Last Stop in Vietnam, Ho Chi Minh City

Ho Chi Minh City: formerly Saigon, the old capital of South Vietnam.  After the war it was renamed in honor of the late leader of Vietnamese resistance, or Uncle Ho as his admirers still affectionately refer to him.  Despite the name change many locals and foreigners alike still use the name Saigon.  Whatever you call it, with over 7 million inhabitants (and more in the greater metro area), the city is the largest in Vietnam.

Ho Chi Minh City, aka Saigon

Ho Chi Minh City is also the only place I was visiting in Vietnam that I had seen before.  Five years ago - hard to believe it's been that long - I went to Vietnam on my Semester at Sea trip.  Unfortunately I only had 6 days to stay.  I spent a few in Ho Chi Minh and also visited Cat Tien National Park, northeast of the city.

Upon my return I recognized several famous spots, and even stumbled upon a bar/restaurant where I first stopped the day I arrived with my SAS friends five years ago!  Although some things were the same, the city had made incredible changes in that short time.  The downtown skyline was on a new level, highlighted by the 68 storey Bitexco Financial Tower, completed in 2010.  Actually most of the buildings downtown are new.  I looked up a list of the tallest buildings in Vietnam, and of the 74 over 100 meters tall, the oldest dates to 1997.  Nearly all on the list were built within the last few years!  Take a look at this list: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_tallest_buildings_in_Vietnam

The Bitexco Financial Tower

Downtown as seen from Ho Chi Minh harbor back in 2008 
during my Semester at Sea visit

The skyline today (I should have taken a picture from 
the same spot five years later!

Phu My Bridge, under construction in 2008

Phu My Bridge today

From Nha Trang I took an overnight bus and was, as the British would say, shattered the next morning (for us Americans that means exhausted).  I managed a day of sightseeing and walking round town, and that night I stayed at an actual hotel.  I used credit card points, not to book anything spectacular, just something with my own room and shower!  After a solid night's rest I was ready to stay in a hostel again for the next three nights.

During my time in Ho Chi Minh I explored several markets, temples, ate a lot of street food, and checked out a few sights I'd seen already for old time's sake.  The Ben Thanh Market is conveniently located in the city center but full of tourists; the vendors will probably try and rip you off.  It's also annoying as hell to walk down the narrow isles and get assulted by every seller you pass.  For a more authentic experience head to the market in Cholon.  It's a bit far but if you are planning on buying much may save you money over Ben Thanh (even factoring the cost of the trip).  Plus the merchants seemed less aggressive.

Cholon also has several Chinese temples and pagodas to check out if you are interested in that sort of thing (I'm not an expert or anything but I thought the temples I saw were worth a visit).  Just be prepared for a hectic motorbike journey - if you choose the xe om for transport.  You can opt for a normal taxi, but that takes the fun out of it!  Here is another video of the insane traffic in Saigon.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6Pm-f0FMBAA

A temple in Cholon

try driving in this!

The nightlife in HCMC is much better than up north.  Back in the day during the war with the US Saigon was famed as one wild city; today things have calmed down a bit, but not down to Hanoi's level.  Bars and clubs stay open much later and it's more of the anything goes atmosphere common in big SE Asian cities.  Around the tourist area there are plenty of street-side bars selling cheap brews.  It's quite an experience to sit on the little plastic chairs - similar to the ones you used as a preschooler - and drink with hundreds of other people sitting literally in the street.  Oh and of course there are still motos (and the occasional car) driving by.

Drinking on the streets of Saigon

Unfortunately I didn't go to any big time clubs during my stay in HCMC.  Five years ago we visited a few memorable spots, but the gang I was with this time didn't seem so keen.  In the end it worked out because we had booked several day trips from our hostel.  There were a handful of backpackers whom I met in Nha Trang and were also staying in the same hostel in HCMC, so we ended up going on the same trips together.