Certain banks, along with exchange counters in malls and department stores, are another option, but tend to charge a higher rate. For currency conversions, head to the currency exchange shop (also a souvenir outlet) at 135 Dong Khoi Street, District 1, for some of the best rates in town.
dollar was the official-unofficial currency of Vietnam, but now you’ll need to use the local currency, the Vietnamese Dong. Throughout the years of post-war instability, the U.S. These two firms are safe, reliable, affordable, and often have GPS maps on display showing your real-time location and route.ĭon’t deal in dollars. Show them your destination address and expect to pay between US$15 and US$20 to get into the center of District 1 (around 5.5 miles and 20-40 minutes away, depending on traffic). Find the representative for either Vinasun or Mai Linh taxi firms.
Instead, follow the airport signs to the taxi rank (straight ahead from the domestic terminal doors, or left outside international arrivals). They’re all easy options that prove to be expensive. Once you land, from the luggage carousel to the crowded sidewalk outside people will offer you transfer services, whether it’s uniformed staff behind a counter or men lingering in the area. Fast-paced and fueled by convenience stores, Japanese two-stroke engines, and turbo-charged Vietnamese coffee, it’s the 24/7 city its older brother, Hanoi, is still catching up with.įind the airport taxi rank. The city limits stretch up and out from the waters of the South China Sea to within a stone’s throw from the Cambodian border. But for those willing to do a little research, Saigon is a city worthy of months, if not years, of exploration.
Without a map and a plan, a day’s wandering can quickly become a fruitless experience. Many first-time visitors leave feeling disillusioned. Unlike the capital city, Hanoi, with its handsome old town and mist-covered lakes, finding Saigon’s charms can be a little more challenging. At first glance, Saigon-or Ho Chi Minh City, to use its official name-can be an assault of megacity chaos, courtesy of 13 million people and over 7 million motorbikes.
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