Stay: Bui Vien, District 1
We stayed in District 1, where most foreigners stay. Bui Vien is the main road, and every taxi driver will assume you're staying there if you're white. We stayed at the Beautiful Saigon Hotel for $33/night, (breakfast included). The rate is average for the area, but if you're on a budget you can easily find places for $10/night.
Bui Vien is relatively quiet during the day but transforms to chaos at night. It is THE PLACE to eat cheap, drink cheap, and party all night.
During the day you can shop for cheap shirts ($2) or travel pants ($3) for better prices than nearby mega-market Ben Thanh. The best place to eat is at Donor Kebab. For 25,000VD ($1.20), you get a delicious kebab and can hang out with this guy:
For a good photo op, take a ride on a cyclo:
If you're looking to have a suit made, visit the tailor SY TAN. The old man has been making suits for over 50 years, and his shop produces about 90 suits per week. Ian didn't really know what kind of suit he wanted when he first entered the shop. Sy Tan listened to Ian's concerns and created the perfect suit that Ian had imagined. The craftsmanship was so amazing that Ian ended up having THREE SUITS made. The price was around $175 for a whole custom made suit, including material. (When we purchased the material elsewhere, it was about $135.) He also made three long button-down shirts for Ian. I cannot recommend this tailor enough!
Close to Sy Tan is a store dedicated to old war propaganda posters. It's worth a visit.
You'll find many painting shops along Bui Vien where you can purchase reproductions of famous paintings or have a custom painting made. We had paintings made from a few different shops, and the best shop by far was Minh Anh Art Gallery. You just send them a picture you want painted, they'll print it out on canvas and paint over the picture... pretty foolproof!
Vendors walk up and down the street trying to sell bracelets, sunglasses or souvenir Vietnam fans. They will start the transaction asking for WAY more than then item is worth, but they'll eventually haggle to about 1/10th the original asking price. Motorbike carts drive by with different snacks, most often flattened squid jerky. Most restaurant have you sitting outside facing the street, providing great people-watching opportunities.
We were offered weed A LOT around this area during the day. At night, the menu extends to heroin and ecstasy.
White expats carry around balloons and what looks like industrial-size cans of whipped cream. They fill the balloons with nitrous. We didn't dabble.
There are a lot of hookers and ZERO cops in this area.
Shop:
Ben Thanh is the major tourist market close to Bui Vien. The market has a lot of the usual food, trinket and scarf souvenirs. If you go, remember to haggle! The prices at Ben Thanh are known to be the most expensive. There is a good variety of fabric to choose from, and most of the vendors can hook you up with a tailor. Some of the stalls promise suits can be made in one day, but we've heard those are very clumsily put together. These shops depend on people being in a rush, not looking over the details and not having enough time in town to tend to imperfections.
Ben Thanh closes at 5PM, and new vendors start to set up shops outside. The Night Market opens at 7PM, and it circles Ben Thanh. Most of the booths are purses, Nike/Addidas athletic clothes, or suitcases.
Saigon Square is close to Ben Thanh and has mostly clothes. You'll find a lot of real and a lot of fake items. It's great for girls who like fast fashion.
Note that a lot of the items in these markets are REAL. Many companies manufacture their products in Vietnam, like Nike. If you see Nike items at these markets, they are probably real, but just because they are real doesn't always mean they are the best product; sometimes they make it to these markets because of quality defects, misspelled tags, etc.
There are also a few specialty streets in HCMC. In District 2, there's a guitar street. In District 10, there's a street dedicated to wedding dresses.
Do's & Don'ts:
Do try Vietnamese coffee. The local favorites are Trung Nyguen or Phuc Long. Enjoy choosing from the different variety of coffees; some inspire creativity while others are said to give you ideas.
Do exercise! The park near District 1 has free workout machines and aerobic classes in the evening.
Do monitor your credit/debit card transactions. Ian withdrew money from an ATM on our first night, and his statement showed that he took out much more than he actually had. It happens fast.
Do eat street food. You can't visit Saigon without having a banh mi! (Get one with a fried egg!)
Do be careful when you cross the road! Putting your hands up in the air signals to drivers that you are crossing the street.
Don't tip your servers. You're not expected to tip in Vietnam unless you have a server expressly dedicated to serving you. Most restaurants have many servers splitting responsibilities. You don't tip them.
Do tip masseuses. You should tip your masseur at least 50% of the total price of the massage unless you are in a big, fancy salon. Most masseurs only make money from tips.
Don't get your hair dyed by someone who doesn't speak English. I wanted my blonde roots touched up... and this happened:
Do be careful when you get off a motorbike. The exhaust is extremely hot and you will get burned!
Do yourself a favor and get clothes made. Oh, you're not rich? You don't have to be. Ian's long sleeve, button-down shirts cost only $18 ($12 when we provided the fabric) to make! Less than $20 to feel like a million bucks = worth it.
Lastly, and most importantly... DO MAKE FRIENDS!
Friends:
Vietnamese people are the sweetest people you could ever meet. Let one of the students in the park talk to you. Make friends with your hotel staff. The locals know the good (and cheap) spots to eat, and they're more than willing to offer advice. Let them in your life and you wont regret it!
