When the itinerary was still just a Google search results page, Saigon—popularly known as Ho Chi Minh City—stood out as the first place to visit. After all, exploring the economic heart of Vietnam should be thrilling, right?

It really was.

In March 2025, my friend Prerna and I set off on a 10-day trip to Vietnam, the Land of the Ascending Dragon.

Landing in Ho Chi Minh

With the airport located not too far from the city, it took roughly 45 minutes to reach our hotel. As soon as I stepped into the Grab taxi, I sat back, ready to soak in the views.

The sun shone brightly, engulfing everything in 37-degree heat. My driver swerved expertly, dodging close calls with riders in green jackets, while I spotted pagodas, schools, and countless Banh Mi hideouts—until the road was completely taken over by skyscrapers, better known as Nguyen Hue Walking Street.

Check in chaos

The best way to kick off a holiday in a new city? Stay somewhere that’s surrounded by local culture—inviting, but not too overwhelming.

While Pre and I chose a hotel in a good area, within walking distance of the Cafe Apartments, we didn’t realize we’d made one of our best decisions.

Since we didn’t expect to land so early, we hadn’t requested an early check-in. Upon arrival, we were told to come back by 2 p.m. That meant four to five hours in a whole new city… still in our flight clothes!

We started off with breakfast from the 7-Eleven just outside our hotel, which we enjoyed on a bench with views of the quiet walking street and the still-sleepy Cafe Apartments.

Stomachs half full and bodies humming with excitement, our next stop was a money exchange. Highly recommended Hung Long Money Exchange! But don’t forget to check all your notes carefully. Very carefully.

Story time: While we were debating how much to exchange, we spotted a young Asian man turning his Vietnamese notes a 100 ways. We approached him and used Google translator to request him to check our notes too. In clear English he said he couldn’t tell whether they were real or fake either. But he suggested we look for tears, pen marks and the like.

A very unreal spa experience

Loaded with cash, we were stumped about where to go next. That’s when Pre had the best idea ever – massages! Thanks to an influencer, we headed to 22 Spa. Again, fueled by first-time-traveler enthusiasm, we booked a full body massage.

They handed us a checklist to select the pressure level. We’d been dreaming of this moment for two months—so of course, we picked the highest pressure for our neck and shoulders to undo all the desk-sitting damage.

Almost an hour and a half later, we walked out stunned. We’d been twisted, turned, and lifted in ways we did not expect. It was a massage, yes—but far from relaxing. Definitely an experience.

Advice: Choose gentle or medium pressure for full-body massages… unless you want to feel like a rag being scrubbed on stone.

First Banh Mi

Our hotel happened to get our room ready two hours before check in. While we were grateful, we were too tired and hungry to show it. We stumbled upon a banh mi joint. Gandma Lu’s was very cutesy and small, seeming to be part of a hostel upstairs.

The only vegetarian option was a banh mi with mushrooms and barely any cheese. Meanwhile, Grandma’s banh mi came packed with filling. I had no idea what I was eating—but I enjoyed every bite. After washing it down with a chilled beer, we made our way back to our humble abode for the next three days.

Snooze fest

We hoped in bed and only woke up two-three hours later to get dolled up for a local tour. After making a long list of tours in the area, we settle on one from Airbnb. You can find it here.

Photo time and people watching

Full, hot and tired, I convinced Pre to head to a photo booth 5-minutes away from our hotel. Although the long wait made me regret my decision, Pre didn’t budge. And thank goodness we didn’t leave because we got the cutest pictures ever at a steal!

We ended our day watching street performers, enjoying the evening breeze and looking forward to the next day.