Contrasts of Saigon - Urban Walking Tour, Ho Chi Minh City Vietnam, Ho Chi Minh City and The South

This morning you will leave the downtown area for a short drive over Khanh Hoi bridge toward District 4 for a different view of Saigon’s daily life,  just in a few kilometers away from the city centre. 

 

Starting from a new apartment building on Ton Dan street, you will stroll along to get a glimpse of a typical morning for the Saigonese. Follow some smaller streets and alleyways to reach a tiny pagoda where you will stop for a short visit before heading to Xom Chieu market. As you will be visiting at the busiest time of the market, you will rub shoulders with all the housewives who come to pick up the freshest foods for their familes, and you will witness bartering between sellers and buyers and the colourful swell of people and various goods. 

 

Next, continue by car to Tan Thuan bridge in District 7, where you will then walk along the channel to see house boats docking along the bank selling fruits and vegetables that grown in many farms in Mekong Delta region. The boats are not only the means of transporting produce to and from the farms, but are also homes to their owners. As you walk beside the river you will also hav the chance to stop at local sites such as a church, a kindergarten or a high school.  

 

After another short drive deeper into center of District 7 you will reach the Phu My Hung, also known as a Vietnamese "Garden City" with lots of parks and green spaces. There is also a fantastic riverfront here, where many of the locals come to practise daily exercises, socialize and play in the parks. You will really see a different side of Saigon here - away from the bright lights and busy streets of the downtown area in a place where there is a high quality of life for families and plenty of fresh air and open space. You will return to the downtown after a cool drink at a local coffee shop on your drive back.