Ho Chi Minh City, otherwise known as Saigon, is a dive into chaos… or an endless river of beeping motorbikes. I was told by a local that there are about 10 million people living in the city, and probably 15 million motorbikes (which is completely absurd). I loved my stay in Saigon, but after researching and talking to other travelers, I felt like everything I wanted to do here could be accomplished in two days. Besides, I was ready to get out and explore the Vietnamese countryside. 

Here is my two-day guide for the best things to do in Saigon. 

Best Coffee: Little Hanoi Egg Coffee

Free City Walking Tour

Ben Thanh Market

Night Out: Bui Vien Walking Street

Must Do: War Remnants Museum

Nguyen Hue Walking Street

Cafe Apartments

Best Vietnamese Coffee: LITTLE HANOI EGG COFFEE

Walking into this cafe felt like stepping into a Studio Ghibli movie, with peaceful piano music in the background, homey photos and hanging lights, colorful bookshelves, and a terrace looking over it all with cozy seating up top. On top of all that, this place had hands down the best egg coffee in all of Vietnam, as well as incredible food dishes (we loved the egg avocado toast and chicken pesto toast). You can find the location here.

Best Overall Activity: FREE CITY WALKING TOUR

Free City Walking Tours are typically very well run in large cities, and Saigon was no exception. We loved this activity because we hit many of the notable landmarks in the city (the burning monk memorial, post office, cathedral, and palace among others), and learned plenty about its turbulent history all in one go. We used GuruWalk, and we loved our guide Thang. Although these tours are technically free, you are expected to tip at the end. 

Traditional Market: BEN THANH MARKET

As my Viet friend told me, this is a traditional Vietnamese market so get ready to haggle! We loved walking through this bustling market made up of mostly clothing and food vendors. We grabbed delicious Bahn mi and pork fried noodles for dinner at a vendor where lots of locals were sitting (this is a good rule of thumb when looking for good spots to eat). 

Night Out: BUI VIEN WALKING STREET

Imagine a street packed full of people with restaurants along the sides. Now imagine all these restaurants are actually bars and clubs, with workers beckoning you in and promising you discounted drinks and laughing gas as you push your way through the crowd. Now imagine each bar/club has a DJ out front (often dancing women as well) blasting hype music as loud as it can, trying to drown out all its neighbors. This is what Bui Vien Walking Street is like… every single night. You can find the location here.

Must Do Activity: WAR REMNANTS MUSEUM

Visiting this museum is a must do for anyone passing through the city. The museum covers the brutal history of the Vietnam War, from the Vietnamese communist perspective. It is extremely heavy and thought provoking with vivid, gruesome photography, especially in the American War Crimes and Agent Orange exhibits. I think that visiting this museum and learning about the turbulent recent history of Vietnam from a Vietnamese perspective is a must do for anyone traveling through this city and country. Expect to spend a couple hours here. You can find the location here.

NGUYEN HUE WALKING STREET

This is a wide and lively walking street near the Saigon River with lots of shops, restaurants, and street performers. It is especially beautiful to walk down this street in late afternoon and early evening, when the scorching heat of the day goes away and the golden light is reflecting off the surrounding buildings.

Fun Exploring: CAFE APARTMENTS

Right off Nguyen Hue Walking Street, the Cafe Apartments are an abandoned apartment complex where the old apartments have been converted into little cafes, stores, and restaurants. There is even a hidden bar inside that requires a password for entry. We found a beautiful cafe on the fifth floor (with excellent drinks and passion fruit cheesecake) where we spent the evening looking out over the city. You can find the location here.

Where We Stayed: THE HIDEOUT HOSTEL

I loved my stay in the Hideout Hostel, one of the few party hostels I have stayed at where you can actually get good sleep. The location is very central, the dorm beds are pretty good, and everyone staying the night here gets a free beer every evening!