Experiencing hotel stays, food tours at Michelin restaurants or shopping at places outside the center are suggestions for a staycation in Saigon.
“Staycation” – on-site tourism that emerged from the pandemic, has not yet receded. For those who do not go out of the city this April 30 holiday, a staycation is a suggestion.
According to Mr. Minh Hoang, in charge of communications at a hotel in Ho Chi Minh City, the ideal on-site tour in Saigon is two days and one night. He also suggested some places to stay and activities for visitors to consider if they choose to stay and explore the city during this holiday.
Relax in the city
Ho Chi Minh City has a variety of accommodation types, from homestays, hotels to resorts, and serviced apartments. Local tourists who want to avoid crowds from other cities flocking to the center should choose accommodation outside District 1. There are a number of options in District 4, Thu Duc and District 3 for your reference.
Jardin Secret Saigon Hotel, located on Ben Van Don Street, District 4, has French villa architecture. Located on a street with not many hotels, but many cafes, visitors can rest assured to avoid noisy crowds. Balcony rooms have views overlooking the Tau Hu – Ben Nghe canal, allowing you to watch the afternoon sunset. Room prices range from 800,000 VND to 1 million VND per night. This location also offers inner-city tours for visitors.
Mia Saigon Located in Thu Duc City is also a suggestion if tourists do not mind spending a few million VND for a night’s stay. This is a luxury hotel located along the banks of the Saigon River, room prices range from 4.7 million VND per night. This location is nearly 10 km from the city center, with full self-contained amenities such as restaurants, bars, gyms, swimming pools, spas, and sunset cruise services on the river. This accommodation is suitable for couples and families.
Guests traveling in groups can rent a serviced apartment with full kitchen facilities in the room. Ariosa, located at Nam Ky Khoi Nghia Street, District 3 is suggested. The apartment complex has 4 room categories with prices of 850,000 VND for the lowest category and 1.2 million VND for the highest category. The apartment has a minimalist style, the main design is wood, the rooms are arranged with many trees, and windows let in sunlight.
Food tour Michelin
Ho Chi Minh City has 38 dining places on the Michelin Selected list and 16 places on the Michelin Bib Gourmand list (reasonable prices), visitors have a long list of delicious culinary addresses to experience during the holidays.
Ky Dong chicken vermicelli restaurant in Ward 9, District 3 on the Bib Gourmand list, is a 40-year-old popular alley restaurant. Guests can come here for breakfast. The chicken vermicelli here has a fragrant herbal broth, the chicken meat is soft, chewy and firm. Each bowl costs 55,000-65,000 VND. Here is also famous for its chicken salad priced at 100,000 VND per portion.
Couples looking for a date place can visit Sol Kitchen & Bar restaurant on Ly Tu Trong Street, District 1, on the Michelin Selected list. This restaurant is located in a French building more than 100 years old, next to Ben Thanh market, specializing in serving Latin American dishes, combining local ingredients, priced from 70,000 VND per dish. This place is suitable to visit in the evening.
Ba Co Loc Coc snail restaurant is also a suggestion for evening food tours, on the Michelin Selected list. The restaurant is famous for fresh seafood and many snail dishes prepared in a creative style. The snail dish cooked with coconut water, curry, and steamed pepper was rated by Michelin as having an outstanding flavor. Each dish comes with a different dipping sauce.
Have fun and shop
In Saigon, when it is difficult to choose a place to play, visitors can visit a complex that integrates amenities from dining, entertainment, to shopping. In District 1 there is The New PlayGround, an underground complex with 2 facilities at Le Lai and Ly Tu Trong streets. Leaving the center, visitors can go to Thao Dien and visit the BLOQ complex on Tran Ngoc Dien street, designed in a container style, creating an outdoor dining and shopping campus. There is also Saigon Concept with 12 stores built in the grounds of a villa with many trees.
The space outside the Saigon Concept complex. Image: kimi_2022
Experiencing sightseeing along the Saigon River is a typical tourist activity of the city. The new river product you should try is the tour Saigon River Sightseeing, Watch the sunset on a double-decker river bus. The tour departs from Nha Rong wharf, past major constructions such as the Landmark building, Ba Son bridge (Thu Thiem 2 bridge) and famous locations along the banks of the Saigon River. The train stops at Thu Thiem train station, Thu Duc City, for tourists to admire the scenery and returns passengers to Bach Dang wharf. Ticket prices range from 179,000 VND to 339,000 VND depending on seat class, including snacks for 50 minutes of travel.
Double-decker bus on the Saigon River. Image: Han Ly
At night, visitors can listening to music, sip cocktails at bars like Biker Shield Bistro, Yoko or Acoustic Bar. At the end of the day, book a city sightseeing ticket on a double-decker bus for 150,000 VND.
Bich Phuong
