Dai Nam Tourist Park, is an interesting attraction found around 40kms from Saignon which opened in November, 2008. Dai Nam Van Hien Temple is located within the site as well as entertainment site complex, shopping areas, open range zoo, hotels, Vietnamese and Western restaurants plus the country’s biggest man-made mountain range.

Upon arrival visitors first across the famous Dai Nam Quoc Tu Temple. The first floor contains historical artefacts whilst the second continues to be used as a place of worship. Exhibits of the various dynasties of Vietnam from Ngo to Nguyen are on show here.

Dai Nam Quoc Tu is otherwise known as Tu An Temple (or the Temple of Four Gratitudes), and acts as a reminder of the apparent origins of the Vietnamese people. Buddha, the Au Co Mother, the Hung Kings and President Ho Chi Minh all represented here.

More than 50 billion dong was spent to build the park, and it is treated as the started point for mass tourism in Vietnam. However, despite the rather contrived origins, many locals rave about it especially the beautiful temple. The park can be found as Thu Dau Mot Town, Binh Duong Province (to get there take bus number 616 or arrange a tour through a travel agent.

If you are planning a night on the town in Saigon, first you need to decide if you want to be surrounded by other foreigners, or local Vietnamese punters. Venues vary from backpacker haunts and expat pubs, to Vietnamese cabaret and open air live music bars. Saigon also has a relatively lively club scene, which attracts a mix of customers.

Q Bar Saigon is a classy night club which attracts both visitors and locals. It’s a chic setting and the cocktails are delicious, however the prices are less appetizing.

Khong Ten is a massively popular cabaret club which often features acts from some of Vietnam’s most popular celebrity singers. It’s a popular haunt with locals, and although the music doesn’t always please western ears, it provides invaluable insight into Vietnamese culture.

Acoustic Café is also a local favourite, well distanced from the beaten tourist trail. The Vietnamese house band belt out rock ballads to an audience of students and young people. The venue is jammed at weekend, so you should arrive before 19:00 if you want a seat.

Wine lovers will get their fill at ZanZBar. This upmarket venue features a walk-in wine cellar and boasts an extensive list of wines-by-the-glass, as well as tantalising cocktails.

Le Pub is a popular expat haunt, and the favourite hangout of the city’s English teachers. The pub has a lively, welcoming atmosphere and is well known for its daily specials and Western strength refreshments.

Bikes and bustle

Get caught up in the heady buzz of Saigon, dizzy with the pace of a million motorcycles, and beguiled by the local girls cycling by in their flowing Ao Dai dresses. Southern Vietnam is captured in all it’s intriquing essence here.

Follow the history and culture of the city on this blog, from Re-unification Palace to the War Museum, with plenty of Asian and Indo-Chine architecture and character splashed across this guide. From the Cu Chi tunnels and Mekhong Delta, to endless pagodas and Com Pho shops, it’s all soon covered here.

It’s all part of a comprehensive travel guide, with hundreds of pages and dozens of pictures, which we are busy developing to help you plan you trip to Ho Chi Minh City and Vietnam.