Ho Chi Minh, or Saigon as the locals still call it is basically the capital of southern Vietnam. It is an incredible, bustling city with tons to do and see. Just make sure you get some practice crossing busy streets because this city has definitely earned its nickname; Motorbike City.

I spent about a week here and really enjoyed my time. This relatively long stay allowed me time to check out two hostels, both of which I recommend. The first was Saigon Backpackers. The whole place was very nice, new, and clean and it cost me $8 a night for a dorm bed. The pros were; free breakfast before 10, a pool table (though very small), TV with movies and games, wifi in the rooms, and best of all, access to a refrigerator and kitchen. It is in an alleyway which might be hard to find, but at the end of this alley there is a small market for meats and produce. The second place I stayed was called Kim’s place. I moved primarily because it was $2 cheaper, and though not nearly as nice, I was happy to stay there. The owner is a very kind and funny lady, but she is a little crazy about cats. I first learned this when I was showed my room on the fifth floor and a different cat was lounging on each level, wearing a ridiculous ladybug or ballerina costume. I thought this was hilarious. Anyway, this place also had free breakfast before 9, AC, and it was closer to the backpacker area. They also were kind enough to give me a free lunch when i walked down at the right time. They had just sat down with a huge order of some of the best duck i have ever had and asked, “You want some?” You bet your sweet, cat-loving ass I do. I would stay there again.

One advantage to being in the backpacker area is that you’re close to everything. There are parks, a cathedral, a big market, water puppet theater, and the War Remnants Museum all within walking distance. Albeit, a long walk, but you can make one big loop and see it all. I highly recommend the war museum. It takes a couple hours to see everything, but its pretty amazing. Some people told me it was highly anti-American, but I didn’t think so. Those sentiments are due to the fact that a couple exhibits, the prison, propaganda, and war crime ones, shed a bad light on Americans but these are all part of one countries history and should not be forgotten. Personally, I didn’t find them offensive, just historical articles and I believe that is how they are meant to be taken.

Moving on, Saigon offers a couple tour packages as well. You can go to the Cu chi tunnels which looked cool, but I decided to skip out on this. Instead, I went for the Mekong Delta tour, two days with a homestay. If you want to do this, Kim’s. Guesthouse gave me the cheapest price, but I don’t recommend it. It was one of those assembly line tours that offers too many experiences to fit in a day, and there are like 10 other tour groups doing the exact same thing. I will say this though, it was a very good deal for what you get and it could be a lot of fun to some people, but I prefer a more unique experience. Now I’m sure I didn’t cover everything there is to do in Saigon but its a big city so give me a beak. I want to move on to food.

If you want really good pho, there is a place at the northern end of the block from Kim’s GH with some really good stuff. I found places that were cheaper, but none better, and its only $2.50. On the other hand, if you want a place with many dishes that are all delicious and that same price, I’ve got it. This time, going to the southern end of the block from Kim’s, hang a right a just a couple doors down is a place called Lam. The wok stir fried dishes are amazing.

Beyond all that, the only thing I can mention is drinks. Vietnam by far had the cheapest options for drinks out of everywhere I have been. From Lam, turn around and head the other way toward crazy buffalo. You will see a few places that are packed with people huddled as close as can be on little plastic chairs. 20 cent glasses and 50 cent bottles. After all that sight seeing, go ahead. You’ve earned a beer or two…maybe ten.