Walking Tours of Ho Chi Minh City

The unbearable heat of mid-day Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon, to friends and lovers) makes walking nearly impossible. However, the morning or late afternoon is a perfect time to stroll. The relatively cheap transport of taxi or motorcycle makes walking seem like a labor. However, when you are gripping the seat of a motorbike as the driver swerves to miss the bumper of a taxi by half a dozen centimeters, you may long for the ground. Renting your own two-wheeler, motorized or not, means you have inherited the major worry of commuters in every major city on earth: where the devil do I park? Though parking is cheap (2000 VND, about$ 0.10), the aimless wandering favored by myself, and many of the travelers I know, is hampered by the fact that a vehicle requires a parking space at every stop.

Here, therefore, is a little direction to some of the best walking tours of Saigon:

1. Start out in downtown, and work your way all the way up Hai Ba Trung Street to the park by Vo Thi Sao (1.5 miles). The street is lined with colonial-style buildings, modern boutiques, and hole-in-the-wall eateries. It is one of the busiest areas, and all the city’s contrasts are on display.

2. Head down Tran Hung Dao Street and turn right on one of the side streets. Some of the narrow laneways around here go on for what seems like a mile. These lanes are mainly residential, but some undiscovered street food stalls and quiet shops might be around the next turn. I once found a respectable size market in the middle of on such maze.

3. Take a taxi to somewhere near the airport, then turn around and stroll back towards city center on one of the main streets. These places are lit up at night, the sound of beer halls mingling with the blare of dance music coming from boutique clothing shops. Also on display here is the grit of urban Vietnam. Accidents are frequent (another reason to walk) and run down neighborhoods stand shoulder to shoulder with new constructions.

4. Finally, spend an early morning (I’m talking 5 or 6 a.m.) strolling with the crowd of locals as they walk or jog laps around one of the city’s parks. This is the coolest time of day, and everyone seems to be in quite a good mood, despite the hour.

There are endless neighborhoods to be discovered around Saigon. It is one of the safer cities in Southeast Asia, and one of the most colorful.

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Vietnam says:
14 months ago

Nice place to see, thanks for sharing

Bill

Simon Lucastry says:
2 months ago

Nha Trang beach

The best beach in Vietnam

Location : Central Vietnam

Nha Trang City

Area: 251 sq. km

Population: 337,803

Administrative division:

-

Wards: Vinh Hoa, Vinh Hai, Vinh Phuoc, Vinh Tho, Ngoc Hiep, Van Thang, Phuong Son, Xuong Huan, Van Thanh, Phuong Sai, Phuoc Tan, Phuoc Tien, Phuoc Hai, Phuoc Long, Loc Tho, Phuoc Hoa, Tan Lap, Vinh Nguyen, Vinh Truong.

- Communes: Vinh Luong, Vinh Phuong, Vinh Ngoc, Vinh Thanh, Vinh Hiep, Vinh Trung, Vinh Thai, Phuoc Dong.

Ethnic groups: Mainly the Viet (or Kinh).

The coastal city of Nha Trang in Khanh Hoa province, Central Vietnam, lies on the trans-Vietnam highway, 1,278km from Hanoi, and 448km from Ho Chi Minh City.

Nha Trang is endowed by nature with deep, quiet and warm waters all the year round, surrounded by archipelagoes, islands, mountains and white sand beaches - a wonderful and attractive tourist resort. To the north of Nha Trang stands the Chong mount which looks like a wide open hand over the sea. Far offshore, the Yen (Swallow) Island appears with lush green colours where salangane nests have been harvested for years to make the traditional "bird's nest" tonic and food.

The 7km white sand beach of Nha Trang is often called Vietnam’s Mediterranean Area, considered one of the jewel along Vietnam's long stretching coast line. Nha Trang is sunny all year round, with an average temperature of 23°C due to northern winds.

The rainfall is less than anywhere else in the country and the area is not threatened by storms since it is protected by the Truong Son Mountains and Ca Pass. From Ca Pass, one can see Ro Bay (Vung Ro), Hon Do...

Hon Tre Island is 36km² and belongs to a group of islands located southwest of Nha Trang. It takes two hours to reach Hon Tre Island by rowboat and only 20 minutes by ferry.

Nha Trang benefits from topographical advantages of the sea, islands, mountains, and deltas. West of Nha Trang, there are endless mountain ranges where a wide variety of animals and birds live.

Nha Trang has many specialties. Especially, bird’s nest soup, or swallow’s nest soup is very famous in Nha Trang and round Vietnam. The magnificent coral seabed in Nha Trang makes it ideal for scubadiving and snorkeling.

Nha Trang Bay is recognised as one of 29 most beautiful bays in the world.

book tour to Nha Trang Vietnam?

Please contact www.saigongreentarvel.com

add: 103 Bui Vien street, District 1, Ho CHi Minh City, Vietnam

Mekong says:
2 months ago