Ho Chi Minh, Vietnam
Duration of stay: 3 nights
HCMC is one of the major cities and holds a major international airport, Tan Son Nhat International. You can compare and find super cheap flights through one of my favorite website SkyScanner. Saigon is an insanely busy place, very similar to Thailands capital city, Bangkok. You will witness a sort of chaos with mopeds and busses covering the roads, vendors selling all varietys of local foods and tons of shops lining every street and corner.
There are plenty of hotels and hostels in the area to choose from but if you want to be near the action, make sure you stay on Pham Ngu Lao (Backpacker street). This street is central to all the clubs, restaurants and pretty much everything you need for your stay in Siagon. Everything including the local bus station is within walking distance to backpacker street.
The hostels are plentiful so just choose your style whether you want a party hostel or just a normal quiet one. Me and a couple solo backpacking girls I met along the way decided to bunk together at New Saigon Hostel, which was exactly as the name describes. At $14 per bunk, we got a room to ourselves, with a tv, private bathroom, and lockers. Everything seemed relatively new, so that and the location made the price beyond worth it.
The first night we decided to go out on backpacker street which was a blast. Be careful to not be easily sucked into the very persistant club and restaurant workers that stand streetside with menus who will sometimes even grab you to bring you into their establishment. Food and drinks are priced at tourist prices (not backpacker budget friendly) so if you’re looking for something a cheaper and budget friendly try one of the side streets where you can find super cheap bowls of pho or a banh mi stand where you can get a sandwich for around a dollar! If you’re willing to pay a bit more for your dinner make sure to sit at the tables on the actual street because you’ll be constantly entertained by street performers looking for tips.
As for the day time, Saigon is filled with plenty of fun and educational things to do. You can have a day filled with museums and galleries such as the War Museum one of the multiple art museums, shopping at the day markets trying amazing local foods, or head to the ho chi minh tunnels, which i actually didn’t get a chance to go to!
My time was short and sweet but I’m happy I only stayed 3 nights. There’s a lot to do in Saigon, but the rest of Vietnam has so much more to offer.