If you’ve been travelling for an extended period, you may hanker for a taste of the West rather than chowing down on local cuisine for yet another meal. In the last year Ho Chi Minh has been flooded with fast food joints, but if you’re craving a meal that reminds you of home — you … read the full post

While most street food in Saigon could almost be classified as fast food, where you sit down and pretty much immediately start eating, some dishes from the streets make you work a little harder: banh trang is a case in point. In the world of Saigon street food, a restaurant advertising banh trang is where you … read the full post

As one of the most popular daytrips from HCMC, finding a way to get to the Cu Chi Tunnels is as easy as a walking through the Pham Ngu Lao backpacker district. Almost every travel agent in Saigon offers a one-day tour of the tunnels but some are light on the details. If you’re considering … read the full post

Even though you may be surrounded by a load of delicious local food in Saigon, sometimes you just want a pizza or hamburger; if that’s the case, it might be time to find the nearest Al Fresco’s. As the name might suggest, the menu at Al Fresco’s offers plenty of Italian food, particularly pastas and … read the full post

Finding shoes that fit a Westerners feet in Saigon can be a tough proposition. We’ve covered shopping for shoes in Vietnams’ commercial capital, mentioning some spots where you can find bigger shoes, but the town also has cobblers who can make you a shiny new pair of tailor-made shoes. These cobbler shops will make a … read the full post

Though Saigon’s streets can feel grey and congested, scattered throughout the city are green spaces worth seeking out. We’ve highlight some parks around HCMC before, but really barely scratched the surface of what there is to find. If you’re looking for some green places to relax, here are a few more to choose from. Following … read the full post

While you won’t struggle to find delicious, Vietnamese food every which way you turn in HCMC, a prolonged trip on the road can make you miss a solid, home-cooked meal. If you have a craving for Western cuisine, take a trip out of District 1 to Scott and Binh’s in District 7. Sharing the streetfront … read the full post

With a prominent location on busy Bui Vien, which runs down the middle of Saigon’s backpacker area of Pham Ngu Lao, the clean facade of the 2012-opened Aston Hotel stands out among some of the dingier competition — and it represents great value compared to its neighbours as well. From the outside, the Aston looks … read the full post

Vietnamese “cultural” shows, whether a traditional water puppet show or a song and dance performance, can sometimes be disappointing. However, the A O Show Saigon offers something new and completely different — it’s worth checking out. The A O Show Saigon is an interesting mix of the new and the old, combining elements of Vietnamese … read the full post

On nearly every corner in Saigon you’ll find a street cart selling banh mi, or Vietnamese sandwiches. While these are delicious and cheap, sometimes you might hanker after something similar but of a higher quality. While you’ll find a big jump in prices when visiting most sandwich shops in the city, Le Banh Mi offers … read the full post