A night in Saigon

February 10, 2022

Paradox originated from the greek word paradoxus (para, meaning 'outside off' + doken ,'to think'). And you will realise it when you arrive at Ho Chi Minh, the city of Paradoxes, the "Paris of the East".

Is it Saigon or Ho Chi Minh.....well the official name is Tanh Po Ho Chi Minh (TPHCM), but ask most Vietnamese (they will say Saigon, a name given by their collonial masters,the French) ignoring the name given in the name of their leader, Ho Chi Minh, after the reunification of their country in 1976. Presently the central district 1 is called HCM, while the surrounding areas are called Saigon (a truce between the names!)

After coming out of the airport, HCM suprised me. Being accustomed to the noisy dirty cities of SE Asia, I was thrilled to see wide boulevard flanked by 3 lane roads, beautiful lush gardens ,glimpses of French architecture interspersed with high rises of a metropolis.It is a country of paradoxes, a country with a violent past with a peaceful present, a country whose lush green forests and rice fields were the battleground of two world powers, a country whose resilience inspired hundreds of songs. So,I was a bit skeptikal about going to Ho Chi Minh (or Saigon), because most of the English guide books tells us the stories of war only (Chu chu tunnel, war memorial,killing fields etc etc).But as fate had it, there were no direct flights from Kolkata to Hanoi or Pho Quo C, the two places we wanted to go(now flights are available to both), and so we thought how bad can it be to spend a night at Ho Chi Minh.

But Saigon surprised us. From the airport ,to the local ac bus that took us to our hotel, the clean wide streets, the young cheerful people in their vespas (You won't see so many scooty in any other metropolis), the discipline of the people.

After a 8hrs flight( with a brief stopover at Bangkok), we finally reached Saigon( the local name of HCM). The immigration was brisk ( we already had an e visa,Indians need either an evisa/ visa invitation letter,the former is cheaper and hassle free) .

After exchanging Indian rupees for Vietnamese dong( yes, few banks accept INR, but you will get better rates in the city), and getting a local sim, we went out to get on a bus( the bus are the most economical way and are good too!).

We stayed at the Oscar Saigon Hotel at Ngyuen Central Boleauverde, with the City Opera House and the City Municipal building and other beautiful french architecture in the nearby. The city has an old colonial feeling,with beautiful streets,gardens ,side walks and central Boleauverde. You can visit the main attractions ( Central Post office, Independence palace, War museum,the Gothic Central Cathedral, the markets ) on foot if you live in District 1. The Vietnamese food is awesome, especially the Street food, which we had a taste of in the evening ( Back of the Bike tour-- where a couple of young Viet Uni students took us for a pillon ride on the back of the scooty in the dark alleys of HCM,where u get a real taste of the city and it's street food).

So,my travel tips about HCM

1. Stay near the Nguyen central boulevard,it is a bit costly,but you will like the atmosphere, especially in the evening.

2.Take a walk round the City-- it's safe.

3. Back of the bike tour-- do not miss it at any cost

4. Party in any of the roof top bars

5.You can go for the touristy places-- Mekong Delta, Chu chi tunnels, puppet show, AO show, Saigon dinner cruise ( we didn't do these, instead we focused on the city and shopping)

6. Have a Vietnamese massage and do lots of shopping.

7. Although the Vietnamese Dong is weak, but the costs are like that of any metropolis of India. You are quoted everything in 1K VND.

8. A word of caution-- reports of snatching are common,and we were advised twice to look after our belongings; but we didn't encounter any unpleasant experience during our stay. In fact we found the city quiet safe.

9.Transport-- We did have a not so good experience with taxis( both Vinsuen and Grab-- the Vinsuen driver off boarded us after a small ride,because we had big notes and he didn't have the change). Public buses are few, expect for the Airport Green Bus. The upcoming metro project may solve this.

Quick facts

Get in: Air Asia via Bangkok
Get out: Hanoi/ Pho Quoc/ Siem Reap
Visa: e Visa
Currency: VND/USD
See: Saigon Opera House, Saigon Post office, Cathedral, Independence palace and War museum
Do: shopping and massage
Eat: Back of the Bike tours, Pho, Banh Mih, Egg coffee/weasel coffee
Speak: English
Stay: District 1
Party: lots of roof top bars