9 Best Hotels in District 3, Ho Chi Minh City (+ MAP)

The exterior of Hotel des Arts Saigon in District 3, Ho Chi Minh City, showing the front entrance, palm trees, and a parked red motorbike
I like District 3 in Ho Chi Minh City enough that it deserves its own list of places to stay. District 1 is the city’s most touristy area, ...
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14 Best Budget Hotels in Ho Chi Minh City (2026 Guide)

The budget Huong Sen Hotel on Dong Khoi Street in Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam
Using my years of experience living in Vietnam, I’ve written several guides on hotels in Ho Chi Minh City. I’ve covered everything from luxury hotels to hotels in ...
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24 Best Hotels in Ho Chi Minh City: A Local’s Picks for 2026

Outside the New World Saigon Hotel in District 1, Ho Chi Minh City.
I consider several things when recommending a hotel to family or friends visiting Vietnam. Because I’ve lived in Ho Chi Minh City, I know where these hotels are. I know ...
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15 Best 5-Star Hotels in Ho Chi Minh City: A Local’s Guide With Map

The Ho Chi Minh City Opera House on the left and the five-star Caravelle Hotel Saigon on the right in District 1, Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam
Five-star hotels in Ho Chi Minh City are reasonably priced compared to their counterparts in the United States. Some of the best five-star luxury hotels can be had ...
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20 Best Hotels in District 1, Ho Chi Minh City: A Local’s Guide With Map

Outside the Hotel Continental Saigon in District 1, Ho Chi Minh City, showing the French colonial hotel building, tourists, locals, and a pink Porsche Boxster
I’ve written a few articles on Ho Chi Minh City’s best hotels, using my years of experience living here as a barometer. I know where these hotels are ...
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18 Things to Do in Ho Chi Minh City for First-Timers

After living in Da Nang, I moved to Ho Chi Minh City, where I’ve since lived in five different districts. With a population of around 10 million, Ho ...
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Saigon Uncovered: 7 Best Areas to Stay in Ho Chi Minh City

Ho Chi Minh City skyline from a coffee shop rooftop in Binh Thanh District, showing the Landmark 81 skyscraper and the City Garden apartment complex
I’m an American expat living in Vietnam. Before living in Phu Nhuan District, I lived in three other districts in Ho Chi Minh City: District 8, which is ...
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Renting an Apartment in Ho Chi Minh City (Guide for 2026)

The Nhieu Loc-Thi Nghe Canal, viewed from my apartment in Phu Nhuan District in Ho Chi Minh City
I’ve rented over a dozen apartments while living in Vietnam. I’ve lived in several parts of Da Nang and five different districts in Ho Chi Minh City. I’ve ...
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7 Places to Buy Gym Supplements in Ho Chi Minh City

A shaker cup, protein powder and other gym supplements found in Ho Chi Minh City
My first gym in Da Nang in 2018 was a small, open-air gym with no windows, just a small waist-high gate guarding the rusty equipment. I think I ...
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9 Best Places to Eat Ramen in Ho Chi Minh City (By an Expat)

Japanese ramen, eggs, pork, and seaweed paper from Daiichi Ramen in Japan Town, Ho Chi Minh City.
Having been in Southeast Asia since 2018, I am embarrassed to say that it wasn’t until the spring of 2023 that I first tried ramen. Real ramen, that is. ...
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