Vietnam, Ho Chi Minh City

In late June 2025, I visited five countries in Southeast Asia. The first country I visited was Vietnam. Vietnam’s population is about one hundred million, roughly the same as the Japanese population. The main religion is Buddhism, so there are numerous temples that are familiar to Japanese people.

The first city I visited was Ho Chi Minh in southern Vietnam. Ho Chi Minh was much more urban than I thought, with wide, nice roads and skyscraper buildings. Also, many Western-style buildings remain since France colonized Vietnam until the late 19th century. Thus, you can feel the Western cultural atmosphere there. Anyway, I really like its atmosphere, and it is relatively close to Japan compared to other countries, and I highly recommend it.

Public safety in Ho Chi Minh is relatively good, but there appear to be petty crimes targeting tourists, such as pickpocketing, snatching, and rip-offs. I traveled alone, but I never encountered such things. However, when traveling, I made sure to use taxi-hailing apps like Grub that allow credit card payment in advance to avoid being overcharged by taxi drivers.

In Southeast Asia, the taxi booking app called Grub is widely used, so I recommend using it. You can choose between a car and a motorcycle, but since I was alone, I took the motorcycle, as it is cheaper than a car. The great thing about motorcycles is not just that they’re cheap, but that they can easily overtake cars in a traffic jam, and riding is just fun.

Grub

Another thing to be careful of is the unit of currency. 1 Dong, the Vietnamese currency, is 0.0056 yen. In other words, 178.6 Dong is 1 yen, so if you buy something that costs about 1,000 yen, you will be paying about 179,000 Dong. As you can see, it’s a bit confusing because the units are so large. It took me a while to get used to the sense of money. Be careful not to overpay by mistake.

Main tourist spots where I visited

I’ll show you the main tourist spots that I visited. If you see the places listed below, you can do so in half a day.

Below are Google Maps links for the places I visited in Vietnam (Since I also visited Da Nang, tourist spots in Da Nang are included).

Google Maps

1. War Remnants Museum

The first place I visited was the War Remains Museum. Here you can see the details of the history of the Vietnam War and the weapons used during that time. A large number of wartime materials and detailed information are on display, all available in English. I wanted to take my time and read it thoroughly, but I didn’t have enough time to spend there, and I can not read English sentences quickly, so I quickly looked around the exhibits. And, there were numerous white people there, so I guess they were American or Western.

2. Independence Palace

This building was apparently built by the Governor-General La Grandiere from France as a palace in Indochina in 1871, and it is now a national cultural and historical relic. I was unable to enter the site, but I was able to take a picture of it.

3. Notre Dame Cathedral of Saigon & Saigon Central Post Office

I went to Notre Dame Cathedral of Saigon, but it was under construction. However, I could see the statue of the Virgin Mary. And, nearby is the Saigon Central Post Office. It is apparently one of the oldest active post offices in Southeast Asia, and is a colonial-era building still in operation. At the very back of the post office hangs a portrait of Ho Chi Minh, the founding father who led the nation from the colonial era through the Vietnam War.

4. Statue of Ho Chi Minh & Ho Chi Minh City People’s Committee

This building was built as the Saigon City Hall during the colonial period. And just a few hundred meters away stands a statue of Ho Chi Minh, who incited the Vietnamese Revolution and is revered as the founding father of Vietnam.

5. Ho Chi Minh City Book Street

A bustling pedestrian-only street lined with bookstores carrying titles from around the world. There are many cafes with terrace seating. Just passing by is fun.

6. Saigon Opera House

This building was apparently built in 1898 by a French architect. It is an extremely magnificent and splendid structure, a place where you can feel Western culture and also sense the remnants of colonial times.

7. Tan Dinh Catholic Church

This church is a Roman Catholic church, which was built during the French colonial period. It has been painted pink both on the exterior and interior since 1957. I could not enter the site, but I could see that it had refined pink decorations.

8. Vinh Nghiem Buddhist Temple

Vinh Nghiem Buddhist Temple is a Pagoda that was built in 1964 and is apparently one of the largest and most revered Buddhist places in Vietnam. The grounds of this temple were very spacious, and a solemn atmosphere.

Cityscape in Ho Chi Minh

Cityscape in Ho Chi Minh City was very well-maintained and beautiful. Public trash cans were installed throughout the town, so there was little trash on the streets. And as you can see from the photos below, you can probably feel a Western atmosphere.