Explore Saigon in 2025: Your Ultimate Guide to Top Hotels, Restaurants, Bars & Hidden Gems

Ho Chi Minh City, widely recognized as Saigon, is currently undergoing significant urban redevelopment. It boasts numerous captivating eateries, pubs, stores, and entertainment venues that can cater to even the most selective visitors.

Ho Chi Minh City, which stands as Vietnam’s most populated metropolis and principal financial center, is undergoing a notable cultural revival. This boom includes an increase in the opening of restaurants and bars along with a significant rise in tourist arrivals. For those inclined towards luxurious experiences, this development has transformed the city into a premier destination for high-end shopping and a focal point for young Vietnamese artists and designers. These emerging spaces and innovative boutiques are presenting a dynamic outlook for Southeast Asia’s role in shaping the realms of fashion, art, and design.

Looking for assistance in mapping out your journey through the vast expanse of southern Vietnam but unsure about how to begin? We're here to assist you.

Stay at JW Marriott Hotel & Suites Saigon

Formerly the InterContinental Saigon, this celebrated and centrally located hotel in Ho Chi Minh City's buzzy District 1 was recently reintroduced to the public as the JW Marriott Hotel & Suites Saigon just last year, debuting a slate of trendy, newly rebranded facilities, like the Driftwood Pool Bar, to the area. Within walking distance from major landmarks in the city such as the Independence Palace and War Remnants Museum, it's an excellent base for first-time visitors as well as a great place to stay for frequent travellers, with top-tier concierge services and a residential tower housing serviced flats and suites next door.

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Although amenities such as Executive Lounge access — often considered one of the main attractions at many Marriott properties — might seem geared primarily toward corporate travelers, this hotel maintains a welcoming atmosphere for families too. Situated on the 19th floor of the Saigon Marriott, the lounge offers an cozy ambiance ideal for kicking back with drinks during cocktail hour before heading out again for more adventures around town.

In the meantime, the premium suite on the top floor aptly lives up to its grand title, offering ample space for a family of three—or even four or more—while providing expansive vistas of the adjacent neighborhood and cityscape. The facilities boast a contemporary and chic design yet manage to preserve an unmistakable classic elegance.

Meal service is where this hotel truly shines though, and you'd be remiss not to try the banh mi here - a Saigon staple. If Western pastries are more your fix, the afternoon tea sets here are incomparable, comprised of delicious little cakes and canapes which are almost too pretty to eat. For Lunar New Year specifically, I indulged in a chocolate 'red packet' from the afternoon tea set made for the holiday before sampling some festive macarons from the in-house buffet restaurant, Market 39. Being spoiled for choice when it comes to even the smallest of snacks gives you a taste of the kind of grandeur that makes this Marriott experience truly special. As founder J. Willard Marriott himself liked to say, it truly is the little things that make big things possible.

Pick up some literature from Book Street

Bookstore tourism hasn't quite taken off in the ways art or gastronomy have, but Ho Chi Minh City's quaint little Book Street makes a strong case for planning your next holiday around some literature hotspots. Near to tourist attractions including the Notre Dame Cathedral of Saigon and the Ho Chi Minh City Post Office, there's always foot traffic on this charming stretch of alfresco coffee shops and local bookstores, which are stocked with Vietnamese titles as well as international bestsellers and more rare, harder-to-find gems - a quiet retreat from the hustle and bustle of the otherwise frenetic area.

Shop at Rue Miche

Thanks to some high-profile help from K-pop in particular, local Vietnamese fashion designers have been having a moment of late. Their trendy looks borrow from styles popular with Gen Z - from the coquette aesthetic to futuristic streetwear. Retail boutique Rue Miche brings together the very best of these brands and so much more, with a stellar line-up of arts and culture programming every month as well as a storefront juice bar called Rotten: who doesn't love a cool and fresh coconut or pomelo drink in these hot and humid climes?

Spanning two floors, some of our favourite brands at Rue Miche include Subtle Le Nguyen, worn by the likes of Kylie Jenner ; The Moon, made popular by Lisa from Blackpink ; often worn by Vietnam's It girls, as was common for Beuter.

Dine at Cuc Gach Quan

Cuoco Gach Quan appears as though it could be an undiscovered treasure — tucked away in a quiet spot, lacking a public Instagram presence, and offering minimal details in English on its Facebook page. However, contrary to expectations, it stands out positively. Featured in the Michelin Bib Gourmand list, this neighborhood restaurant draws inspiration from traditional Vietnamese rural fare and has become a cornerstone of Ho Chi Minh City’s growing culinary landscape over many years. Its extensive menu showcases the remarkable diversity within Vietnam's gastronomy.

Here you won’t encounter ordinary pho servings; instead, you’ll enjoy robust communal meals meant for sharing, like slow-cooked spare ribs and casserole-style fish stew—dishes that are both satisfyingly full-flavored and best savored with company. The ambiance also merits extra praise, crafted to make visitors feel right at home upon entry. You’re greeted by verdant surroundings, vintage treasures, vibrant paper lanterns, and an exquisite koi pond near the front door.

End your evening with Summer Experiment.

Nestled on the second floor of an inconspicuous structure near the bustling Ben Thanh Market, visitors stepping into Summer Experiment for the first time may experience unexpected delight. Upon entry, one encounters a flourishing garden followed by retro-inspired decor filling an industrial setting—a combination that shapes the venue’s distinct ambiance, characterized by relaxed energy yet delivering top-notch beverages and customer care.

This does not imply that the cocktails lack intrigue, as they involve experimentation with indigenous flavors and locally obtained components, reflecting the lush and abundant variety of plants and animals found throughout Vietnam.

Stroll along the shores of Vung Tau

If the bustling resort city of Da Nang feels overcrowded nowadays, perhaps opt for a trip to Vung Tau, located only a two-hour drive from central Ho Chi Minh City. Though less developed than its northern counterpart, VungTau offers an unpolished allure and distinctive charm that makes it ideal for travelers looking for a genuinely Vietnamese vacation.

In contrast to Da Nang, home to numerous large luxury resorts along the coast, and neighboring Hoi An, whose charm has been somewhat diminished by excessive tourism, you won’t encounter many typical tourist attractions here. This small town is far more frequented by local Vietnamese families than by visitors from abroad.

If you want to experience the country's famed pavement culture, take a walk along the relatively untouched coastline, where friends and families gather on the streets to share a bite to eat and maybe a pint or two. The extensive beaches here are flanked by two beautiful hillsides, aptly named Big Mountain and Small Mountain, complete with Vietnam's own version of the Christ the Redeemer statue.

Float along the Mekong River Delta

A trip to Vietnam wouldn't be complete without a boat tour, the country's extensive network of rivers having played such an important role in shaping its history over the years. The Mekong is particularly impressive as one of the longest rivers in Asia, running all the way from southwestern China down to Southeast Asia, through Myanmar, Laos, Cambodia, Thailand and, finally, southern Vietnam.

Here, you'll see tour guides and local Vietnamese navigating the namesake Mekong River Delta in speedboats and rowing boats, along the smaller canals, under the shade of fruit trees and floating markets. However touristy it may all seem, there's nothing quite as fascinating as seeing the reality of this region, dotted with rice paddies and still heavily driven by agriculture, with your own eyes. Assuming, of course, you're not attempting to row the boat yourself.

Gloria Tso remained as a guest at the JW Marriott Hotel & Suites Saigon.

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