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5 things I’d do again in Ho Chi Minh City, and 3 I wouldn’t

A month in District 4 left me with 5 places I’d go back to and 3 things I’d do differently.

Written and photographed by Ethan Ward
Went: 1 month

SGN · Ho Chi Minh City

Would do again

1
Stay in District 4

Photo of the view from a high balcony in District 4 over a canal, trees, and apartment towers, with a construction crane under heavy clouds.
Photo looking down on a District 4 street, with motorbikes passing and people at small tables on the sidewalk.
Photo of an old apartment block in District 4, with laundry on the balconies and striped awnings over the shops below.
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I wanted to be close to the center without staying in the middle of it. District 1 was across a bridge, so I could walk over or take a Grab for restaurants and landmarks, then go home to a balcony over the water.

2
Walk over Ông Lãnh Bridge to Bến Thành Market

Photo of shoppers crowding the aisles of Bến Thành Market under its high wooden roof, between stalls hung with signs.
Photo of motorbikes riding over Ông Lãnh Bridge beside the sidewalk.
Photo looking down from the bridge at a street packed with motorbikes and shopfronts.
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The bridge took me from District 4 into District 1, with Bến Thành Market on the other side. Bargain for clothes and souvenirs, but not for food, where prices are usually fixed.

3
Spend an afternoon at the Ho Chi Minh City Museum

Photo of two women holding flowers at the foot of a curved double staircase in the Ho Chi Minh City Museum while a bride in white stands at the top.
Photo of the museum’s curved balcony, with white columns and a stone balustrade looking out on trees.
Photo of a long museum hallway with a black-and-white checkered floor and wooden shutters, with a woman in a long pale dress at the far end.
Photo of handwritten wartime letters laid out under glass in a museum case.
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The museum is in an old palace on Lý Tự Trọng Street, and the building is half the reason to go. I went from its staircases and round balconies to rooms of old banknotes, wedding clothes, and wartime letters, while people posed for photos on the main stairs. It’s open 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. every day, and tickets are 60,000 dong.

4
See the Central Post Office, then walk down Book Street

Photo of visitors filling the long hall of the Central Post Office under its arched roof, with a portrait of Ho Chi Minh at the far end.
Photo of the yellow front of the Central Post Office, with its arched entrance and clock, under a grey sky.
Photo of the arched sign over the entrance to Book Street, with trees and stalls beyond it.
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It’s still a working post office, and the main hall, under its arched roof, is worth a few minutes. Book Street runs alongside it, a car-free block of bookshops and cafés.

5
Take a sunset boat tour on the Saigon River

Photo of a woman in a red áo dài playing a đàn tranh on the deck of a boat at night, with the lit skyline across the river behind her.
Photo of a hand holding a cup of gelato on the boat’s deck at night, with the river and the city lights behind the railing.
Photo of the Ho Chi Minh City skyline lit up at night across the Saigon River, with a tower lit red and yellow.
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I bought a ticket, went alone, and spent the ride on the deck watching the skyline light up. They handed out gelato, and a woman in a red áo dài played the đàn tranh, a Vietnamese zither.

Wouldn’t

1
Run back to the curb

The first time I tried to cross the street, I made it a few steps and ran back. Keep a steady pace, and the scooters go around you.

2
Go out with a low phone battery

I used Google Translate to say what I needed and Grab to get home, so I planned my outings around my battery. Both ran on data from my Airalo eSIM.

3
Book a view from the listing photos alone

My balcony looked out on a canal that was being dug out the whole time I was there. It didn’t look like that when I booked. Ask the host what’s being built nearby.

HOW I LEARNED TO CROSS

A dog sitting in the middle of a street in District 4, Ho Chi Minh City, as a motorbike passes.

Learning to cross the street in Ho Chi Minh City
From my balcony in District 4, I watched a dog sit calmly in traffic I was afraid to walk into.

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