For tourists visiting Saigon for the first time, many of whom come clutching one of just a handful of printed tour guides currently on sale, even those picking their own way around the city might start to feel like they’re following some organised group tour.

When similar faces begin to pop up at each restaurant, bar or sight-seeing attraction, it’s time to get off of the beaten path and seek out your own undiscovered gems and dig beneath the surface of city life.

On the other hand, if you live in Saigon (or any city for that matter), seeking out these ‘off-grid’ places can completely alter one’s perception of the urban environment. City life can feel like quite an impersonal affair at times, with little, if any, opportunities for finding your own private adventures and discoveries in what may seem like a well-trodden city.

Here are some of Saigon’s best-kept secrets for an urban adventure with a difference:

The Secret Weapons Cellar

In 1967, Saigon resident Tran Van Lai began digging a hidden cellar beneath his home on Nguyen Dinh Chieu Street, in Saigon’s District 3. Lai was a secret operative for the Viet Cong and used the cellar to amass an arsenal of weapons and explosives in the lead up to the deadly Tet Offensive, a large-scale, finely coordinated surprise attack on US and South Vietnam forces that took place up and down Vietnam. [Read more…]

For those visiting Saigon (officially known as Ho Chi Minh City) for the first time, uncovering the city’s local food scene can take time, patience and a few dodgy dishes before that ultimate bowl of backstreet pho is found. Unlike Hanoi’s tourist-friendly Old Town, Saigon doesn’t give up its secrets willingly. With a bit of research, however, the city quickly becomes a food lover’s paradise for those seeking the best of the best when it comes to local cuisine. But that’s for another day and another article.

A combination of low costs, easy access to high quality ingredients (both imported and locally produced), and relatively little red-tape and bureaucracy when it comes to opening new businesses, Vietnam’s southern metropolis has, in recent years, become as much a destination for international cuisine as it has for the local fare.

“I’ve heard visitors from other parts of the region singing the praises of the abundance, the quality and the authenticity of Saigon’s international restaurants compared to cities like Bangkok,” says Daniel Gamwell, a Saigon resident, school teacher and self-proclaimed foodie. Indeed, it seems like a month doesn’t pass without at least one or two new international restaurants opening up.

In August 2016, Saigon Centre, a downtown shopping mall owned, in part, by Japanese investors, swung open its doors to offer a vast range of eateries never seen before in Vietnam, from century-old Japanese restaurant chains making their first foray into international territories, to Korean table-top barbecue joints and an award-winning pizzeria.

So, when the time comes that you fancy a change to the pho, the noodles and the banh mi sandwiches, here are some of the city’s top international eateries: [Read more…]

Vietnam’s southern metropolis, officially known as Ho Chi Minh City, may not have the picture-postcard charms of its northern counterpart Hanoi, but as a melting pot of cultures, cuisines, old meets new and East meets West, where shimmering skyscrapers rub shoulders with colonial-era mansions, it has much more to offer than many first-time visitors give it credit for.

Here’s a rundown of how to make your trip to Saigon a success (just click on one of the links below to jump directly to the section you’re interested on).

• When to visit Saigon

• Visas for Vietnam

• How to get there

• Upon arrival

• Where to stay in Saigon

• Money in Vietnam

• Getting around

• Safety in Saigon

• What to see in Saigon

• What to do in Saigon

• Where to eat in Saigon

• Where to drink in Saigon

• Price guide for Saigon

• Where next?

[Read more…]