Officially Ho Chi Minh City since 1976, the city is still called Saigon by most of the people who live here. It is Vietnam's largest city and its commercial heart, and it moves quickly. The first thing visitors notice is the motorbikes, flowing through junctions like water. The second is how calmly everyone navigates them.
The colonial centre is compact and easy to walk. The Notre-Dame Cathedral was built with bricks shipped from Marseille, and the Central Post Office next door still sells stamps under a vaulted iron roof designed in the 1880s. The Opera House and the old City Hall face the long boulevard of Nguyen Hue, which becomes a pedestrian promenade in the evening.
Saigon's older life continues in Cholon, the Chinese quarter of District 5, where incense coils hang from the ceilings of temples like Thien Hau and herbal medicine shops line the streets. Binh Tay Market supplies traders from across the south, and is busiest long before most visitors are awake.
Above all, Saigon is a city for eating. Broken rice with grilled pork, banh mi with a crisp crust, fresh spring rolls and a strong iced coffee with condensed milk: much of the best food is served from a single cart. We pair evenings in the street with a table at one of the city's fine dining rooms, and let you choose the balance.
