Map of Ho Chi Minh

" time had come. My first domestic flight was scheduled from Da Nang to Saigon. I was picked up around 9am and I was due to fly around 12am. Or well, that was the intention, because the flight was delayed for half an hour. However, this disappointment was offset by the fact that I was given extra legroom for free. Ideal, because that gave me the opportunity to stretch out. Domestic flights are easy to book, for example with Skyscanner. For example, I had booked my flight for € 39 a few days before departure, including hold luggage.
During the afternoon I arrived in Saigon and what immediately stood out about this city is that it is completely different from the other cities in Vietnam. The city is sky high and therefore much more modern and grand than the other places I have visited so far. For many, that is also a reason not to stay in Saigon for too long.
I spent my last three nights at the Vietnam Backpacker Hostel again. Maybe a bit too much of a party hostel for me, but the facilities (such as the private rooms) were very good, so I was happy with that.
There was a large rooftop, where you got free spirits every night between 18-19. Many theme nights were also organized, such as a pub quiz or karaoke evening and from 23.30 you had the opportunity to join the pub crawl. I got to know a lot of nice people and therefore I do not regret my choice!"

Shopping in Ho Chi Minh is truly one of the highlights of this fascinating city. New shopping malls are springing up all over downtown Saigon, bringing with them international fashion brands to please the most demanding of fashion connoisseurs, but it is the variety of shopping experiences and one-off items that most excite us about shopping in Ho Chi Minh.
Boutique fashion is more prominent here than almost anywhere else in Southeast Asia, where bespoke items can be bought at a fraction of what they cost elsewhere. Markets in Ho Chi Minh are also highly recommended as they still play a central role in the daily lives of locals and visitors – truly a shopping experience you won’t forget quickly.

Ben Thanh markt

This city is so interesting, so lively and dynamic that even if you stay in one place for a couple of hours, you couldn’t get bored.
We saw numerous scenes, for example a man literally sleeping on his motorbike, a family of four on a motorbike with a pregnant woman and the man driving with only one hand, people transporting on their motorbikes anything you can imagine: vacuum cleaner, wreaths for a funeral, cages with chickens, TV, etc.
One of the surprising moments in the late afternoon was when people closed their stands inside a building where the marketplace was, and started bringing new ones onto the streets (for the night market). It looked both scary and fascinating at the same time.