Fasten your belts, we are approaching Ho Chi Minh City, HCMC - a megacity that is always on the move .And not only due to the endless rumble of his scooters-stools, motovks and auto .Saigon (as he is persistently called, despite the new name) - the quintessence of Vietnamese fuss .This city is the center of the commercial and cultural life of the country, from where the miniature Vietnamese rule the whole state - a living organism whose breathing reaches the remotest corners of Vietnam, and the beating of his heart - is given powerful thrusts even on the carefree Fukuoka .
What travelers would not want - luxury hotels or ultra-budget hostels, classic restaurants or snacks from street stalls, designer boutiques or noisy collapses - in Saigon all this is.
Flight of a / to Vietnam Airlines from Moscow to Nha Trang, Hanoi and Saigon:
Departures in March for 9 nights: Bao Quynh Bungalow 3 * - from 69 900 rubles per person
Ocean Star 4 *, 8n. - from 69 900 rubles per person
Sea Links Beach 5 *, 8N. - from 85 900 rubles per person
How to get here
By plane and train
Airport Tan Son Nhat Airport in the late 1960's was among the top three busiest in the world, but today it has a more steady pace of life. Several flights from abroad are arriving here, but for the most part - domestic flights of Vietnam Airlines or the newly emerged low-cost Jetstar Pacific.
Railway. Saigon station (Ga Sai Gon; 1 Nguyen Thong, District 3, ticket offices from 7.15-11: 00 and from 13: 00-15: 00) takes trains from cities from the north.
Search for airline tickets to Hanoi (the nearest a / p to Ho Chi Minh City)
By bus
The Mien Tay bus station organizes flights to the south of Ho Chi Minh City, mostly to the Mekong Delta. This huge traffic junction is located 10 km west of the center, in An Lac, Binh Chanh. To travel north of Saigon, you need to get to the huge Mien Dong bus station, which is in the Binh Thanh area, which is 5 km from the city center on the Hwy 13 highway. Buses to Tay Ninh, Cu Chi tunnels and places to the north- west of Saigon depart from the new station An Suong, District 12.
On a ferryboat
On the hydrofoil (160/80 thousand dong adults / children, on the way 1 hour 15 minutes) you can get to Vung Tau from the berth of Bach Dang (street Ton Duc Thang).
- How to get from Ho Chi Minh City to Cambodia
- How to get from Ho Chi Minh City to Phan Thiet
Transport
According to Ho Chi Minh City there are about 130 bus routes, exclusively recommended for tourists, as they pass by all the main attractions. Buses are clean, comfortable and inexpensive, free and understandable route scheme can be found at the bus station Ben Thanh. In particular, they can get to the airport (№ 152), railway. (No. 149), the Binh Tay market (No. 1), the Mien Tay bus station (No. 102) and the Mien Dong bus station (No. 26). The fare is low - about 3000 dong, the ticket is purchased on board.
The second most popular form of transport - a taxi - is also inexpensive and comfortable. The cost for landing and the first km from 12 to 15 thousand dong. Popular companies: Ben Thanh Taxi (3842 2422), Future Taxi (3818 1818), Mai Linh Taxi (3822 6666), Saigon Taxi (3823 2323), Vina Taxi (3811 1111), Vinasun Taxi (3827 7178).
- How to get from Ho Chi Minh City Airport to the city center
On the scooter
If you are brave, clever, skillful, you can rent a scooter and then with a clear conscience buy yourself a shirt 'I Survived Saigon'. Many say that a motorcycle or scooter is the best way to travel around the city (or to get to the nearest hospital faster). You can rent this vehicle naturally everywhere: ask at a cafe, hotel, guest house or in the area of Pham Ngu Lao. 100-cubed "beast" can be found for 7-10 dollars a day, some take a passport as a security. In the Saigon Scooter Center (25/7 Cu Cuu Long, Tan Binh district) we offer classic Vespa and Lambretta rentals starting at $ 10 per day.
A pleasant alternative is group tours. For example, Vietnam Vespa Adventure (near Café Zoom) organizes tours of southern Vietnam, including Vung Tau, Mui Ne and scenic Dalat.
The climate of Ho Chi Minh City
| Average monthly temperature, ° C | ||||||||||||
| Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | sen | Oct | but I | Dec | |
| in the afternoon | +32 | +32 | +33 | +35 | +35 | +33 | +33 | +33 | +33 | +33 | +32 | +33 |
| at night | +21 | +22 | +23 | +25 | +25 | +24 | +24 | +24 | +24 | +23 | +23 | +22 |
Shopping and markets
Souvenirs, clothes, works of art and even tablecloths can be found in one of the hundreds of shops in the center of Ho Chi Minh City. The best quality and the highest prices - on Dong Khoi Street, cheaper and more interesting - in the Ben Than market. What to look for? Silk and textiles from Sapa, lacquered miniatures, plates, bowls, posters and posters of the "resisting" Vietnam.
A civilized alternative to this market is Saigon Square, an air-conditioned market with medium-sized shops where you can find clothes, household goods, and equipment. Cho Binh Tay in Chinatown of Ho Chi Minh City as a twin sister is similar to the Ben Thanh market, where everything is also sold: from spices, Chinese medicines, silk, to fish and seafood.
In addition, at least half an hour worth a glimpse of the night market of Saigon, which is laid out directly from the outside of the same Ben Thanh. Shopping here is far from the main thing - here they come for the atmosphere, communication, to skip a glass or two, biting it with something unimaginable that is sold from street trays. The market starts to work from 6 pm, immediately, as Ben Thanh closes.
And finally, the so-called "American bazaar" War Surplus (also Cho Cu and Khu Dan Sinh in block 1), which behind the mountains of low-quality equipment and electrical equipment is fraught with real pearls in the form of military artifacts - American lighters Zippo and the like shabby, surviving in the forests of Vietnam.
Entertainment, excursions and attractions of Ho Chi Minh City
The main attractions of Ho Chi Minh are Reunification Palace, Notre Dame Cathedral, Vinh Ngem Pagoda (the largest in the capital), the Historical Museum, the Military History Museum, the Botanical Garden and the Zoo (the main zoological park in the country and a major entertainment center).
Reunification Palace
Reunification Palace - it is the Governor's Palace - went to Saigon back in the late 19th century from the French colonialists. Despite the fact that in 1963 it was significantly damaged as a result of bombing, it was completely restored three years later. Then, until 1975, the palace was the residence of the presidents of the pro-American government, and after the liberation of South Vietnam became known as the Palace of Reunion.
Notre-Dame Cathedral
Notre-Dame Cathedral, located, as can easily be assumed, on the Paris Square in the center of the city, was built in a colonial style in April 1880. It is still considered one of the most unique buildings in Vietnam.
Parks of Saigon
A separate mention deserves the Dam-Schein Park, the largest cultural and entertainment center of the city .There you can see a small copy of the Jacques-Vienne pagoda, a lake resembling a West Lake in Hanoi, a puppet show, a bird garden, a water park, visit a sports center and the Royal Garden of Nam-Tu .It's also a good idea to spend time in the zoo and botanical garden of Saigon, which was designed in the late 19th century .The first inhabitants of the garden were the rarest tree and plant species from India, Cambodia, Laos and Thailand .Today, you can see thousands of plants, hundreds of breeds of animals and birds, unique and eerie reptiles .
Ku-Chi Tunnels
Another original attraction - the tunnels of Ku-Chi, created during the guerrilla war. This is a huge system of tunnels (200 km) with several levels of depth, countless entrances, living quarters, warehouses, weapons workshops, field hospitals, command centers and kitchens. Photos of Ho Chi Minh City (24)