Conceive Saigon’s soul through its famous districts
Saigon, the biggest star in most of the standard Southern Vietnam tours, has been the largest cosmopolitan city across the country. Though born way later than the Northern side of Vietnam, thanks to many tempting natural and cultural factors, Saigon has been massively developing and currently home to plenty of Vietnamese citizens and expats. If you are about to travel to Southern Vietnam in a couple of days next and simply have no clue what the land can offer, my direction below will unzip your inquisition.
District 1
There is no doubt that District 1 has long been playing its role as a Saigon’s heart. I am pretty sure your friends have somehow advised you to pick an accommodation right in this region due to the fact that most of the best things in life all gather within this area. Well, not really, but almost!
Apart from its function as the administrative body that all of the governmental offices in charge of the Southern end are placed in District 1. Beyond, this region is also home to various skyscrapers, shopping malls, commercial buildings, high-end restaurants, clubs, bars and fashion shops.
Regarding where to go in Saigon, you can easily spot out on your handy tourist map the main attractions such as a complex of the Independence Palace — Saigon Notre Dame Cathedral and Central Post Office. Moreover, a few steps further can lead you to the artistic Opera House and City Hall. If you are a history and art lovers, do not forget to check out the Museum of Vietnam History and Fine Art Museum.
What makes my District 1 even more appealing is the fusion of both street food heaven and fine dining bistros. Especially, the hidden “Japan town” inward the area of Hai Ba Trung, Le Thanh Ton and Ton Duc Thang Streets packed with sushi diners and Japanese-styled bars surely chase your stress away.
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District 2
Just a couple of decades back, District 2 was falling out of Saigon’s “cool kids” list since it was one of the most meager urban of the city. Magic actually happened when the city’s authority decided to urbanize the place into a huge real estate market full of high-rise buildings in order to reduce the heat of accommodation in its neighbor, District 1 linked by the biggest tunnel all over Southeast Asia, Thu Thiem.
Thao Dien is where you should seriously consider getting a house. The majority of the expat community in Saigon usually gathers here which is packed with upscale Western F&B. With just several steps throughout Thao Dien, you can almost tell how stunning these homes are. In addition, Thao Dien is equipped with two superior International schools. However, it is a huge mistake if you consider yourself a traveler only not even keeping an eye on it. Wrong, District 2 is also where a famous hide-out Contemporary Art Center is located, along with many weekend markets and conceptual cafeterias.
District 3
Situated right next to the enormous District 1, Saigon’s District 3 is likely to be more quiet and parochial compared to the lively mainstreams of District 1. The area is scattered with long lines of greenish century-old trees and houses plenty of consulates. Various vintage French-influenced buildings and local fashion shops can be found here. One thing that must be taken into account is the reputed War Remnants Museum displaying photos and artifacts relating to the infamous Vietnam War.
District 4
Once known as the vicious “Gangsters’ Town”, the current locality of District 4 nowadays is hugely emerging and labeling itself as a street food paradise which is always packed with BBQ and Hotpot eateries. Vinh Khanh Street, an icon of this land has been currently upgraded by the local authority to a remarkable cuisine town furnished with neon lights lit up across a welcome gate. The most common street food you can basically find here cannot be something else but sweet desserts, seafood, snails, BBQ and hotpot.
Districts 5 and 6
Graciously named Chinatown or Cho Lon in Vietnamese, the large area of these two districts are located within only 15 minutes from Saigon downtown. This Chinatown is widely known as the biggest Chinese community all over Vietnam. Plenty of typical Saigon tours regularly highlight this region in their daily Saigon tour packages, with its climax are the ancient Chinese temples and the largest wholesale market in the city, Binh Tay. Visiting this area, you would be greatly amazed by the hustle and bustle of its citizens’ local life full of the various trading activities. Talking about Chinese, we simply cannot skip their biggest innovation for the World of mankind, Chinese food. It varies from different types such as dessert, soup, noodles and dim sum. Both high-end restaurants and local eateries are frequently packed inside out.
District 7
Lied next to District 4, District 7 takes you only 20 minutes to reach the city center. The combo of both Districts 2 and 7 are probably the “tycoons” of the whole Saigon, where most Westerners tend to settle down in the 2nd brother whilst its 7th sibling is home to the Korean community. Entering this town will definitely give you the very first impression as a whole new world. Heavy traffic is something very luxurious to the town thanks to the massive system of large thoroughfares. Covering a large piece of land, District 7 seems to be a typical miniature South Korea where a big part of it is fully covered with bilingual Kor-Vie signs, especially Phu My Hung and Sky Garden complexes. Last but not least, its 3D Museum and Starlight Bridge are the best highlights if you want to explore Saigon’s outskirt.
Have you ever thought of putting these all in one long-day tailor-made Southern Vietnam tour? This advice may seem new but ideal enough to please your travel-to-learn trips. A thorough look of the whole Saigon across these main districts can give you a better point of view about an East-meet-West metropolitan city like Saigon.
Tags: Saigon tours, Southern Vietnam tour, where to go in Saigon.
