【Sài Gòn】Saigon City Guide
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When my partner and I landed in Saigon, I was a little overwhelmed. The motorbikes, the noise, the nonstop energy: it hits you fast. 🚦
Then, after a few days in District 1 and hanging out in District 7 with a friend who moved here (and her local friends), it clicked. Saigon’s chaos isn’t random. It makes sense. In my friend’s words, the traffic is just fishies swimming in the sea. 🐟
One more thing: I asked every local I met whether they say Ho Chi Minh City or Saigon. Every single one said Saigon, so that’s what we’re rolling with.
This guide covers what to know before you land, where to eat and explore, and how to skip the overwhelm I didn’t.
Get to Know Saigon
Saigon is Vietnam’s beating financial heart, and it’s been through a LOT.
Long before it was Saigon, this was a Khmer port town, part of Cambodia until the 1600s. In 1698, the Vietnamese Nguyen lords pushed south (a move known as Nam Tiến) and claimed it, making Saigon their capital. By 1862, the French had made it the capital of Cochinchina, and they held it until 1949, when France recognized Vietnam’s independence and Saigon became the capital of the State of Vietnam. From 1955 to 1975, it was the capital of South Vietnam during the Vietnam War. After North Vietnam’s victory, the city was renamed Ho Chi Minh City in 1976 to honor their leader.
(Locals still say Saigon, and frankly, so should you.)
The 1990s brought another boom: rapid growth, rapid modernizing, and a spot as a global trade hub. Then in July 2025, Saigon got even bigger, merging with neighboring Bình Dương and Bà Rịa–Vũng Tàu to become a city of more than 14 million. Everything in this guide sits in the old city core, so your itinerary doesn’t change. The city is still wrapped in rivers and canals and anchored by the mighty Saigon River.
THE NAME GAME
Saigon’s roots are still debated. The earliest written form, 柴棍 (Chái Gùn), appears in Lê Quý Đôn’s Miscellaneous Chronicles of the Pacified Frontier, which describes events from 1674. As for Hồ Chí Minh, Hồ is a common surname, 志 (Chí) means “will,” and 明 (Minh) means “bright.” It’s commonly translated as “he who enlightens.”
Best Time to Visit
What a Day Costs in Saigon
* Per person, per day · USD
Local eats
$1 – $5
Phở, bánh mì, street food stalls
Cafés
$1 – $3
Coconut coffee, egg coffee, kumquat tea
Metro
$0.30 – $0.80 / ride
Or a ~$1.60 day pass
Peak-season tip
Hotels fill up fast in the dry season (December to April) and around Tết, so lock in your stay as soon as your dates are set.
Find your stayGetting Around
Grab
Grab is basically Vietnam's Uber. It shows the price before you book, so no meter games. A 5 km bike ride is about $1-1.40, and a car from the airport to District 1 is roughly $6-10.
Bus
Bus 109 runs from the airport to the Ben Thanh area for well under $1. Best if you're light on luggage and patient.
Walking
Very walkable if you can handle the heat. We went from the Central Post Office to Book Street in under a minute. Cross slowly and steadily.
Metro
Line 1 opened after our trip, so I haven't ridden it yet. It runs from Ben Thanh to Suoi Tien for about $0.30-0.80 a ride. No airport stop.
Tip: download Grab before you land, so you can book a ride the second you step out of the airport.
Read my Vietnam guide →Where to Dine
Here are some of the spots I’ve actually eaten and drunk my way through.
I’ll keep adding more as I go back.
Café Slow Thao Dien
🍵 Cafe | 🪜 Located upstairs | 📍 39 Lê Văn Miến, Street, An Khánh
This might be my favorite cafe in Saigon, and the matcha is a big reason why. It’s so good. The cafe is located up the stairs, and walking in feels minimalist and clean, which is a nice break from the chaos outside. I love it.
Cong Ca Phe (Cộng Cà Phê)
☕ Cafe | 💸 29,000-65,000 VND ($1 - 3) | 🛋️ Study-friendly | 📍 26/15 Lý Tự Trọng, District 1
When we asked our food tour guides what their fave cafe spot is, their answer was Cộng Cà Phê, and they weren’t wrong.
Started in Hanoi in 2007 and now has 100+ locations, and the draw is the nostalgia: distressed walls, books and art everywhere, handwritten menus. This location is pretty close to Saigon Opera House and Book Street, so it's an easy walk.
Order the coconut coffee, which is a Vietnamese coffee with coconut milk and condensed milk. It’s rich, slightly sweet, ice-cold, and my partner raved about it. I don’t drink coffee, so I got the iced honey kumquat mountain tea: tart, citrusy, basically a Vietnamese Arnold Palmer, and super refreshing in Saigon’s heat. Want to go deeper? This Vietnamese coffee workshop teaches four iconic styles, including the famous egg coffee.
This branch is touristy, especially inside The New Playground, and it’s not a hidden gem. It’s still worth it for the drinks and the atmosphere.
The entrance is hidden inside The New Playground, so look for the door and head up to the second floor.
Eggyolk Coffee
🥚 Cafe | 💸 30,000-90,000 VND ($1.15 - 3.45) | ⏰ Best before 10 AM | 🥛 Oat + coconut milk | 📍 220 Lê Thánh Tôn, District 1
Eggyolk is the sleeker side of Saigon’s coffee scene: minimalist, spotless, and built around yolk-themed drinks and pastries, from egg yolk coffee and egg yolk matcha to seasonal specials.
We got there before breakfast, which was kinda smart, because it filled up fast. The staff were so sweet and spoke English, and the pastry counter is the star.
I skipped the coffee and got the Eggyolk Crack Matcha, creamy matcha under a whipped yolk-style foam, with a little diluted coffee on the side (common in Vietnam). Since the matcha took a while, I started with the Nutella Charcoal Timbering, a Nutella croissant topped with a glossy candy egg yolk. It wasn’t too sweet, and the candy yolk added a sugary kick.
When I was taking pics of my matcha, the yolk fell off of the pastry. 🥲
SOKO Cake Bake & Brunch
🍰 Cafe + brunch | 📍 27A Nguyễn Trung Trực, Bến Thành
Another cute, aesthetic cafe, and frankly, the drinks are why I’d go back: not too sweet, super fresh, and so good. I got the mushroom croissant sandwich and a cherry blossom foamed matcha with dango. Yummmm.
Ngon Restaurant Nhà Hàng Ngon
🍜 Vietnamese classics | 🪑 Spacious | 📍 160 Pasteur, District 1
Extremely spacious, with some iconic Vietnamese street food classics on one menu. Everything that we ordered was so fresh & so good.
Saigon street food tour by moped
🛵 Food tour | 🏨 Hotel pickup | 🍜 Street food | 🔗 Check availability
This one was my partner’s idea, and we loved it.
Our guides picked us up at our hotel on mopeds, and zipping through Saigon on the back of one is exhilarating. We ate delicious street food, learned how to say cheers in Vietnamese, and soaked up so much history from two guides we had a blast chatting with.
It was also my first banh mì, and an authentic one is DEFINITELY an experience. I realized how much I’d been missing out.
It also showed me how healthy Vietnamese food culture is. There are greens everywhere, sweet kumquat juice (even though kumquat is super sour), and barely any fast food.
Everyone gathers at small tables with stools low to the ground.
That’s their culture.
That’s the authentic experience.
Where to Explore
Book Street — Đường sách Thành phố
📕 Book shops | 🌅 Best 8 - 10 AM | ⏱️ ~30 min - 1 hr | 💵 Some shops cash only | 📍 Nguyễn Văn Bình, District 1
Book Street is located in District 1, close to the Central Post Office and Notre Dame Cathedral. Indie bookstores, colorful stalls, and a few cute cafés line the street, and you don’t even need to read Vietnamese to enjoy it.
We walked over from the Post Office in under a minute, so frankly it costs you nothing to add. Browse the stalls, head into Little Cats Bookstore for the stationery and book displays, then grab a coconut coffee at Cộng Cà Phê nearby.
Some shops don’t allow photos because their books are limited edition. Signs are posted in English, so look before you shoot.
Saigon Central Post Office Bưu điện Trung tâm Sài Gòn
📮 Working post office | 🎟️ Free | 📍 2 Công xã Paris, District 1
Right across from Notre-Dame Cathedral in District 1, this butter-yellow French colonial building is one of Saigon’s best-known landmarks. Frankly, I’m not sure why it’s this popular, but we took photos outside and inside like everyone else.
It was packed, not only with tourists, but also because it’s still an active post office, so there were plenty of people working.
23SPTMBR
⛓️ Streetwear | 📍 54 Đinh Công Tráng, Tân Định
Located in District 1 in the Tan Dinh neighborhood, this edgy, lowkey Vietnamese streetwear brand is one my friend showed us, and I love it. It’s unisex, so it’s pretty nice for couples. I picked up a pair of shorts, a ring, and a shirt, and my partner got a hat he wears frequently.
Oh! They also have 2 cute cats in the store that won’t care about you, but just a heads up if you’re allergic to cats. They’re super chill.
TINH Atelier
👗 Women’s luxury | 💸 Pricier | 📍 29 Trúc Đường, An Khánh
Located in the An Khánh neighborhood of Thu Duc City (what most people still call District 2), this is the pricier side of women’s luxury clothes (women’s only), and my shirt is worth every penny. It’s breathable, sculptural, and super unique. I love it so much.
Saigon Experiences You'll Love
Find Your Perfect Stay
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11162024 18:45 - 11232024 20:12
Last Updated: 10.14.2026
Step inside one of Vietnam’s most stunning landmarks. From jaw-dropping architecture to the mesmerizing A O Show, the Saigon Opera House blends French-Vietnamese charm, history, and romance for a night you won’t forget.