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Living in Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam:
Tips for Moving and Visiting

26 local experts
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If you've been wondering what it's like to live in or visit Ho Chi Minh City, the Crowdsourced Explorer community can help. We asked 26 people living in Ho Chi Minh City what someone who is considering moving to or visiting there should know. Here are their pros and cons, tips, and advice:

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26 comments on “Ho Chi Minh City”

This is the largest and busiest city in Vietnam. The first reason is its multiculturalism due to the large number of foreign tourists and immigrants annually. The fast-paced lifestyles aligns well with the young generation’s trend, accompanied by abundant job opportunities. As the economic hub of the country, it is also strong in media and technology aspects.

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Make sure you can get a work permit and long term visa. These are much more difficult to obtain now than they have been. That is if you are planning to work and live here, legally. For working, or for retirees with a sufficient nest again, other South East Asian countries such as Thailand or Malaysia seem to be more welcoming at the moment, or easier to navigate, regarding rules, paperwork and regulations, etc..

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You never need a car to get food because everything is within walking distance or might even be in your own house. It is part of the culture that people are allowed to sell food in our homes, even with just 2-3 tables. There are all kinds of street food, from savory to sweet, like bánh tráng trộn, bánh sữa chiên, tré trộn… whose prices never exceed $1. There are free drinking water fountains and free bread stations on the street, where the homeless or the poor can come and take what they need.

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Ho Chi Minh City or previously known as Saigon is swarming with motorbikes and pop-up sidewalk coffee shops and eateries. The majority of the population does not speak English and the few who do cannot carry a long conversation, just the basics.

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Our Ho Chi Minh city is one of the most dynamic and creative cities in the Mekong Delta region. The climate is friendly with two distinct rainy and sunny seasons. Motorbikes and cars are mainly used for transportation. You should extremely try to experience your life while meeting people here.

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Ho Chi Minh City is a very busy city with a lot of motorbikes. If someone moves to this city they should be careful when crossing the road as there appear to be no traffic rules. Riding a motorbike is a lot of fun and much easier to get around, but you have to be very careful.

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Ho Chi Minh city has a very wide variety of food, especially street food, just like any other Asian country. In Vietnam, you have every kind of food you want in walking distance. In early mornings, the senior citizens read the newspaper together, young friend groups have a cup of Vietnamese coffee right off the sidewalk, and bowls of phở are served right off a boiling pot of soup.

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Ho Chi Minh City is a bustling, sprawling city of 10 million people. The main form of transportation is via motorbike and there are very few places for walking. It is a very noisy city as well and the culture will test a foreigner who is unfamiliar with it. However, most people are very friendly and it is not hard to meet people. It is a great city if you keep an open mind about it.

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Ho Chi Minh City is a peaceful place with lots of opportunities for everyone. This place is heaven on earth for food lovers, as the food here is outstanding. It’s unlike American food where it’s known for fast food, it’s also not spicy like Indian. Our food has a balance between sour, sweet, spicy and saltiness. The taste guarantees to satisfy even the most picky person. And just like the food, Vietnamese people, although sometimes can be loud, we are kind-hearted and friendly.

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When the city was captured by the French, Sai Gon transformed from a small town to a megacity and a metropolitan center of the South. Today, this location plays a significant role in the country’s education, culture, scientific and represents the country’s largest center of economics. As businesses keep flourishing, Ho Chi Minh city certainly is a great business-friendly destination that continues to attract more foreign investors’ attention from all around the world.

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After almost four decades of recovering, HCMC is well known for its historical monuments and beautiful buildings. Back then, people were heavily influenced by French architecture. Thanks to that, many aesthetic colonial sites still remain and many are in regular use by the local people. The Central Post Office was built between 1886 and 1891. It is one of the most popular places that attract a large number of tourists to visit.

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Ho Chi Minh city is very diverse. Ho Chi Minh City has a lot of places where you can get your dose of entertainment on a good level. Don’t forget to see the AO Show at the Royal Opera House when you’re in Saigon. There are so many clubs and bars in Ho Chi Minh City that it would take you a lifetime to visit them all. You can have a party in style on one of the fashionable rooftops, or you can go to Bui Vien Street for a pint at one of the bars for backpackers. I found Saigon to be much more affordable than Da Nang. You can find cheap apartments and houses to live here and the street food is not only delicious, but also cheap compared to the one we found in Hoi An and Da Nang.

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Ho Chi Minh city is undeniably the most dynamic economic developed city in Vietnam with the population of more than 13 million. Although the city, which was built 100 years ago by the French for not so many population, was currently too overpopulated, more and more people in the countryside provinces from all around Vietnam to come to look for jobs, opportunities to invest, and start a company. Whoever considering about moving to Ho Chi Minh city should look for an apartment not very far from work because of the very heavy traffic in the city, especially in the rush hours and the special events of the city.

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A person who is thinking about relocating to Ho Chi Minh City should know how loud it is as a living environment. Traffic in Vietnam’s most densely populated city is heavy throughout the entire day. Most drivers, whether they are in trucks, cars or motorcycles, beep their horns frequently. This produces a great deal of noise that is difficult to escape and means quiet neighbourhoods are very hard to come by.

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If you are not familiar with living in a big city, beware of the hustle and bustle of Saigon. It is the Vietnamese version of New York City. On the other hand, most people here are exceptionally nice and charming, so rest assured that you will be welcomed wherever you go. However, thefts and robberies do happen regularly; so roaming around the city with extra caution will serve you well.

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Ho Chi Minh is a big city in a small country located in Southeast Asia, Viet Nam. It is the largest urban area in the nation with a total of 795.3 square miles of the surface area. Unlike many other regions, the name of the city itself marked an important historical event for many Vietnamese people. Back when the city was conquered by French, its original name was known as Sai Gon. However, after the government successfully reunified the country following the Vietnam war, they officially renamed the city in honor of the communist leader of the North in 1976.

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Ben Thanh Market is located in the center of the city. This market so far has the most unique structure in the city. It was built at a prime location which is accessible via four main streets. The market includes 4 big main gates and other 12 small sub gates. Ben Thanh Market offers a wide variety of products from clothes to food, services, fresh ingredients, handicrafts, and authentic taste of Vietnamese cuisines. HCMC offers great cultural experiences that other places cannot.

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Thomas, says: 2020

The city suffers from heavy pollution with a crowded population. This may caused a newcomer to be very surprised and not very happy while waiting for traffic, as traffic lights can last for over two minutes and there are people who like to honk white waiting.

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Ho Chi Minh City has low cost of living. They have affordable house rent and cheap food. Transportation fee is also cheap. People are friendly and English-speaking Vietnamese are mostly in the foreigner-packed areas. There are also a lot of tourist attractions within the city such as the museums, Cathedral, and souvenir shops and most importantly their healthy food selection.

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Despite all the chaos, HCMC seems to have a pretty chill lifestyle. On a regular weekday, most people would prefer to enjoy their breakfast outside and start working at 8. Morning coffee is essential to SaiGonese, some people can skip their meal but cannot go to work without a cup of ice coffee. HCMC never sleeps. No matter how tired people are after a long day of work, somehow, they are full of energy to hang out all night with friends and family.

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The first of thing know about my city, Ho Chi Minh city, is its low cost of living. Among the cheapest cities to live in, it is one of the top three in Southeast Asia. The local culture would be another favorable point for foreigner to take into consideration. The street food with variety of choice would make you to visit and try it again.

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Jenalynne, says: 2020

Many visitors would not dare to cross the street for the first time visiting because of the chaos and craziness of the traffic. Overloaded vehicles on the road happen every day, and motorcycles are the primary transportation throughout the country. Unlike the North of Vietnam, HCMC only has two seasons. Whether it’s sunny or rainy, people will experience extremely hot and oppressive weather for 365 days. Many first-time travelers may find it confusing to wander around the city without a map or plan. HCMC is full of endless mystery alleyways behind or between the local streets.

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Ho Chi Minh City will offer you a non-sleep lifestyle. It’s very exciting with a clearly contrasted between days and nights. Street-food is one of the most advantages that Saigon has itself. You won’t need to be worried about hungry, hangry or other issue related to food. When you need something to have fun with, just go downtown and enjoy the nights.

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The air quality in HCMC is not so good. You probably cannot see the blue sky above for it is always covered by a cloud of smoke. Secondly, traffic jam is a common practice in megacities in general, especially during rush hour. Above all, foreigners might be taken advantage of. Given that expatriates do not really know the real price of the products, they might be charged higher than their real values.

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Ho Chi Minh City is a sprawling metropolis of around 10 million people in the south of Vietnam. It has two seasons (i.e., wet and dry) and while the wet season is more humid, both seasons are quite hot. Traffic here is very heavy and the main form of transportation is by motorbike. Anyone planning to live here should learn to drive a motorbike and be prepared for heavy city traffic.

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The food here is amazing. Secondly, we have all kinds of activities from day to night. Last but not least, price is very affordable. people from Ho Chi Minh City are very friendly especially to foreigners, so if you are wondering about something, just ask someone around the corner. Not all Vietnamese speak English, but most of us are.

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