Vietnam City Break in Ho Chi Minh City: First Impressions, Markets and Shopping

Xin chao!! I’ve been loving a good city break these days, including a Vietnam city break! Traffic, hustle and bustle seem to be luring me over, what’s going on!!

Ho Chi Minh City, aka Saigon, happens to be the biggest and most modern city in Vietnam (but not the capital), it’s a relatively new city compared to other parts of Vietnam and a hive of finance, shopping, skyscrapers, coffee shops, street food, beeps, horns, mopeds and sheer busyness – perfect for a Vietnam city break.

 

The flight was late taking off – bit chaotic at Heathrow and a full plane, but once we got going it was a smooth overnight direct flight.

Landing in Ho Chi Min City

I was surprised by how much water there was beneath us – not the sea, but a winding river you see as you fly over, and pockets of water spread across the landscape.

The sun wasn’t out but believe me, the heat was on – very hot, like I’d been warned for April. Hottest month right!! A humid heat, not a scorching heat, thank goodness. 

Ho Chi Minh City and Saigon are the same place, Saigon is used more locally while Ho Chi Minh City (named after the man who brought about independence for Vietnam) is the more official mainstream modern day name – there have been other names in the past but I can’t remember them. 

Vietnam City Break: Ho Chi Min City In a Nutshell

Ho Chi Minh City welcomes you with wafts of aromatic street food, a melody of honking horns, everyone’s on the go, day and night, with bright lights glowing as the sun starts to set each evening. 

The mind boggling dynamics between pedestrians and traffic, especially at crossing points was an instant reminder that on this earth least, there is no universal or correct way to drive and navigate traffic. If you’re from the western world, the traffic is scarily fascinating for a first timer.

The neon lit skyscraper displays that dazzle you every night are pretty mesmerising.

You won’t go hungry either, you can eat like a king on the tiniest budget.

I stayed in District 1, the main tourist hub of the city and arguably the best location for a first time visit.

Locals take their outdoor fitness very seriously, working out in parks and green spaces early in the morning as well as after dark, from young to elderly – really wholesome to see.

I’d been hearing how Vietnam was one of the best places for shopping – “bring empty suitcases” bargains galore (same for Thailand)….and if you like brand name slogan type pieces, you’ll find endless supplies of cheaper/imitation luxury brand names if that’s your bag. 

Shopping in Ho Chi Minh City is a mix of all sorts, malls, markets, museums, all kinds of street sellers and 7Elevens.

Vietnam still ranks as one of the cheapest travel destinations going and gets a thumbs up for cheap shopping and cheap food.

But first, we need to talk about the traffic…..again!!

Crossing the roads in Ho Chi Minh City is not for the weak, but if you’re weak you’ll soon develop some mental strength and courage because you’ll absolutely need it, you’ll have no choice – you have to face your anxiety head on lol….its character building stuff, in fact it might be a great treatment for severe anxiety – a trip to Vietnam!

Initially its jaw dropping, anything goes.

Never experienced anything like it before, in the thick, at the mercy of it all.

Tourists are a nervous wreck…..until we start to get the knack. Not sure if I ever quite got that knack.

Traffic has a life of its own, it’s a world in itself, pedestrians dive into an ocean, hoping to maneuver through the waves without getting get hit by one.

Traffic Lights

I remember another traveller saying that in Vietnam “traffic lights are treated like a useful suggestion rather than a rule” and he was spot on – I can only improve on that by saying in some cases they are completely disregarded.

Red man, green man at pedestrian crossings – take them with a large pinch of salt, ‘there’s room for everyone, all at once’ seems to be the general attitude.

I remember watching some content were a tourist in Vietnam was so frozen in fear standing waiting to cross a road that a local shop owner took pity and came out to guide her across….it can be that bad, especially if nobody else is trying to cross with you.

The idea of vehicles weaving around you as you step out into flowing traffic or traffic lights being ignored is unheard of in the UK (angry horns would be beeping at you like crazy if you even managed to make it across in one piece and police would likely be on the scene closing off the roads to restore order with drivers lol – penalty fines being issued with no hesitation) but in Vietnam, these things seem to be the absolute norm and harmoniously so.

When the lights are red or the pedestrian crossing says you can cross, don’t be surprised to see traffic continue to move forward when you’re about to cross or indeed already crossing – the two of you will enter a kind of traffic waltz, gliding through and around each other like it’s no big deal. Not only that – you need eyes all around your head because vehicles will come around you, from behind you, up on the pavement sometimes and then surprise you from the corner of your eye!!

Locals have a knack for it – they glide through it confidently. You can usually spot a tourist just by their awkwardness when crossing a road, or like me – filming the whole thing in awe….what must the locals think of us.

A normal day on the road in Ho Chi Minh City would be considered the ultimate of traffic mayhem in the UK.

The traveller advice is:

• Keep a steady confident pace
• Don’t suddenly stop or run when traffic approaches you as that can cause a collision

I’ll add the following:

• Where possible, cross in numbers, a larger group feels safer than a sole pedestrian surrounded by traffic and easier for drivers to see – tag onto other people when crossing wherever possible, or wait until others come to cross
• Think of schools of fish underwater that stay tightly packed together to avoid predators – same thing at busy junctions for pedestrians
• Keep looking all around yourself as you cross – traffic doesn’t always flow in a straight line, sometimes its like a messy scribble

The traffic and crossing the road does come with a beautiful harmony, despite how scary it feels and sounds to non locals – ‘room for everyone’ mentality and it always seems to work out fine for all concerned.

Not sure what the metro was like, didn’t use it.

Ho Chi Minh City: Out and About District 1

District 1 is where it’s at for most of the touristy things and popular shopping spots. Almost everything is walkable, but you can always get a Grab or use the hop on hop off buses.

Popular tourist talking points:

• Central Market
• Ben Than Market
• Saigon Square
• Russian Market
• Book Street
• The Playground
• 7 Eleven
• Apartment Cafe Building
• Saigon Centre Food Floor

…..and yes, all within reasonable walking distance from each other, but just remember everything I said above about traffic. It’s not easy, so it’s quite an accomplishment when you manage to get around and back to your hotel in one piece.  

Central Market

This one isn’t promoted as much as some of the other markets, making it my deliberate first shopping spot. I gave up within about 15 mins.

Overwhelming is an understatement…..maybe it was the jet lag or I’m just losing my touch, I don’t know lol but I couldn’t hack it, the place was making my head spin. 😵‍💫

Haggling

I don’t like haggling. I prefer shopping to feel carefree. Ever since that Morocco trip I blogged about years ago I realised haggling was not my idea of fun but a fast track to headaches. 

There were things I didn’t bother touching, never mind ask the price, because that’s when the merry-go-round begins. If you start going back and forth on a calculator with a seller I commend you on your endurance and perseverance – you’re good for the game. I’m happy to just do without the thing if there’s no clear price, usually.

At least if there’s a visible price I can decide whether I want to try and haggle down without getting roped-in prematurely.  

Asking “how much” every 2 mins is a drain. Just put a price on it. 

Smile, then politely go in at 40-50% of the asking price and haggle from there….that’s what what I’ve heard and read other people saying – apparently this is expected, the norm in most markets or where there are no fixed prices on things. Don’t appear too interested or confused – confidence helps….that seems to be  the advice if you’re up for it!

The amount of stock crammed into confined spaces, beggars belief. I just glazed over mountains of tightly packed stock. I wanted to get out of Central Market not long after entering, most things had no price tag. Please no – get me out. I can’t tell you how relieved I was to go into the food court area and escape the market.

Traveller feedback suggests things are better value in Central Market than most other places in District 1, often about half the price of Saigon Square, arguably better quality and a more pleasant environment to shop in.

Confession: I barely bought a thing in here.

Not much shopping going on during this Vietnam city break so far – even though it’s meant to be one of the best destinations for shopping and low prices, I just couldn’t find the will, the packed markets and no prices drained me….make it make sense 😝 must have been the jetlag. That, or I was just less bothered than I thought I would be, or both.

Ben Than Market

I didn’t go in.

I put my trust in the overwhelmingly strong traveller feedback to avoid the place.

I walked right up to and around it, lovely looking building – peeked into the entrances and decided to keep out. 

It’s not like me to not see for myself, but I think the jetlag was eating every ounce of market haggling energy I had!!

As it is, I hate ‘no prices’ and haggling, especially in tightly packed labyrinth markets amidst eagle eyed sellers using tourists as easy prey. That said, there meant to be a fixed price government managed section near one of the entrances, but it’s only a small section. 

Apparently prices are hiked, it’s hot, humid and crowded.

Thanks to a few helpful Youtubers and Tik Tokers who flagged a nearby street opposite the market as being a better place to get things for a fraction of what they charge inside Ben Thanh.

I did take a wander down there and I can confirm that there were lots of 100,000 Dong price tags (less than £3) on sports/outdoors bags, sports wear  and some clothing – including a few 50,000 Dong tags – it’s worth a wander down there before going into the market, lots of North Face bags (they seem like signature bags in Ho Chi Minh) they were probably a bit more that 100,000 Dong lol.

The only thing that interested me down here were some leather belts (a gift for someone), but it felt like the smiley friendly seller was trying to charge me higher than UK prices – not in line with price-vibe of things on this street. Gave that a swift miss.

Saigon Centre

The Saigon Centre is a typical glossy mall with more high end and recognisable international brands over multiple escalator clad floors. No haggling in here! Plus a large food court on the basement floor and a handy money exchange point.

Saigon Square

(Not to be confused with the Saigon Centre shopping mall)

Another indoor market that ranks better than Ben Than, lower prices, nicer venue, less stressful, but not as good as Central Market for prices apparently.

Despite that, I was in and out in record time, overcome yet again with ‘too much to look at’ shopping fatigue.

Crammed, narrow spaces, where do you start – again most things had no price, too many people, and if I’m honest – nothing I actually wanted or needed.

I actually wanted to shop but just felt put off by it all with a stronger preference to go find somewhere to chill.

Anyway, the sweet relief when I got out of Saigon Square was intense, and I made a bee-line back to my hotel to enjoy a long lunch in the peaceful, crowd free, noise free restaurant, admiring the city views, bliss.

For the record – when I talk about prices being hiked/tourist prices…..even some of the highest priced sellers are still giving you a bargain when you think about what you’d pay in the UK (or similar) for the same item – so you’re still winning even when you don’t get the best bargain. I did pick up somewhere that if you’re not bringing the price down by around x5 then you’re being overcharged.

I do think haggling is a sport for some people, and if you enjoy it I’m sure you’ll have lots of fun with it!! 

Anyway, if you’re like me and don’t want to haggle for every £ you spend, you’ll like the Russian Market.

Russian Market 

Ironically, this turned out to be the best market I visited in Ho Chi Minh City yet the one I was least enthusiastic about going to – thinking I probably wouldn’t buy much, assuming it would have mostly things I wasn’t interested in.

….and to think I almost didn’t go because I think Google maps was showing me its old location, leading me off to goodness knows where in the hot heat of the day, pushing me to ditch the idea and wander off to the famous Post Office and Book Street instead.

Then I spied a couple of entrances behind the stalls of sellers on Book Street. FYI, the Russian Market is now tucked in between the post office and Book Street, you can enter via Book Street!! So easy.

It might be small, but prices are fixed, and clearly labeled on the items and tags. Hallelujah!!!!!

That said, some sellers will still be happy to haggle a little, especially if your buying quite a few bits….like the x8 sets of pretty chopsticks I bagged – proud of the miraculous chopstick skills I never knew I had until my first meal in Vietnam….I decided to stock up (or give some away as gifts).

I did have a few ‘why aren’t these chopsticks working’ moments though, and things did seem to get trickier with thinner noodles. Practice makes perfect….I suppose I should keep practicing!

My shopping game was switching back on at the Russian Market, they have some unique art/crafts and local brands that make their own clothes (not like the things you see time and time again in the other markets). I met quite a few creatives with unique hand made goods for sale, they liked to talk about their designs and helped me decide which things to buy – talking style, fit, general fashion chat.

Sipping an ice cold apple and guava juice later that evening I remembered one of the sellers telling me to check out the upstairs floor of the market – where you can also get food. I clean forgot….but did go back a couple of days later – there’s not much upstairs, it’s a very small space up there.

For the record, yes – there are some Russian products (mostly imported Russian food and drink items) but for the most part, this market is just another Vietnamese market. You’ll find more winter clothing here at low prices and if I’m not mistaken all the branded stuff is original, not ‘copies’ or ‘fakes’.

If you’re focused more on cheap recognisable high end/luxury labels you might not find this market impressive, but they do stock a lot of outdoor type labels, like North Face and similar, again… North Face is absolutely everywhere in every market.

Book Street

Bookworms will not be dissapointed.

Book Street is a very tourist-happy street lined with books and quirky little gift shops; I also spied a shop selling used books printed in English.

Book Street is just round the corner from the grand (and very tourist-happy) General Post Office and also happens to be a no bike/no traffic zone, so you can wander in peace.

General Post Office

It’s like no other.

At least no other I’d ever seen!! You’d be forgiven for thinking you were approaching and entering a grand train station, museum or parliamentary building.

This is the first time I’ve been anywhere where ‘the post office’ is one of the most popular tourist attractions.

If you decide to do the whole ‘buy and send a postcard’ while you’re there, I’ve heard it’s worth going to Book Street to buy your postcards because there’s a lot more variety to choose from than you’ll get in the post office.

Notre Dame Cathedral

Pretty much opposite the post office and Book Street, it’s impossible to miss this big pink church and as I suspected, its still under renovation.

Vincam

I walked past this mall a few times but wasn’t lured by the Zara and H&M logos around the outside, I didn’t want to look at things I’d normally see at home – I wanted to see more local brands, unique things.

The Playground

Just across the side street from Vincam Mall…

The Playground is one of the most Tik Tok/social media hyped hotspots for shopping in Ho Chi Minh City if you’re into edgy street wear, skater styles etc all designed and sold by young local designers and creatives. Worth a look… Nice quality casual wear in there with a cool vibe.

Cafe Apartment Building

No they’re not all cafes but the Cafe Apartment Building is one of Ho Chi Minh City’s iconic tourist spots, being quite a unique concept, converting a block of flats into trendy cafes, boutique shops and art displays, easy to find on Walking Street.

I’d already decided to avoid the tiny hot lift (which you pay to use) and wormed my way through the queue to get to the narrow winding concrete stairs instead. Everything is quite tight and narrow in the corridors, but do-able.

Every tourist wants to tick this off their list or at least get a picture from the outside in the square.

Is it worth the hype?

Well…..if there’d been huge queues of people on the street, waiting in line to get in I don’t think it would have been a great loss to have skipped it. It’s not going to leave your Vietnam city break with a big gaping hole in it; you can admire it from the outside then keep it moving.

It wouldn’t be fun during peak season – the stairways and walkways are very narrow and the quaint decor throughout couldn’t be appreciated properly with crowds blocking it all, not to mention trying to squeeze past people to get in and out of shops etc. Thankfully there weren’t that many people when I went in mid April – so I was able to get up and down the stairs with no hassle, no crowds. I didn’t do every floor, maybe three or four – you soon get the jist of them.

7Eleven

I wonder if any tourists (when they visit the UK) cherish ‘Tesco’ as much some of us delight in 7Eleven….do they post Tesco hauls on social media!!  If you didn’t know, 7Eleven has built a reputation for being the ultimate 24hr convenience store – sometimes large, sometimes tiny like a little off licence, but always selling an impressive range of things that you probably want or need, including food/snacks and drink on the go, some things being very low priced.

7Eleven hauls are social media thing, intriguing, I even kept the carrier bags as souvenirs lol, they feel weirdly special.

A few 7Eleven bits from Hi Chi Minh City with prices FYI :

x2 litre bottle water 78p (grand total for two)

Fresh papaya (deep tub, at least x2 papaya in there) 67p

Tuna Mayo Seaweed heated sandwich (like a chewy tuna flavoured rice) 48p

Solero ice lolly (no ice cream in the middle, all mango) 45p

Trident chewing gum strips (bright green pieces) 65p

I think a couple of things I bought were on offer as 31p was knocked off my total bill!!

Can we just talk about Milo for a minute!

Until setting foot on southeast asian soil, I didn’t realise how popular Milo was out there. Wow – it’s everywhere, ads everywhere, all kinds of varieties of milo products.

I remember Milo being something my grandparents always had in their kitchen cupboard and something I remember seeing in my childhood days for that reason – never really clapping eyes on it again much in adulthood – and it’s certainly not a pushed/popular mainstream brand in the UK – no ads in sight anywhere that I’ve seen, so it was surreal to be bombarded with it left right and centre.

Even Milo ice creams, crikey!!

 

Worst thing I ate

I didn’t actually eat it.

Not what you’d think – nothing ‘too’ exotic or out of the ordinary, just a melon lolly, awful, tasted like a cucumber flavoured milky creamy lolly…I didn’t read the packaging, I thought it was lime and I expected it to be more of a fresh citrus fruity ice than a creamy milk, yuk and a whopping 87p. Steep.

Other Food Thoughts

There’s a lot of hype about Banh Mi as a ‘must try’ vietnamese food. Ok, I only tried one, at a cafe in the cafe apartment building, but it wasn’t a big deal, not that spicy either, nice enough, like a chicken baguette, maybe there are better ones.

Pho (pronounced  like cutting short the word ‘forever’ to just the ‘f’ bit!!!!) was probably my fav, I really enjoyed this unassuming dish. It doesn’t look like much but it’s delicious, the broth was full of fresh warming flavours and a very filling dish of food.

Tip from Lonely Planet “avoid game meat on menus as most of it is illegally sourced” by illegal hunting/poaching in national parks. 

Coffee is king, there are cafes everywhere, cafe culture is strong in Vietnam, and in Ho Chi Min you could easily spend all day cafe hopping.

Fashion

Before this trip I’d heard that a popular Vietnamese quirky style is wearing matching pyjama sets as normal day time wear outdoors, be it cotton or silk. Can’t say I noticed anyone dressed like this in Ho Chi Minh.

Anything else?

Vietnam and its history are another major talking point, and most tourists will want to learn more about the war during a visit – it wouldn’t feel right not to, especially as the after effects are still impacting Vietnamese people to this day. I’ll reflect on my visit to the War Remnants Museum in the next post.

The jetlag was definitely getting to me at night….I was still on UK time pretty much my whole trip and wide awake when I should have been asleep. Should have done the sensible thing and forced myself to go to bed in line with local time – but mostly, I didn’t!!

Any tips?

The guide books are full of them, but my immediate thoughts would be:

Location

For a first Vietnam city break in Ho Chi Minh City you can’t go wrong if you stay in the absolute centre of District 1, the crux of the main shopping and tourist area.

I picked a hotel inside a busy shopping mall, within easy walkable reach of a lot of the places I wanted to go to.

 

It’s the first time I’ve stayed in a hotel where the staff remove their shoes and leave them outside your room before they enter -that includes the porter who bought my luggage up as well as housekeeping staff. Very hygiene conscious 👍

Prohibited

During my hotel check-in the staff pointed out that there’s a certain fruit you’re not allowed to eat in the rooms because it smells really bad – seems to be the norm out there. Never heard of it before and had to go look it up again afterward to remind myself what it was….how bad could it be?? You could end up being charged a fee if you’re found to have eaten this thing in your room. Its called the ‘durian’ fruit. I’d never heard of it and was quite intrigued by how important it was for the staff to point this out during check in, must be a horrendous smelling fruit!!!

Save Time

Book a Fast Track Airport service for when you land, don’t deliberate. This got me through immigration and out of the airport in under 30 mins instead of potentially 3hrs.

It’s hot and hectic when you exit the airport – best to arrange airport transfer prior to arriving to make things as stress free as possible….nothing like seeing your name on a big card being held in the air after a long flight.

Bites/Skin Protection?

Always be prepared, but I don’t think I needed any mosquito/bite repellent, maybe it’s because I used a bit anyway – and maybe if you’re in a leafy area or nearer the river you might be more prone but I didn’t get any bites or see bites on anyone around either.

As mentioned, it was very hot and humid,  but the sun wasn’t especially bright, burning or scorching.

Carrot oil and zinc cream are known to be great natural skin protectors in the sun.

 

Duty Free

Observation: when flying out of Vietnam from Tan Son Nhat International Airport (Saigon Airport) I noticed all the prices in duty free were mostly in American dollars, but they’ll tell you the local price if you ask.

By the way – getting through the airport to fly outbound on a short haul flight was a breeze.

Next

In the next post we’ll take a look at the renowned Remnants War Museum.

A must in my view – and a great way to open your eyes to more than just the superficial tourist aspects of Vietnam and its people and learn more about how their current lives are still impacted by some awful atrocities.

Happy travels to you all, wherever you are right now and wherever you might be going in the future, keep sharing and taking us with you – travel content is always insightful, inspiring, entertaining – the list goes on, thank goodness for people who share it 🤗 💛