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    Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon) travel guide in photos

    / Last updated 25 Jun 2016

    Introduction

    Here's a little travel guide to Saigon, compiled from images captured over the past year of this high-energy, fast-changing - but remarkably friendly, city.

    • ©Photo: Mark Bowyer
    • ©Photo: Mark Bowyer
    • ©Photo: Mark Bowyer
    • ©Photo: Mark Bowyer
    • ©Photo: Mark Bowyer
    • ©Photo: Mark Bowyer
    • ©Photo: Mark Bowyer
    • ©Photo: Mark Bowyer
    • ©Photo: Mark Bowyer
    • ©Photo: Mark Bowyer
    • ©Photo: Mark Bowyer
    • ©Photo: Mark Bowyer
    • ©Photo: Mark Bowyer
    • ©Photo: Mark Bowyer
    • ©Photo: Mark Bowyer
    • ©Photo: Mark Bowyer
    • ©Photo: Mark Bowyer
    • ©Photo: Mark Bowyer
    • ©Photo: Mark Bowyer
    • ©Photo: Mark Bowyer
    • ©Photo: Mark Bowyer
    • ©Photo: Mark Bowyer
    • ©Photo: Mark Bowyer
    • ©Photo: Mark Bowyer
    • ©Photo: Mark Bowyer
    • ©Photo: Mark Bowyer
    • ©Photo: Mark Bowyer
    • ©Photo: Mark Bowyer
    • ©Photo: Mark Bowyer
    • ©Photo: Mark Bowyer
    • ©Photo: Mark Bowyer
    • ©Photo: Mark Bowyer
    • ©Photo: Mark Bowyer
    • ©Photo: Mark Bowyer
    • ©Photo: Mark Bowyer
    • ©Photo: Mark Bowyer
    • ©Photo: Mark Bowyer
    • ©Photo: Mark Bowyer
    • ©Photo: Mark Bowyer
    • ©Photo: Mark Bowyer
    • ©Photo: Mark Bowyer
    • ©Photo: Mark Bowyer
    • ©Photo: Mark Bowyer
    • ©Photo: Mark Bowyer
    • ©Photo: Mark Bowyer
    • ©Photo: Mark Bowyer
    • ©Photo: Mark Bowyer
    • ©Photo: Mark Bowyer
    • ©Photo: Mark Bowyer
    • ©Photo: Mark Bowyer
    • Saigon's fast-changing skyline. If it's more than a few stories high, it was likely built during the past two decades - and mostly during the past decade. Saigon's building boom is unstoppable and if anything, is accelerating. French colonial era green spaces provide some much needed relief from the concrete and glass. The city's once-famed heritage architecture has taken a big hit. Saigon is dealing with rapid population growth (it’s hovering around 10 million), rapid economic growth, and a small but visible elite who want to drive cars, preferably large, expensive ones. All that’s putting pressure on narrow roads, air quality, public space and liveability. The friendly, welcome of the locals seems to be holding up and visitors can't help but be swept up by the energy of the place.
    • The centre of government in Saigon - and a Rolls Royce. Rapid development has produced a class of uber-wealthy in Saigon. Luxury cars are disproportionately visible but do not represent the reality of life for most.
    • For most Saigonese, the spoils of development have trickled down more slowly. This couple, married for decades, operates a mixed business on one of Saigon's busiest streets, repairing motorcycles and serving food. Wonderful characters with an obvious great affection for one another.
    • Saigon's historic heart - Continental Hotel, Opera House and Caravelle Hotel
    • A new statue of Ho Chi Minh in the centre of town, was inaugurated at the beginning of 2015. This group has travelled from the countryside for a photo with the new Uncle Ho.
    • Crowds descend on a new walking space in downtown Saigon each night. Nguyen Hue St.
    • Sketching a fast-changing city. A group of young architects and artists are documenting Saigon's historic buildings - many of which are threatened with demolition.
    • Saigon's food scene is buzzing with delicious local and international offerings.
    • Vietnamese banh mi bread stand.
    • The cafe scene's powering along too. Young locals are transforming old apartment blocks into groovy cafes.
    • And Saigon's nightlife is every bit as energetic as everything else about the city.
    • Bui Vien St - now Beer St. It attracts a great mix of locals and backpackers - in the heart of Saigon's backpacker district.
    • Saigon traffic and the fast changing skyline.
    • Exhausted.
    • Exhausted.
    • War Remnants Museum, Saigon. Vietnam's most popular museum.
    • 3A Station is a little bohemian outpost of shops, galleries and cafes on the Saigon riverfront.
    • History Museum Saigon. The architecture mixes Eastern and Western styles. The collection traces Vietnam's history from ancient times.
    • McDonald's has landed in Saigon with a big bang - but we're not sure if the locals are taken with it. Some are alarmed that a slice of the city's historic Central Post Office has been passed over to the US fast food chain.
    • Late night bowl of pho, Saigon
    • Ladies of the church choir, Saigon
    • The former French Governor's Residence - now the Ho Chi Minh City Museum.
    • Motorbikes rule - Saigon
    • The lonely cyclist, Saigon. Two decades ago, these streets were full of cyclists.
    • Motorcycles rule - Saigon. This is a Saigon sidewalk. Not much space for walkers.
    • The motorcycle in art - Artist Trang Suby One with a piece of his work at the Fine Arts Museum, Saigon
    • Saigon's Fine Arts Museum is housed in one of the city's most storied colonial era buildings.
    • A different type of artistry. A workshop churning out copies of European Masters, or family photos - take your pick. In the Saigon suburbs.
    • Reunification Palace, Saigon. Where 30 years of war ended on 30 April 1975. The building is significant not just for its dramatic role in 20th century history, but as an example of the flourishing of modernist architecture that occurred in the 1950s and 1960s in Saigon. Keep an eye for a distinctive modernist style that’s evident in Saigon and throughout southern Vietnam.
    • The modernist General Library of Science in Saigon (1971) and the colonial era courthouse in the background. While French colonial architecture gets plenty of attention from visitors, the city's distinctive and ubiquitous modernist architecture, pioneered by internationally trained local architects in the 50s and 60s, is largely missed.
    • Me Linh Square closes in on Vietnamese historical hero, Tran Hung Dao, Saigon

    • Layers of the city. The metal structure of a bridge built by Gustav Eiffel (of Eiffel Tower fame) with the heavy stone of the colonial ere Banque de l'Indochine (now the State Bank of Vietnam). In the background, Bitexco Financial Centre - Saigon's tallest building. A walk along the riverfront will bring you to Saigon's banking district.

    • Be sure to take a late afternoon or early morning walk along the Saigon riverfront. It's a surprisingly mellow spot in the midst of the city chaos. This building is Nha Rong - Ho Chi Minh Museum

    • The Saigon smile - on the riverfront.
    • The faces of Saigon
    • The faces of Saigon
    • The faces of Saigon
    • The faces of Saigon
    • The faces of Saigon
    • The faces of Saigon
    • The faces of Saigon
    • The faces of Saigon
    • The faces of Saigon
    • The faces of Saigon
    • The faces of Saigon
    • The faces of Saigon
    • The faces of Saigon
    • The faces of Saigon
    • The faces of Saigon
    • The faces of Saigon
    Quicklink - Introduction - Ho Chi Minh City