Vietnam — Notes and photos from around Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon), Vietnam

Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon) — a fun place to explore

September 2015

I enjoyed my time in Ho Chi Minh City (HCMC; Saigon).

I found HCMC very different from Hanoi, as it had a more international feel.

I saw many big-name shops in HCMC, and the streets felt much bigger and broader.

I could also walk on the pavements in HCMC, as they were generally broad, with fewer motorbikes parked on them than in Hanoi.

Of course, I could have had the wrong impression of Hanoi, as I spent most of my time in the Old Quarter and might have missed the city’s more ‘international’ area.

Traffic in HCMC was as mad as in Hanoi. Again, there are thousands of motorbikes on the streets, and crossing the road was a real challenge. When crossing the street in HCMC, things were easier than in Hanoi as there were few electric scooters, so the silent and deadly machines couldn’t sneak up on you. Mask-wearing for bikers against pollution was common.

Another thing I noticed in HCMC was that I was not bothered by bicycle, motorbike, and car taxis so much. Where were they?

And in my change, I often got a sweet instead of a 500 dong note.

Below are some photographs I took as I wandered around Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon), Vietnam.