Saigon is a name so evocative that it conjures up a thousand jumbled images. Wander through timeless alleys to ancient pagodas or teeming markets, past ramshackle wooden shops selling silk, spices and baskets, before fast-forwarding into the future beneath sleek skyscrapers or at designer malls, gourmet restaurants and minimalist bars. The ghosts of the past live on in the churches, temples, former GI hotels and government buildings that one generation ago witnessed a city in turmoil, but the real beauty of Saigon’s urban collage is that these two worlds blend so seamlessly into one.
Whether you want the finest hotels or the cheapest guesthouses, the classiest restaurants or the most humble street stalls, the designer boutiques or the scrum of the markets, Saigon has it all. The Saigon experience is about so many things – memorable conversations, tantalising tastes and moments of frustration – yet it will not evoke apathy. Stick around this conundrum of a city long enough and you may just unravel its mysteries.
Ready to go?
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People's Committe Hall (City Hall) with statue of Ho Chi Minh in foreground. |
Thuan Kieu Plaza, Ho Chi Minh City Women with red fans at Thuan Kieu Plaza. |
Fisherman, Ho Chi Minh City Fisherman near Ho Chi Minh City. |
Notre Dame Cathedral, Ho Chi Minh City Interior, Notre Dame Cathedral. |
District one, Ho Chi Minh City French Colonial building, District 1. |
Saigon Tax Trade centre café, Ho Chi Minh City View from Saigon Tax Trade centre cafe. |
Saigon by night, Ho Chi Minh City |
Nguyen Hue Boulevard, Ho Chi Minh City Nguyen Hue Boulevard in District 1. |
The Rex Hotel, Ho Chi Minh City The Rex Hotel at dusk. |
By Lonely Planet
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