Say Hi to Saigon

Traveling to a country without knowing how to travel or where to eat is such a disaster! With the birth of the smartphone, taking a trip to an unfamiliar location has never been easier. But with so many travel apps to choose from, how do you know which ones to install? Here are the essential apps you should download for your time in Saigon. Google Maps You’ll likely have this on your smartphone already, but there are a few things you should know when using app to find an address in Saigon. ●        This city is divided into 24 districts . The districts can be either names or a combination of letters and numbers. For example, District 1 (D1 for short) is located in the center of the city while Binh Thanh is another district located northeast of D1. ●        The streets are named after either historical events or people. Sometimes two districts can have two different streets with the SAME NAME! ●   ...

Know that there are two ways to refer to the city: Ho Chi Minh and Saigon (a former name). Here’s a tough one: Hòn ngọc viễn đông (A gem of the far east). Call the waiters/waitresses using “anh ơi”/”chị ơi” to get their attention. Ask for the price of anything before you order. Ask your landlord to make a registration at the local authority to avoid being fined for illegal stay. If you want your visa to be extended later, it’s something you should get done. Bring some cash. Lots of places here don’t have access to credit/debit cards charging machines. Have a cheap, basic and delicious breakfast including 15,000 VNĐ banh mi & 15,000 VNĐ Ca Phe Sua Da (coffee with condensed milk). These are sold almost anywhere. Get a driver license unless you already have one (you could convert it into a Vietnamese one). The test is in Vietnamese, haha. Check with the hotel to see if foreigners can stay in the same room as a local person (there are laws for this). Make sure to check the t...

DON’TS 1.      Pat  people on the  head. Patting on the head is considered a parental act towards their children, and it is seen as extremely rude to be done by strangers or friends, in Vietnam and in Asia in general. 2.      Shop at Ben Thanh market. If you do however, be sure to bargain. 3.      Wear valuable items like watches, rings, bracelets, necklaces… in public. You don’t want to be “investigated” by those shady eyes, trust me. 4.      Bring winter clothes. Saigon doesn’t have anything but hot and rainy weather. 5.      Go shirtless in public to temples, churches, mosques, government offices,... well basically anywhere, unless it’s a beach or pool. 6.      Drive on the left car lane if you ride a scooter (motorbike). 7.      Eat until the host of the party does. 8.      Drink water from the ...

In HCMC, the more you explore, the more crazy things you will find. Here are a handful of those crazy things: Take a cooking class You’re a big fan of Vietnamese cuisine, why not learn to make it yourself? Tons of cooking classes online are available to find, including a trip to local markets to buy ingredients. If you have one special and that specific dish that keeps you craving at night, take some private classes that often allow you to choose what dish to cook. Visit the apartment cafés It was once nothing more than a block of housing for military personnel. Now,  42 Nguyen Hue Street is transformed into a block of quirky cafes and boutiques that occupy all 9 floors of the building. Since the event of being pedestrianized in 2015, the road is now known as ‘Saigon Walking Street’ and is a lively night-time hotspot for locals. Go to the Artinus 3D Art Gallery The Artinus 3D Art Gallery contains a number of rooms, each painted with 3D images that are very li...