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.

While Hanoi is Vietnam’s political centre, Saigon is the country’s economic heart. After the fall of Saigon in 1975, the city was named Ho Chi Minh City; however, the old name is still used by both locals and foreigners.

The Tourist Information Centre can be found on the north eastern side of the roundabout where Le Loi meets Nguyen Hue. Staff are extremely helpful and can provide you with useful maps of Hanoi, as well as Saigon.

Tan Son Nhat Airport in Saigon is the country’s largest, and receives passengers from all over Asia, as well as Australia, New Zealand, France and Germany. Immigration is known for being tight and a lot of time is often wasted waiting around; however, if your papers are legitimate there shouldn’t be any problem entering the country.

Taxis are the most comfortable way to travel around Saigon and rates are usually quite reasonable. Motorbike taxis are easy to find and very cheap, they are also actually quite safe despite how chaotic the roads look!

Crossing the road in Saigon can be a nightmare the first few times, but if you shadow a local and observe their technique you should find it easier. Walking slowly at a steady pace is the key, and never ever turn back.

There are plenty of attractions in Saigon, as well as an excellent dining scene. Saigon offers the widest selection of Vietnamese and international food, although authentic local food is becoming harder to find due to the city becoming more cosmopolitan.

For first-timers, getting around Saigon can seem like a Herculean feat but negotiating this vibrant city by public and private transport need not put a dampener on your holiday.

Easily the most comfortable way to traverse the city is by metered taxi. These are found on every street corner, are air conditioned, reasonably safe and go for about 12,000 dong for the first kilometre and then an additional 10,000 dong for every kilometre travelled. The biggest stress you are likely to encounter with taxi travel is not finding a vacant cab, but getting the driver to understand where you want to go and having him take you the quickest route.

The easiest solution to the first dilemma is to carry a hotel card or guide book with you with the address of your destination written in Vietnamese while if you don’t know the city well, you will just have to take your chances on the driver’s honesty when it comes to getting you there for the best price. It helps to have small change ready to pay your fare. Avoid using the tourist taxis that sit outside upmarket hotels and charge in dollars. These are very expensive. 

If you plan to take long trips out of the city, hiring a car with a driver is the most economical means of getting around as taxis charge steeper rates for longer journeys. Local taxi firms offer this service, but for a little more you can go with an international company that provides English speaking drivers that double as tour guides.

Motos, or motorcycle taxis, offer a cheaper alternative for the brave at heart. They hang out on every street corner, are affordable and reasonably safe – the driver must provide the passenger with a helmet by law. Agree on the fare before you set off; expect a short trip to cost around 10,000 dong while longer runs across town go for around 30,000 dong – around half the cost of taxi travel.

Motorbikes are available for hire but this isn’t recommended unless you are an experienced rider as the busy streets of Saigon are no place to learn. Expect to pay US$3-7 per day.

Cyclos offer an interesting way to sightsee thanks to their slow pace but can be hard to find outside of tourist zones. Expect to pay around US$2 an hour, but you’ll need to negotiate hard to get this price. Beware of being taken to shops where the driver will receive commission. Unless you want the experience of riding in a cyclo for the novelty factor, it is best just to hop into a taxi.

Local buses can be a headache to work out but are really cheap and safe. Head for Ben Thanh Market, the main bus hub, to find the right line or take the City Look Bus for a tour of the city sights in English.

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.