Vietnamese Cuisine - Saigon travel information (2023)

FAQs

What is Saigon Vietnam known for? ›

Ho Chi Minh City, also known as Saigon and long considered as the Pearl of the Far East, is the most dizzying city of commerce and culture in Vietnam. A visit to Saigon is like an encounter with exotic delicious food, French colonial architecture and memories of Vietnam War.

The public transport system in Ho Chi Minh City centres around the city's extensive bus network. While buses are cheap, most expats prefer using motorbike taxis or private taxis. These provide the most efficient way to travel around in Ho Chi Minh City.

Ruins, beaches, rice terraces, spectacular landscapes and some of the most beguiling cities on earth can all be discovered within Vietnam's boundaries. It also has the crown for the world's cheapest beer for its locally brewed Bia Hoi that is freshly made every day and contains no preservatives.

Ho Chi Minh City – formally known as Saigon – is one of the best places to visit in Vietnam. From delicious food to beautiful French architecture to an up-and-coming craft beer scene, you'll find no lack of things to do in Ho Chi Minh City.

Saigon. [ (seye-gon) ] City in southern Vietnam; capital of South Vietnam from 1954 to 1975.

Ho Chi Minh is generally a safe city, as safe as other similar cities throughout the world. What is this? Violent crime is rare, but lately, robberies, assaults, and harassments started occurring, often involving weapons.

The best time to visit is between December and March when the weather is most settled. The hottest month of the year is April with an average daily maximum of 35 C and an average low of 27 C. The coolest month of the year is December with an average daily maximum of 32 C and an average low of 24 C.

The city has a tropical climate, specifically tropical savanna (Aw), with a high average humidity of 78–82%. The year is divided into two distinct seasons. The rainy season, with an average rainfall of about 1,800 mm (71 in) annually (about 150 rainy days per year), usually lasts from May to November.

Vietnam is not only famous for its beautiful scenic places but the Vietnamese street food as well. Vietnamese cuisine is well-known due to the usage of fresh ingredients in dishes with various spices and herbs. With many things to try, tourists can hardly enjoy them all in one trip.

How many days do you need in Saigon? ›

With three days you'll have ample opportunity to enjoy the best of Ho Chi Minh City and what makes it special. Despite the pace of the city, you won't need to rush to make your way through our Ho Chi Minh City travel itinerary. Following this guide you'll get to see many sides to the city of Saigon.

I would suggest spending 1-2 days seeing the city and the following couple visiting the Cu Chi Tunnels and Mekong Delta. 1 day Ho Chi Minh itinerary – see some of the main sights. I'd recommend Opera House, City Hall and Cafe Apartment building in the morning before walking over to Ben Thanh Market for lunch.

Do not avoid this city for the fear of walking and crossing the street. Walking adds to the adventure and lets you experience HCMC from up close, instead of from behind the window of an air-conditioned bus or taxi.

Vietnamese food is some of the healthiest in the world. Dishes are always filling. Though customizations can vary the nutritional content, in general, Vietnamese cooking is low-fat, immune system-boosting, packed with vitamins and minerals, and gluten-free.

On April 30, 1975, North Vietnamese troops captured Saigon, and the city was subsequently renamed Ho Chi Minh City.

Raw natural sugar cane juice and 100% cayenne peppers.

This sauce is a nice introduction to the world of Vietnamese authentic chili sauce - It's floral notes and tangy vinegar work well with sandwiches, scrambled eggs, BBQ pork shoulder and as a dipping sauce for camembert cheese platters.

The current name was given after the Fall of Saigon in 1975, and honors Hồ Chí Minh, the first leader of North Vietnam. Even today, however, the informal name of Sài Gòn remains in daily speech both domestically and internationally, especially among the Vietnamese diaspora and local southern Vietnamese.

During the last couple of years, Vietnam slowly became widely popular, and each year there are more and more tourists coming to visit from all over the world. Violent crime in Vietnam is rare, and as a tourist, your main concern should be a petty crime such as pickpocketing, bag-snatching or cell phone theft.

Courses or boosters usually advised: Diphtheria; Tetanus. Other vaccines to consider: Hepatitis A; Hepatitis B; Rabies; Typhoid. Selectively advised vaccines - only for those individuals at highest risk: Japanese Encephalitis.

What is the coldest month in Ho Chi Minh City? ›

The “winter” months of December and January are the coolest months of the calendar, as temperatures drop to the 71-87 F (22-31 C) range. The driest month of the year takes place in February, as only 0.2 inches of rainfall reach the ground.

Ho Chi Minh City experiences extreme seasonal variation in monthly rainfall. The rainy period of the year lasts for 9.1 months, from March 24 to December 27, with a sliding 31-day rainfall of at least 0.5 inches. The month with the most rain in Ho Chi Minh City is September, with an average rainfall of 6.5 inches.

The dry season generally runs from December to May and a rainy season runs from June through November. While flooding can occur, rain usually comes in short bursts and rarely impacts travel.

Winter (December through February)

The average high during this season is between 93.1°F (33.9°C) and 88.1°F (31.2°C). On average, it rains or snows a smalll amount: 0 to 2 times per month. These times of year are the busiest with tourists.

In summer, mean temperatures vary between 25 to 30 °C (77 to 86 °F). The highest temperatures normally occurs in March–May in the south and May–July in the north.

Weather in Ho Chi Minh City. Ho Chi Minh City has a tropical wet and dry climate characterised by its two distinct seasons; the dry season and the rainy season.

When you're talking about "Vietnamese food," as mentioned before, you're talking about rice in many forms (steamed, sticky, noodles, pancakes, porridge), fish sauce (lots of it), herbs (mint, cilantro, lemongrass), seafood, pork, beef, chicken, and tropical fruits (rambutan, banana, papaya, mango, etc.), with borrowed ...

A typical Vietnamese meal consists of rice, dishes with meat, fish, and cooked vegetables soup. In addition, some sauces and raw vegetables accompany the main dishes. There is a range of traditional food with different kind of flavor in Vietnam, varying among the regions.

Hanoi is both the political and culinary capital of Vietnam. Iconic Vietnamese food in Hanoi like Pho and Bun Cha both originated in Northern Vietnam. And while you can now find them all over the country (and the world), many people still believe that the best version of both dishes is still found in Hanoi.

Is Vietnam a beautiful country? ›

The second is that Vietnam is a country with plenty of sun and beautiful beaches thanks to the long coastline. The author chose Ha Long Bay, a UNESCO-recognised World Heritage Site, and Phu Quoc island as attractive destinations that are worth visiting. The Mekong Delta is also a reason for Germans to visit Vietnam.

In 2021, Vietnam welcomed almost 57.7 thousand Chinese tourists, making China the leading nationality of foreign visitors to Vietnam. Korea ranked second with more than 32.5 thousand visitors in the same year.

Part of the East Asian cultural sphere, Vietnamese culture has certain characteristic features including ancestor veneration and worship, respect for community and family values, and manual labor religious belief. Important cultural symbols include 4 holy animals: Dragons, Turtles, Phoenix, Unicorn.

Vietnamese cultural values emphasize the importance of family and community. Its core values, which embrace the principles of Confucianism, are harmony, duty, honor, respect, education and allegiance to the family.

It is a nation with a beautiful culture, which combines local traditions with Chinese, French, and American influences. Vietnam is mostly Buddhist, and the family plays a central role. Food is also very important. Vietnamese food is delicious and stimulating, with many different colors, smells, textures, and flavors.

The choice between Hanoi or Ho Chi Minh City really comes down to what it is you're looking for. Hanoi will offer a much more authentic insight into the Vietnamese way of life, providing a plethora of fantastic things to see and do in the city and surrounding area.

Is 3 days enough in Ho Chi Minh? Although Saigon is a massive city, 3 days in Ho Chi Minh City allows you to cover all your bases. You can spend two days in the city center neighborhoods of District 1 and District 3, before taking a day trip down into the Mekong Delta.

Whether you decide to dedicate yourself to a single fantastic destination such as Halong Bay or want to see as much of the country as possible, there's no better way to do it than on a 5-day Vietnam tour.

2 days in Ho Chi Minh city is plenty of time to see most of the main attractions and get a feel for the city. You can explore the streets with any number of tours in Ho Chi Minh. Book one of our handpicked hotels and check out our 2 days in Ho Chi Minh city guide.

How many days is enough for Vietnam? ›

Travelers with limited time can rejoice that Vietnam is small enough to experience the highlights in just a few days. That said, the ideal timeframe is about 10 days, as it takes at least this long to immerse yourself in Vietnam's rich culture.

Weather-wise, December to March is the best time to visit Ho Chi Minh City. The skies are clear, temperatures are relatively mild, and humidity is at its lowest. What is this? DRY SEASON: Ho Chi Minh City's dry season is from December to April.

Although it is not the capital of Vietnam, it is the largest city in Vietnam and it was the capital of the former Republic of Vietnam (South Vietnam). As the throbbing commercial and economical center of Vietnam, Saigon is always busy, and the heat, the noise of the traffic and crowds can be overwhelming.

On April 30, 1975, North Vietnamese troops captured Saigon, and the city was subsequently renamed Ho Chi Minh City.

In 1975, the North of Vietnam won the war and changed the name of Saigon to Ho Chi Minh City, in honour of the prime minister, a revolutionary leader of the communist party. The name change was not voluntary on the part of those living in the South; it was a statement of the North's success.

An etymology of Saigon (or Sài Gòn in Vietnamese) is that Sài is a Sino-Vietnamese word (Hán tự: 柴) meaning "firewood, lops, twigs; palisade", while Gòn is another Sino-Vietnamese word (Hán tự: 棍) meaning "stick, pole, bole", and whose meaning evolved into "cotton" in Vietnamese (bông gòn, literally "cotton stick", ...

Ho Chi Minh is generally a safe city, as safe as other similar cities throughout the world. What is this? Violent crime is rare, but lately, robberies, assaults, and harassments started occurring, often involving weapons.

The best time to visit is between December and March when the weather is most settled. The hottest month of the year is April with an average daily maximum of 35 C and an average low of 27 C. The coolest month of the year is December with an average daily maximum of 32 C and an average low of 24 C.

The main transportation of Vietnam – you can use airplane, train, bus/van, ferry, boat, taxi and motorbike. The good thing is the price, and mostly it is very cheap (for a ticket/ride). Therefore, you don't need to worry about spending too much money on travels between different places in Vietnam.

The current name was given after the Fall of Saigon in 1975, and honors Hồ Chí Minh, the first leader of North Vietnam. Even today, however, the informal name of Sài Gòn remains in daily speech both domestically and internationally, especially among the Vietnamese diaspora and local southern Vietnamese.

How do you pronounce Saigon in Vietnamese? ›

How To Say Saigon - YouTube

Hanoi tends to favour more conventional dishes, so if you're looking for authentic Vietnamese food, this city is the place to go. However, if you're after a mix of both traditional dishes and intriguing fusion cuisine, Ho Chi Minh City offers a greater variety of both.

Vietnam is a socialist republic with a one-party system led by the Communist Party. The CPV espouses Marxism–Leninism and Hồ Chí Minh Thought, the ideologies of the late Hồ Chí Minh.

Or was it Saigon? Well, the official name is Ho Chi Minh City (often abbreviated „HCMC“), although the southern metropolis has been called Saigon for centuries. But after the Americans, and with them South Vietnam lost the war in 1975, North Vietnam took over and forcefully re-united the split country.

The best time to visit Vietnam is from March to April, when rainfall is low and temperatures are milder. In a country more than 1,600 kms (1,000 miles) long, the weather in Vietnam varies considerably as you go from north to south, from a temperate to a tropical climate.

On April 30, 1975, the South Vietnamese capital of Saigon fell to the North Vietnamese Army, effectively ending the Vietnam War. In the days before, U.S. forces evacuated thousands of Americans and South Vietnamese.

During the Tang dynasty, Vietnam was called Annam until 866 AD. With its capital around modern Bắc Ninh, Annam became a flourishing trading outpost, receiving goods from the southern seas.

Vietnamese (Vietnamese: tiếng Việt) is an Austroasiatic language originating from Vietnam where it is the national and official language.