninh to see the Holy See of the Cao Dai religion.
- Go nextOne way to get to the tunnels is by speedboat.
From Wikivoyage: Ho Chi Minh City, CC BY-SA. Not yet checked by us; that article was last edited 2026-09.
- 01278 km
- 02379 km
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- 05493 km
If you know how people move in Ho Chi Minh City – the stand, the rule, the fare – tell us, and the note gets an entry.
Next door to Ho Chi Minh City
Ho Chi Minh City is 4 km from Bình Thạnh, the nearest large city, whose note carries the wider picture.
- Cholonquarter of Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam, known as Chinatown5.3 km
- District 1urban district of Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam500 m
- Bình ThạnhUrban District of Ho Chi Minh City3.2 km
- Tân Bìnhurban district of Ho Chi Minh City5.6 km
- District 6Urban District of Ho Chi Minh City8.2 km
- District 8Urban District of Ho Chi Minh City8.9 km