Ho Chi Minh City: Getting there & around

Orientation

The downtown area of Ho Chi Minh City is now officially called District 1, though you will still hear some people call it Saigon. Stick to either District 1 or Ho Chi Minh City - that way, nobody will be confused or offended.

Orientation is quite simple in this city - a relief if you've been travelling to other Asian destinations. Since the Vietnamese language uses Latin-based lettering, signs are easy to read. However, street numbers can sometimes be confusing, as they can comprise a generous quantity of letters as well as numbers.

Budget travellers tend to congregate around Ð Pham Ngu Lao at the western end of District 1. Cholon (Chinatown) has plenty of cheap rooms, but Western backpackers are still rare here. Travellers with a little more cash prefer the more upmarket hotels concentrated around Dong Khoi St at the eastern side of District 1. Pham Ngu Lao and De Tham Streets form the axis of Saigon's haven of budget eateries.

The famously muddled Tan Son Nhat International Airport is only 7km (4.3mi) from the city centre. Trains, including the infamous Reunification Express from Hanoi, arrive from the north into District 3, just north of the city centre. Dirt-cheap buses - formerly unreliable and unsafe, but now undergoing a welcome urban transit overhaul - run from a variety of locations around the city, including Cholon (for Mekong Delta connections) and the Binh Tranh District (for all northern destinations).

Getting There

• bus

  Intercity buses depart from and arrive at a variety of stations around HCMC. Cholon bus station (Ð Le Quang Sung) is the most convenient place to get buses to My Tho and other Mekong Delta towns. It's one street north of the sprawling Binh Tay Market.

  Less convenient than Cholon, Mien Tay bus station (Ben Xe Mien Tay) nevertheless has even more buses to areas south of HCMC (basically the Mekong Delta). This huge station is about 10km (6.3mi) west of HCMC in An Lac, a part of Binh Chanh district (Huyen Binh Chanh). Buses and minibuses from Mien Tay serve most towns in the Mekong Delta.

  Buses to points north of HCMC leave from Mien Dong bus station (Ben Xe Mien Dong), in Binh Thanh district about 5km (3.8mi) from central HCMC on Hwy 13 (Quoc Lo 13), the continuation of Ð Xo Viet Nghe Tinh.

  Buses to Tay Ninh, Cu Chi and points northeast of HCMC depart from the Tay Ninh bus station (Ben Xe Tay Ninh), in Tan Binh district west of the centre.

• ferry

  Cargo ferries bound for the Mekong Delta depart from the dock at the river end of ÐL Ham Nghi. There is a daily service to the provinces of An Giang and Vinh Long and to the towns of Ben Tre (eight hours), Ca Mau (30 hours, once every four days), My Tho (six hours, departs 11am) and Phu Chau (Tan Chau). Buy your tickets on the boat. Simple food may be available on board - or it may not. Be aware that these ancient vessels lack the most elementary safety gear, such as life jackets.

• train

  Trains from Saigon train station (Ga Sai Gon; 1 Ð Nguyen Thong, District 3) include the Reunification Express to Hanoi and serve cities along the coast north of HCMC.

• air

  Tan Son Nhat airport is Vietnam's busiest international air hub. Vietnam Airlines (www.vietnamair.com.vn) is the state-owned flag carrier, and the majority of flights into and out of Vietnam are joint operations between Vietnam Airlines and foreign airlines. On the domestic front, cancellations and late flights are common. Many international flights leaving Hanoi connect through HCMC, but it's a pain. Passengers have to pay a domestic departure tax, fly to HCMC, claim their bags, check in again, then pay the international departure tax before boarding the international flight. Ugh!

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Getting Around

• bus

  Few tourists make use of the city buses, but now that HCMC's People's Committee has resolved to dispense with cyclos , money is being put into the badly neglected public-transport system. Saigontourist should have a list of the new green-city-bus routes.

• boat

  It's easy to hire a motorised 5m/16ft-long boat to tour the Saigon River. There's always someone hanging around looking to charter theirs.

  The price should be around US$5.00 per hour for a small boat or US$10.00 to US$15.00 for a larger, faster craft. Interesting destinations for short trips include Cholon (along Ben Nghe Channel) and the zoo (along Thi Nghe Channel). Note that both channels are fascinating but filthy - raw sewage is discharged into the water. Tourists regard the channels as a major attraction, but the government considers them an eyesore and has already launched a programme to move residents out.

  For longer trips up the Saigon River, it is worth chartering a fast speedboat from Saigontourist. Although these cost US$20.00 per hour, you'll save money, as a cheap boat takes at least five times longer for the same journey. Splitting the cost between a small group of travellers makes sense. Since you hire boats by the hour, you might want to set a time limit at the start.

  Ferries across the Saigon River leave from the dock at the foot of ÐL Ham Nghi and run every half-hour or so.

• car

  Travel agencies, hotels and cafes are all in the car rental business. Most vehicles are relatively recent Japanese- or Korean-made machines - everything from subcompacts to minibuses.

• taxi

  Metered taxis cruise the streets, but it's often easier to phone for one. Several companies in HCMC offer metered taxis and charge almost exactly the same rates. The flagfall is around ₫12000.00 for the first kilometre and ₫6000.00 for each extra kilometre. Most rides in the city centre cost less than ₫30,000.00 .

• bicycle

  A bicycle is a great, if slow, way to get around the city and see things. Bikes can be rented from a number of places - many hotels, cafes and travel agencies can help you. A good place to buy a decent (ie imported) bicycle is at the shops near the New World Hotel on Ð Le Thanh Ton, a short walk from the Pham Ngu Lao area.

  For on-the-spot bicycle repairs, look for an upturned army helmet and a hand pump sitting next to the curb.

  Bicycle parking lots are usually just roped-off sections of pavement under the eagle eye of a bicycle watchman or boy. For about 1000d you can safely leave your bicycle (theft is a big problem).

• hydrofoil/catamaran

  Hydrofoils depart for Vung Tau regularly from the Bach Dang jetty on Ð Ton Duc Thang. For more information contact Vina Express at the jetty.

• motorcycle

  If you're brave you can rent a motorbike and really earn your 'I Survived Saigon' T-shirt. Many say this is the fastest and easiest way to get around the city - and to the hospital, if you don't know what you're doing.

  Even if you're an experienced biker, make sure you've spent some time observing traffic patterns before putting yourself in them.

  Motorbike rentals are ubiquitous in places where tourists tend to congregate - the Pham Ngu Lao area is as good as any.

  Xe om are the speediest and most hair-raising way to get around town for no more than ₫10000.00 .

• cycle taxi

  You can hail a cyclo along major thoroughfares almost any time of the day or night. In HCMC, many of the drivers are former South Vietnamese army soldiers and quite a few know at least basic English, while others are quite fluent. Each driver has a story of war, 're-education', persecution and poverty to tell.

  In an effort to control HCMC's rapidly growing traffic problems, there are presently 51 streets on which cyclos are prohibited to ride. As a result, your driver must often take a circuitous route to avoid these trouble spots; the police will not hesitate to fine him. For the same reason, the driver may not be able to drop you off at the exact address you want, but will bring you to the nearest side street. Try to have some sympathy since it is not the driver's fault. Short hops around the city centre should cost around ₫5000.00 and definitely no more than ₫10,000.00 .

  Enjoy cyclos while you can, as the municipal government intends to phase them out.

• Disabled Travellers

  HCMC is not particularly welcoming for travellers with disabilities. The chaotic, uneven streets and take-no-prisoners traffic can be daunting and transport is not built for accessibility. That said, the situation is supposed to be improving, the newer and bigger hotels are better equipped to deal with wheelchairs and the Vietnamese themselves are usually very willing to be of assistance.

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