This text was produced by Nationwide Geographic Traveller (UK).
Hanoi could also be Vietnam’s capital, however Ho Chi Minh Metropolis isn’t your peculiar ‘second metropolis’. Its enchantment for travellers is on a par with Hanoi’s, however the two cities have a really completely different ambiance. Since Ho Chi Minh Metropolis’s title was modified from ‘Saigon’ following the nation’s reunification after the Vietnam Conflict, it’s developed and grown exponentially. Whereas Hanoi, within the north, is on the doorstep of in style points of interest just like the Sapa hill tribes and Ha Lengthy Bay, southerly Ho Chi Minh Metropolis is a gateway to the mighty Mekong Delta. Which one fits you greatest?
Hanoi
Inhabitants: 8.6 million
Key expertise: Catching a mua roi nuoc (water puppetry) present
Local weather: Subtropical, with cool winters (17C in Jan) & sizzling summers (29C in Jul)
The town vibe is… cultural, historic and conventional. Hanoi is Vietnam’s capital, a classy, thousand-year-old metropolis whose heartbeat emanates from the Previous Quarter. Right here, Nineteenth-century teak-beamed Chinese language shophouses shelter cafes with French names and conventional music mingles with the sound of hundreds of thousands of motorbikes. Amid the bustle, a supply of calm is Hoan Kiem Lake, a serene physique of water on the sting of the Previous Quarter.
Should you like… museums, Hanoi is house to lots of Vietnam’s most interesting. Highlights embrace the Vietnam Museum of Ethnology, which showcases the nation’s 54 ethnic teams, and the Vietnamese Ladies’s Museum, which explores people faith and options reveals about wartime heroines. There are all the time lengthy strains on the Ho Chi Minh Mausoleum in Ba Dinh district, the place the embalmed physique of Vietnam’s biggest nationwide hero, communist chief Ho Chi Minh, is on show.
One legendary spot for pho is the no-frills Pho Gia Truyen restaurant. {Photograph} by Alamy
If you wish to discover… structure, you’ll discover many elegant examples right here. Maybe the town’s most iconic construction is Thap Rua, a weather-worn, moss-strewn tower on a tiny island in Hoan Kiem Lake. Additionally, don’t miss the Temple of Literature, constructed within the eleventh century to honour the Chinese language thinker Confucius.
Should you’re hungry for… pho, Hanoi is the house of this nationwide noodle broth dish. It’s mentioned to have originated right here within the Nineteenth-century French colonial interval and is served in all places from avenue stalls to high-end eating places. One legendary spot is no-frills Pho Gia Truyen restaurant, close to Hoan Kiem.
Go now as a result of… the town is simpler to navigate on foot due to new hefty site visitors fines, that are making the roads safer. The Hanoi Metro Line 3 opened in 2024, too, connecting the centre with the west of Hanoi.
Ho Chi Minh Metropolis is a spot of superlatives. Vietnam’s largest city hub, it is brasher, louder and extra stressed than Hanoi — and it is rising at breakneck velocity. {Photograph} by Alamy
Ho Chi Minh Metropolis
Inhabitants: 10 million
Key expertise: Discovering its avenue meals and bars after darkish
Local weather: Tropical, with highs of round 32C all 12 months; the dry season is Dec-Apr
The town vibe is… cosmopolitan, vibrant and funky. Ho Chi Minh Metropolis is a spot of superlatives. Vietnam’s largest city hub, it’s brasher, louder and extra stressed than Hanoi — and it’s rising at breakneck velocity.
Should you like… bars, Ho Chi Minh Metropolis is second solely to Bangkok relating to Southeast Asian nightlife — and there are numerous voguish bars and cocktail golf equipment. Head for the rooftop bar of the five-star Hôtel des Arts in District 3 for a number of the greatest views of the town or guide a cocktail tour with Secret Experiences to seek out hidden speakeasies.
In Ho Chi Minh Metropolis, there are numerous voguish bars and cocktail golf equipment. {Photograph} by Alamy
If you wish to discover… artwork galleries, Galerie Quynh, in District 1, showcases cutting-edge sculpture and installations, whereas the Lotus Gallery in District 7 scours the nation for the best fashionable painters. Conventional Vietnamese lacquer and silk portray will be discovered at District 1’s Museum of High-quality Arts, housed in a Thirties French villa.
Should you’re hungry for… avenue meals, Ho Chi Minh Metropolis brings the nation’s greatest dishes collectively in a single place, with some nice markets and numerous stall-lined ‘meals streets’ famed for explicit specialities. Feast on crab and sea snails, washed down with native beer, on raucous Nguyen Thuong Hien Road in District 3, or head to Cô Giang Road in District 1 for scrumptious com tam (damaged rice with grilled pork and spring onions). Spotlight markets embrace Ben Thanh Market and Ben Nghe Market, each in District 1.
Go now as a result of… Ho Chi Minh Metropolis is on the coronary heart of Vietnam’s financial growth, however nonetheless retains the standard spirit and bustle of its avenue meals markets, Chinese language temples and stately French squares. December 2024 additionally noticed the opening of Ho Chi Minh’s first Metro line, making it simpler to get round.
Printed within the July/August 2025 subject of Nationwide Geographic Traveller (UK).
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