Please like the video if you enjoyed!! Want to contact me? instagram.com/wesleezy weslythomasmusic@gmail.com If you want access to DELETED videos, consider subscribing to my Patreon! You'll get access to a lot of my older deleted videos plus be able to contact me and ask me questions. Patreon: patreon.com/wesleezy You can also donate here: Venmo: @Wesleezy Paypal: paypal.me/wesleezy
Gonna give my 2 cents here. - Saigon is the economic engine of the country. It's not the most "interesting" or geographically aesthetic city, but it is the largest and most modern with so many migrants moving there and adding to the fabric. This has created a chaotic phase of development over the past few decades with everyone trying to eke out a living in such a confined space. This has led to lots of pollution and poor urban planning. - People come to Saigon mainly for the history, food and nightlife. - There are plenty of food markets around, they're just not all congregated in the touristy areas. Locals don't go to places like Ben Thanh. - Numbeo is a terrible source for data and I'd take it with a grain of salt. - The War Remnants Museum is obviously biased in favour of the Communist Party's views. They never showcase the atrocities they themselves committed. - Obviously the city, as with the rest of the country, is still in the process of developing after all the shit to do with colonialism and wars with the US, China and Cambodia, not to mention the US' trade embargo. - Saigon was once a much more relaxed, better planned city but that ended with the war and the chaotic development phase that took place after. Moving forward, it will continue to develop, people will have more disposable income, the city will become more modernised and clean with more things to see and do. That's just a by-product of the massive growth that has taken place there. Heck, I remember being in Saigon in the early 2000s and it was way worse back then.
Dude, did you not do any historical research on Saigon? The architecture is French colonial because is was controlled by the French for years before the U.S. came in. In Viet Nam it's not the Viet Nam War, it's the American War. Duh?!?!!?
@@WheresWes I love your videos and you're normally a lot more careful than this. But, this country has some history and for a travel vid, not a good look to go around scratching your head. I wish you'd have put as much effort into this one, yeah I get it you weren't impressed but...., as you did your series on Columbia.
@midtwnscott I was in Colombia for 3.5 years and I spoke the language, so obviously it's gonna be more in depth. I'm traveling so much bro i don't have time to get into the history of every place I go. I just go and make observations based on my experiences. Most people don't know too much nor care about history either to be fair.
@@WheresWeslol that is outright disrespectful saying that nobody cares about history when Vietnam is still recovering from imperialism and the US war. It’s called being respectful to the countries you visit. “You must be fun at parties” 😂😂 Brother you can be respectful and be fun at parties at the same time. Who woulda thought?
I totally disagree that Saigon is skippable. To me it's a quintessential Vietnam experience. That said, it's not a must-see place, either. Personally I wasn't impressed with Da Nang but Hue and Hoi An are great. If possible, try to get to the Mekong Delta and rent a scooter to explore the jungle. The city of Saigon is not exceptional but the Mekong Delta, jungles, and tunnels outside the city are nice.
It's obviously subject to personal preferences and views. Saigon is the economic engine and largest city in the country. Hanoi is the oldest and capital. Danang is the largest city in the Central region blessed with a beautiful geographic setting. Hue was the imperial city and more laidback than the others. Hoi An is quite touristy but still worth visiting for anyone coming to Vietnam. My family is from the Mekong Delta and although there isn't as much to see and do there, the people are extremely friendly and welcoming.
@@WheresWes People go to Hoi An and Bana Hills for the photo opportunities. I find that other Asians tend to like these places more than Westerners (and Westernised Asians). I thought Bana Hills was pretty cool (no pun intended). The cable car ride itself was nice, it's the 3rd longest in the world behind one in South America and Phu Quoc, also in Vietnam.
I found DaNang to be a city beyond tourisim, whereas I only liked HoiAn when everything was closing. Beautiful architecture being used to sell trinkets. Bus groups as well
I just got back from Ho Chi Minh after spending 4 days there. It was an absolute BLAST. I had such a great time! Then again, I knew people who knew where to go.
knowing the reasons behind (like history) is not sugarcoating guys 😢 it’s just respect for a different culture. When we know more, we just make more respectful opinions 🤷🏻♀️
After staying 1 year in Saigon, I can say that the vibe is amazing both day and night. People are lovely. Family is everything for the Vietnamese people. Most of the police and government entities are corrupt. Local food is great with good value for money I would say compared to other cities in South East Asia. Property rents are not cheap especially if you want to live european style and comfort. And last but not least, the girls...Beautiful is not enough to describe them. Just my 2 cents :)
The food is excellent too! Outside Vietnam, the restaurants that are purported to be Vietnamese (especially in the UK and Thailand) have only one or two Vietnamese dishes and the rest Chinese in the UK and in Thailand and Laos, the Vietnamese restaurants mainly sell those sausages that you wrap in wafer-thin pancakes with lettuce. There are literally 100s of delicious Vietnamese stir fried and grilled specialities that are unheard of outside the country!
As a Saigonese i kinda agree with you. Saigon is just so so. I tried walking in the center around 2 hours i went everywhere. The sidewalk is not good. The service not too many. So many thing to improve. However it’t easy to eat or play in Saigon because people is more lively. Hope Saigon can change in 5 years so you can impress more
You visit Saigon for historical places, diverse and yummy food selections, and for services. But you must do your research and have an idea of what you want to do. You may also enjoy the city more if you have a partner. It's a big city so one could be very lost of knowing exactly what to do while in Saigon. 😊😊
I love Sài Gòn. I like its chaos, its dirt, and its crazy. It's not an ancient city, but it has its own style, and the people there have a lot of character. It's really not a good sex tourism destination, though. Go to Thailand or the Philippines for that.
@@Nhu_like_neu Most people that are less than 2 years typically praise Saigon and Vietnam, after 3 to 5 years most of those same people left becasue they can't stand it no more. Vietnam is a fun short term visit but long term, not even There is a reason why More Vietnamese apply for tourist visas than any other country in SE Asia per year Even they want out
@@EndlessTravels or maybe people just want to travel...i agree that saigon is not good for long-term stay but other cities like da nang are better for long-term stay compared to saigon. to say that vietnamese people dislike living in vietnam just because they apply for the most tourist visas is ridiculous. first it probably has to do with visiting overseas communities, vietnam has a huge diaspora compared to every other southeast asian nation. two people are getting richer and they want to travel. you're drawing conclusions based on nothing
Dude, I traveled through SEA many times, and Bangkok has more underground prostitutes and brothels than Vietnam combined. Each district in Saigon is unique and based on household income, like in any country. What do you expect all the districts to be the same? Yes, it is polluted like most SEA countries, but you are in a dense city. If you want a nice vibe, go to Districts 1 and 2 and Thu Duc Districts 9 and 7.
Honesty is great and candour is wise to have but generalising a city because of your apparent lack of interest in history tells us your attitude and inclination to judge a city by comparing where you are from. Dude here is American (regardless of ethnicity), speaks and think like one... but fact is in this part of the world, Americans are perceived to be not the smartest people on the planet and always have something to say - and you've really proven us right. You merely hung around D1 for a couple of days and met some tourists at a hostel - zero mingling with local or made any effort to go beyond your "so called famous areas" then start making comments like these... really? Saigon is a business province and yes while it is nowhere as vibrant as Bangkok, it is not the capital... so think of it like Chiang Mai of Thailand (where it gets less attention by the government) but on the contrary this place is supposedly the business province of VN. I think by loitering around the D1 streets and barely covering 10sqkm of the city and giving it a grade is just imo not the sharpest thing to do.
I'm going to Saigon next week and had booked 3 nights (with four full days). I was wondering whether to extend my stay by two extra days, since a friend asked me to. After seeing your video, I think I might hold off for now and first see how I like it. I live in Da Nang and love it here but I similarly fail to see what might be so interesting in Saigon to see, especially since I even get bored by Bangkok and miss variety of nature, and Saigon will have so much less history and less flashy malls to offer than Bangkok.
His honesty is a lack of coverage and depth. He is only walking around and not doing his research, claiming BS. Sure, there are bad places, but his video is not accurate. It's a mess because he doesn't understand the different districts. And how many times have you visited Saigon? Just curious.
Am in Vietnam right now as a tourist, we went to Saigon Square just this afternoon. One of store where bags are being sold, we ask the sales lady how much the price of the bag were interested in, she replied are buy buying, we replied can we ask the price first? Then she told us if you don't buy I will not say price. Really?😢😅 I mean other than her the other girl where we bought sweets and coffee was very nice and friendly😊.
Dude can you make a vlog of how and what documents needed to travel to Vietnam. Also which city would you recommend for a noobie like me to visit. I love to go where locals go to eat.
@@GuitarPlayerNoah Yeah a few comments also pointed out how little research he did on Saigon. In my opinion, there are a lot of things you can experience in Bangkok that are similar to Saigon (except for the culture and food), while getting a much better service out of it. That's why many Vietnamese people that I know prefer to travel to Bangkok
I find most sugar coat Vietnam as a whole, most do not live out here past 18 months for a reason Vietnam is a gerat place to visit but to live long term, it'll break you down and apart phsyically and emotionally
Hostels is easy, alot of solo travelers that also want to meet people, but if not staying at hostel, then you need to approach people more with a good friendly vibe, but its more difficult. As i mentioned hostels you are pretty much guaranteed somebody talking to you asking you where your from, and then it goes from there.
You need to stop comparing Vietnam with Thailand. They do not share any history together. Thai is indigenous, while Vietnamese are direct descendants of Han Chinese. The first emperor of Vietnam came from Beijing. The first King of Thailand came from India who married a Cambodian Khmer girl. The languages are also very different between the two. No relation between the two. Learn your history, brah.
Thanks so much, Wes, and BTW, I love NYC! Was there in early 2010s. I booked SGN for April to May, as I've already done Asia (SE Asia), 4 x, most recently Bangkok in '22 & '23, and I wanted to try somewhere different. Appreciate your honesty, and you were very objective with what you rated and your reasons. If I am disappointed, I'll stick to Thailand in future, but of course it's the essence of life to try new places. I am staying in Quan 1 - Ben Thanh ward, very near D. Bui Vien, and am hopeful of a nice holiday, but if not, at least I tried a different country! Thanks again. Kisses to the Big Apple and US. Make America Great Again, lol! Best regards, Miles - Brisbane QLD. xo
@@WheresWes I'd argue there is an audience for everything; as someone planning to travel in Vietnam very briefly (I only have less than a week) I'm trying to figure out where to go, so posting good and bad experiences is valuable. I found this video useful for the honesty, i'm sure other people would find a ba na hills video useful too. But I guess you don't want to put too many negative videos in a row since people prefer hearing positive things about where they are going/from rather than negative.
Hi! There I hope u can respond I was wondering how was the flight there! I live 11/12 hrs away from Japan and 18 from Vietnam and is there a lot of turbulence!? And is it fun cus I am going 17 of December till the 31!
There wasn’t much on my flight earlier last year ! How was your trip? The worst part about Vietnam for me was leaving 😭 I miss it so much.. America just seems so sad now that I’m back
It felt so short but I’m grateful I got to stay 4 weeks.. did you go anywhere else? I would actually go insane if I only got 2 weeks to do everything in Vietnam
saigon is horrendous after about 3 days if your just travelling.... but after about 3 months, after you learn the traps and find alot of the actual amazing spots and can venture otuside the tourist trap of bui vien.. after that period of time it you discover theres a certain magic to it, and you have so much to do you will never be bored. its probably the best place to smoke a fat blunt and just walk around high as shit lol... but the pollution never gets old and is by far the worse thing about saigon!
Actually … real or honest videos still get a lot of views, even more 😂😂😂 It’s just psychological effects. so I believe knowing the stories behind a different culture is a way to show respect, not sugarcoating or only to get views. Don’t get things wrong. I’m working in Marketing too.
As travelers, we often visit places without any prior connections-our journey is about exploration, not visiting family or familiar faces. For us, the appeal lies in discovering clean, welcoming, and adaptable cities, rather than dealing with the limitations of conservative mindsets or unmaintained areas. In this era, true travel is about walking around, seeing what’s new, and immersing ourselves in the unexpected. Connections aren’t necessary to make a destination interesting; it’s about being open to fresh experiences. Maybe it’s time for you to step out of the comfort zone and see what the world has to offer beyond the familiar!🎉😢
Love your content brother but we will have to agree to disagree here. I prefer 'HCMC' to Bangkok. I stayed mainly in 'Thao Dhien' i.e. district 2 aka 'the white mans part of town' - despite being a brown man! Its a highly 'marked-up' part of town, with luxury restaurants, cafes, malls, apartment blocks and even its own 'casa del habano' but still much cheaper than London but then which place isn't?! For a city of 10 mil+ people, I found HCMC to be full of remarkably friendly yet busy people and I found it easy to make friends and the average woman to be very beautiful and easy to approach - seriously wasn't expecting Vietnamese women to be so beautiful but I'll be ready for next time. District 5 'Cho Lon' was an interesting part of town, as was 'Phuong nga' or district 9. I encourage you to give it another try!
If u see that big blue building in district 5 that was my grandpa home worth 2 million USA but after the Vietnam war it was invaded n my mom n grandfather was force to burn all the currency or give it away when the communist took over.
Good video, yeah, Little Tokyo is on Le Thanh Ton street. Behind it is what we call "The Ghetto. All the cheaper houses to rent were there until 2007 when the Japanese took over the area but now it's very expensive and all have a business on the ground floor. Little Tokyo is turning into Little Korea. The working girls don't like to be filmed. That area is very expensive. Your observations are good. 30 years back there were beautiful French villa's and buildings and they tore many down to build glass and steel high rises. They destroyed what tourists come to see. Nguyen Hue used to be the greatest street in the city but the under ground train station destroyed the entire area. So sad. I have photos from 1989 of Nguyen Hue, great place. Downtown is clean but the rest.................
You can ask GPT about the war, were the dictator destoryed the south by force lied to America on their itent, and the direct attack between the US and Russia in their proxy war You are right most do NOT understand the VN war Heres a question who won the war? I'll give you a hint, its 1 of two answers, North or South, and last i checked people in the south still call that place Saigon for a reason :)
As a vietnamese myself i kinda 90% percent agree with you about pollution, entertainment, trafic congestion, horn noise,etc. 2 big city in vietnam ha noi and hcm city, beside visit historical building, try some local food, there's not much to do as a tourism
The Vietnam war is intersting but many do NOT understand it, i say this as i read your comments about it I always ask the question when people debate on this "Who was America truly attacking?" than a follow up "Who won the war?" At this point people typically say "Vietnam won", than you go talk to a South Vietnamese and ask them the same thing and the answer will not be anything like "Vietnam won" Fun fact, many VIetnamese still go with the ideas of the tribes of the "Three stick people" There is a reason why some Vietnamese call Saigon, saigon and others don't. VN war was a proxy war, and American lost a lot sure, and did a lot of bad but they were not the ones that truly lost.. Again "Who was American truly attacking?" It wasn't ALL of Vietnam, they were trying to stop SOMEONE, i won't say who...but y'all know :) On the side isn't it funny in China they put General Mao on all their money? I wonder how the 80+ million Chinese back 110 years ago would have felt about that
I would recommend reading history before visiting saigon . Its not easily digestible if your from the west . I found myself in tears wanting to find somewhere more civilised and refined (am from chelsea in london)
Your feeling is quite similar to my feeling when I came back Vietnam in the first time after leaving there 2 years. It's noisy and polluted. I had no words but I felt much better after living there for a few days.
Filling out my evisa. Its asking me the province in Saigon? I don't know, it's my first time. I want to go to the tourist spot. How much are the hotels?
Currently in Saigon. Much nicer than Manila but not as nice as Bangkok. I liked Da Nang more than Pattaya though. Off to Kuala Lumpur next then Hanoi. So far the only city I could live comfortably in would be Bangkok.
This guy said he's not a big fan of big cities and then visit one to tell us he doesn't like it. Imagine if I said I don't like beef and then I go to a steak house.
Hey Wes, and to anyone that's reading, I was wondering if you could please address and/or spread the hate video where Theo Von says he would eat a vietnamese person. As a Vietnamese American I have experienced so much hate in this world for just randomly being born the ethnicity that I am and I'm just going crazy because of it. Not a single person chose to be born as who they were born as, yet others feel the need to put down and bash others down, to dehumanize them and say they would eat people from a specific ethnic group. I was just wondering if you could spread the word and bring the awareness to such hate. Thank you!
I am in Colombia now and have made up my mind that its not a " wifey country". Not a country to go look for wife, but to have fun😜( you knw what I mean ? Leaving in January for Greece.
@WheresWes most of eastern Europe is EU now. It's more Western than it was 20 yrs ago. As an Asian guy you'll find it tough to find a relationship there regardless. If i was you, id just go to phillipines. .
The honesty is very helpful. I'm going to Vietnam for the first time in like 50 days and Da Nang and Hanoi always looked more interesting, but your video kind of seals the deal. If time isn't too limited I hope to visit Saigon for a quick trip.
Please can you let me know how much is the salary for a fresher data scientist in saigon ? I have a Master degree in computer science and and will get a college degree from Canada in machine learning and ai in the end of the year. Thanks a lot.
any job in Vietnam will have you earning drastically less the only way to live like a tourist is to have a remote job which is only possible if you have a tech/design job
Going to places where you live in the US! Where homeless people & junkies are hanging around! Isn’t it messy? Is it worthy to go visit America? YES! We travel to other countries for experiencing other cultures, without any expectation that they should live to ours norm in ours head! Wise guy! 😅
Good video. I guess it's all about expectations and perspective. I had a terrific time in Saigon a couple of weeks ago. But, I also hired a personal tour guide and stayed at the best hotel in the city. You get what you pay for. I had a great experience from start to finish. Da Nang was a whole different level. Stayed at the Intercontinental resort in a 5,000 sq. ft. villa with a butler. I guess when you get to be my age, you will see Vietnam differently.
You not harassed because you blended in, local assume you one of us DuMa from the States. If you white, good luck with the vendor 😂 wish you happy journey
nice. been following you for over a year now. i wanted to meet you in da nang which ill be there november 8th. my birth and hometown is near hi an. ha noi is more crowded and old building. saigon is my favorite city or mexico city. those 2 are my fav
Need a little bit of research regarding the Vietnam conflict. A lot of what you see there is communist propaganda. Communist north Vietnam took over the more capitalist, American back South Vietnam. In the US, go to any Viet communities and shop and you would never see the official communist Vietnam flag hanging around. There is a lot of untold story in that museum. As far as your opinion about Saigon, I got no problem with it. Everyone's experience is different. I been there once and I was just cultured shocked just because I am a Viet from the US. Street vendors are mostly located within local neighborhoods and not in the main tourist area. With any big cities there will be dirty and eye sore areas. Vietnam has come a long way and is one of the favorite place that people are now recognizing as a tourist destination. Very proud of my native country. Haven't been there since 2009 and it seems to look better now.
Stop hanging out at hostels and meet an actual vietnamese person. If you know you know người Việt Nam đẹp quả va ấm. Try to understand a country don't just tour it superficially. Bạn phải hiểu. Don't just look.
If you lived in HCM city or in the Southern areas of Vietnam when you were young, or you born here, you will call it Saigon!❤ We don’t call it HCM City that often unless we are doing paperworks!
Please like the video if you enjoyed!!
Want to contact me?
instagram.com/wesleezy
weslythomasmusic@gmail.com
If you want access to DELETED videos, consider subscribing to my Patreon!
You'll get access to a lot of my older deleted videos plus be able to contact me and ask me questions.
Patreon: patreon.com/wesleezy
You can also donate here:
Venmo: @Wesleezy
Paypal: paypal.me/wesleezy
video was shit
Gonna give my 2 cents here.
- Saigon is the economic engine of the country. It's not the most "interesting" or geographically aesthetic city, but it is the largest and most modern with so many migrants moving there and adding to the fabric. This has created a chaotic phase of development over the past few decades with everyone trying to eke out a living in such a confined space. This has led to lots of pollution and poor urban planning.
- People come to Saigon mainly for the history, food and nightlife.
- There are plenty of food markets around, they're just not all congregated in the touristy areas. Locals don't go to places like Ben Thanh.
- Numbeo is a terrible source for data and I'd take it with a grain of salt.
- The War Remnants Museum is obviously biased in favour of the Communist Party's views. They never showcase the atrocities they themselves committed.
- Obviously the city, as with the rest of the country, is still in the process of developing after all the shit to do with colonialism and wars with the US, China and Cambodia, not to mention the US' trade embargo.
- Saigon was once a much more relaxed, better planned city but that ended with the war and the chaotic development phase that took place after.
Moving forward, it will continue to develop, people will have more disposable income, the city will become more modernised and clean with more things to see and do. That's just a by-product of the massive growth that has taken place there. Heck, I remember being in Saigon in the early 2000s and it was way worse back then.
I think Hanoi would be a more suitable city to know more about Vietnamese history
Vietnam is composed of three pretty distinct regions. I think it would be a mistake to say any one city can represent all three regions.
History is written by the victors!
Thank God the Americans didnt win.
Truth
Dude, did you not do any historical research on Saigon? The architecture is French colonial because is was controlled by the French for years before the U.S. came in. In Viet Nam it's not the Viet Nam War, it's the American War. Duh?!?!!?
@@WheresWes I love your videos and you're normally a lot more careful than this. But, this country has some history and for a travel vid, not a good look to go around scratching your head. I wish you'd have put as much effort into this one, yeah I get it you weren't impressed but...., as you did your series on Columbia.
@midtwnscott I was in Colombia for 3.5 years and I spoke the language, so obviously it's gonna be more in depth.
I'm traveling so much bro i don't have time to get into the history of every place I go. I just go and make observations based on my experiences.
Most people don't know too much nor care about history either to be fair.
In America it’s called the Vietnam War.
It should have been called the Mienbac War. America was fighting for Vietnam not against.
@@WheresWeslol that is outright disrespectful saying that nobody cares about history when Vietnam is still recovering from imperialism and the US war. It’s called being respectful to the countries you visit. “You must be fun at parties” 😂😂
Brother you can be respectful and be fun at parties at the same time. Who woulda thought?
I totally disagree that Saigon is skippable. To me it's a quintessential Vietnam experience. That said, it's not a must-see place, either. Personally I wasn't impressed with Da Nang but Hue and Hoi An are great. If possible, try to get to the Mekong Delta and rent a scooter to explore the jungle. The city of Saigon is not exceptional but the Mekong Delta, jungles, and tunnels outside the city are nice.
Interesting. I personally wasn't impressed by Hoi An but I didn't go at night time. Bana hills was pretty underwhelming too
It's obviously subject to personal preferences and views. Saigon is the economic engine and largest city in the country. Hanoi is the oldest and capital. Danang is the largest city in the Central region blessed with a beautiful geographic setting. Hue was the imperial city and more laidback than the others. Hoi An is quite touristy but still worth visiting for anyone coming to Vietnam. My family is from the Mekong Delta and although there isn't as much to see and do there, the people are extremely friendly and welcoming.
@@WheresWes People go to Hoi An and Bana Hills for the photo opportunities. I find that other Asians tend to like these places more than Westerners (and Westernised Asians). I thought Bana Hills was pretty cool (no pun intended). The cable car ride itself was nice, it's the 3rd longest in the world behind one in South America and Phu Quoc, also in Vietnam.
I found DaNang to be a city beyond tourisim, whereas I only liked HoiAn when everything was closing. Beautiful architecture being used to sell trinkets. Bus groups as well
vietnam lost its culture in the last 10 years.i agree w wes and im vietnamese. overrated
I just got back from Ho Chi Minh after spending 4 days there. It was an absolute BLAST. I had such a great time! Then again, I knew people who knew where to go.
knowing the reasons behind (like history) is not sugarcoating guys 😢 it’s just respect for a different culture. When we know more, we just make more respectful opinions 🤷🏻♀️
After staying 1 year in Saigon, I can say that the vibe is amazing both day and night. People are lovely. Family is everything for the Vietnamese people. Most of the police and government entities are corrupt. Local food is great with good value for money I would say compared to other cities in South East Asia. Property rents are not cheap especially if you want to live european style and comfort. And last but not least, the girls...Beautiful is not enough to describe them. Just my 2 cents :)
When you come back to Saigon, I hope you also visit the Westerner expats town in district 2 and Korean expats town in district 7.
The food is excellent too! Outside Vietnam, the restaurants that are purported to be Vietnamese (especially in the UK and Thailand) have only one or two Vietnamese dishes and the rest Chinese in the UK and in Thailand and Laos, the Vietnamese restaurants mainly sell those sausages that you wrap in wafer-thin pancakes with lettuce.
There are literally 100s of delicious Vietnamese stir fried and grilled specialities that are unheard of outside the country!
As a Saigonese i kinda agree with you. Saigon is just so so. I tried walking in the center around 2 hours i went everywhere. The sidewalk is not good. The service not too many. So many thing to improve. However it’t easy to eat or play in Saigon because people is more lively. Hope Saigon can change in 5 years so you can impress more
You visit Saigon for historical places, diverse and yummy food selections, and for services. But you must do your research and have an idea of what you want to do. You may also enjoy the city more if you have a partner. It's a big city so one could be very lost of knowing exactly what to do while in Saigon. 😊😊
I love Sài Gòn. I like its chaos, its dirt, and its crazy. It's not an ancient city, but it has its own style, and the people there have a lot of character. It's really not a good sex tourism destination, though. Go to Thailand or the Philippines for that.
Waaah,hahaha there are more prostitutes in vietnam than in philippines
Exactly.. Well he is honest abt his opinion but he obviously didn't make a research about Sai Gon at all
@@Nhu_like_neu Most people that are less than 2 years typically praise Saigon and Vietnam, after 3 to 5 years most of those same people left becasue they can't stand it no more.
Vietnam is a fun short term visit but long term, not even
There is a reason why More Vietnamese apply for tourist visas than any other country in SE Asia per year
Even they want out
@@EndlessTravels or maybe people just want to travel...i agree that saigon is not good for long-term stay but other cities like da nang are better for long-term stay compared to saigon. to say that vietnamese people dislike living in vietnam just because they apply for the most tourist visas is ridiculous. first it probably has to do with visiting overseas communities, vietnam has a huge diaspora compared to every other southeast asian nation. two people are getting richer and they want to travel. you're drawing conclusions based on nothing
ก่อนต่อว่าประเทศอื่น ตรวจประเทศตัวเองก่อนว่าดีพอหรือยัง
If you think Saigon is dirty, Manila is 1000000000000x worse. (He mentioned earlier in the video his next stop is Manila)
Equally bad
Dude, I traveled through SEA many times, and Bangkok has more underground prostitutes and brothels than Vietnam combined.
Each district in Saigon is unique and based on household income, like in any country. What do you expect all the districts to be the same?
Yes, it is polluted like most SEA countries, but you are in a dense city.
If you want a nice vibe, go to Districts 1 and 2 and Thu Duc Districts 9 and 7.
คุณอาจจะไม่รู้ ผู้ชายไทยมีการจัด group tour เพื่อท่องเที่ยวทางเพศในเวียดนาม มันมีมานาน 10 ปี แล้ว
Honesty is great and candour is wise to have but generalising a city because of your apparent lack of interest in history tells us your attitude and inclination to judge a city by comparing where you are from.
Dude here is American (regardless of ethnicity), speaks and think like one... but fact is in this part of the world, Americans are perceived to be not the smartest people on the planet and always have something to say - and you've really proven us right.
You merely hung around D1 for a couple of days and met some tourists at a hostel - zero mingling with local or made any effort to go beyond your "so called famous areas" then start making comments like these... really?
Saigon is a business province and yes while it is nowhere as vibrant as Bangkok, it is not the capital... so think of it like Chiang Mai of Thailand (where it gets less attention by the government) but on the contrary this place is supposedly the business province of VN.
I think by loitering around the D1 streets and barely covering 10sqkm of the city and giving it a grade is just imo not the sharpest thing to do.
I'm going to Saigon next week and had booked 3 nights (with four full days). I was wondering whether to extend my stay by two extra days, since a friend asked me to. After seeing your video, I think I might hold off for now and first see how I like it. I live in Da Nang and love it here but I similarly fail to see what might be so interesting in Saigon to see, especially since I even get bored by Bangkok and miss variety of nature, and Saigon will have so much less history and less flashy malls to offer than Bangkok.
In central Saigon ,house prices are like $1 million usd for an average house.
As a Vietnamese American. I respect your honesty not like a lot of these other TH-camrs who like to sugar coat everything.
His honesty is a lack of coverage and depth. He is only walking around and not doing his research, claiming BS. Sure, there are bad places, but his video is not accurate. It's a mess because he doesn't understand the different districts.
And how many times have you visited Saigon? Just curious.
@@Hunter-go4bv I have been to Vietnam 4 times
Am in Vietnam right now as a tourist, we went to Saigon Square just this afternoon. One of store where bags are being sold, we ask the sales lady how much the price of the bag were interested in, she replied are buy buying, we replied can we ask the price first? Then she told us if you don't buy I will not say price. Really?😢😅 I mean other than her the other girl where we bought sweets and coffee was very nice and friendly😊.
😂😂😂 that’s hilarious!
I could wander thru the winding alleys of Saigon for Days up one and down another .
Dude can you make a vlog of how and what documents needed to travel to Vietnam.
Also which city would you recommend for a noobie like me to visit. I love to go where locals go to eat.
I love how you're not sugarcoating Saigon like most travelling TH-camrs do.
@@GuitarPlayerNoah Yeah a few comments also pointed out how little research he did on Saigon.
In my opinion, there are a lot of things you can experience in Bangkok that are similar to Saigon (except for the culture and food), while getting a much better service out of it. That's why many Vietnamese people that I know prefer to travel to Bangkok
I find most sugar coat Vietnam as a whole, most do not live out here past 18 months for a reason
Vietnam is a gerat place to visit but to live long term, it'll break you down and apart phsyically and emotionally
@@GuitarPlayerNoah For real, going into a Vietnamese hospital with the cold you'll most likely going to walk out with the Flu or worse
To each his own, I love Saigon. Been going there every year since 2008. I guess it helps to have relatives that live there.
Da lat makes Saigon look like shiatttt, but da lat is expensive now for property (almost like USA)
Rule of thumb: Every time a country packs its bags, travels across lands & seas and invite itself over to another country, they are the “bullies”.
Also I see on Expedia for a package for hotels and they mention location like District 1,2,3. Could you explain what it means?
District 1 = cbd
District 2 = rich area ( I heard there are more new nightclub now or something 🤔)
Distric 3 = shops/restaurants
Great Video. ...but that Museum is incredibly one sided view, I saw the same in Laos. That traffic is insane.
I love Saigon so much. I am German and come so often to this city
I am not a huge fan of big cities! I feel you on that, my girl and I will be visiting Saigon soon, this video was very helpful. Thank you
If you are bougie, Vietnam is not for you
how do you make friends when you go to a place like Ho Chi Minh City?
Hostels is easy, alot of solo travelers that also want to meet people, but if not staying at hostel, then you need to approach people more with a good friendly vibe, but its more difficult. As i mentioned hostels you are pretty much guaranteed somebody talking to you asking you where your from, and then it goes from there.
@@maromorostar6621 thx man that’s a really good idea with the hostels!
This guy had provided his observation about the city/culture but is not very observant in his understanding
Agree with you. he's boring and has a narrow perspective
You need to stop comparing Vietnam with Thailand. They do not share any history together. Thai is indigenous, while Vietnamese are direct descendants of Han Chinese. The first emperor of Vietnam came from Beijing. The first King of Thailand came from India who married a Cambodian Khmer girl. The languages are also very different between the two. No relation between the two. Learn your history, brah.
dude stop. i swear ive seen you somewhere else lmfao. you're literally obsessed with vietnamese people and want them to be han chinese so bad
ข้อมูลมั่วมาก😅
Thanks so much, Wes, and BTW, I love NYC! Was there in early 2010s. I booked SGN for April to May, as I've already done Asia (SE Asia), 4 x, most recently Bangkok in '22 & '23, and I wanted to try somewhere different. Appreciate your honesty, and you were very objective with what you rated and your reasons. If I am disappointed, I'll stick to Thailand in future, but of course it's the essence of life to try new places. I am staying in Quan 1 - Ben Thanh ward, very near D. Bui Vien, and am hopeful of a nice holiday, but if not, at least I tried a different country! Thanks again. Kisses to the Big Apple and US. Make America Great Again, lol! Best regards, Miles - Brisbane QLD. xo
Well you are a tourist that is inexperienced so that’s why you don’t know where the best spots are.
Is there a ba na hills videos?
for sai gon, it's best to go to can tho and do the mekong river tour
I filmed but didn't like it. Idk if there's an audience for it tbh. Imo it was overrated like hoi an.
@@WheresWes I am surely not a audience of amusement park or places like Bana Hill.
@@WheresWes I'd argue there is an audience for everything; as someone planning to travel in Vietnam very briefly (I only have less than a week) I'm trying to figure out where to go, so posting good and bad experiences is valuable. I found this video useful for the honesty, i'm sure other people would find a ba na hills video useful too. But I guess you don't want to put too many negative videos in a row since people prefer hearing positive things about where they are going/from rather than negative.
Hi! There I hope u can respond I was wondering how was the flight there! I live 11/12 hrs away from Japan and 18 from Vietnam and is there a lot of turbulence!? And is it fun cus I am going 17 of December till the 31!
There wasn’t much on my flight earlier last year ! How was your trip? The worst part about Vietnam for me was leaving 😭 I miss it so much.. America just seems so sad now that I’m back
It felt so short but I’m grateful I got to stay 4 weeks.. did you go anywhere else? I would actually go insane if I only got 2 weeks to do everything in Vietnam
@@mawnns we did a lot! But not all of it. It was amazing! And Saigon wow was a mess for sure!
saigon is horrendous after about 3 days if your just travelling.... but after about 3 months, after you learn the traps and find alot of the actual amazing spots and can venture otuside the tourist trap of bui vien.. after that period of time it you discover theres a certain magic to it, and you have so much to do you will never be bored. its probably the best place to smoke a fat blunt and just walk around high as shit lol... but the pollution never gets old and is by far the worse thing about saigon!
you are the most honest travel vlogger i have ever seen. you say it how it is rather than trying to please everyone for extra views.
Cheers bro thats the goal
Actually … real or honest videos still get a lot of views, even more 😂😂😂 It’s just psychological effects. so I believe knowing the stories behind a different culture is a way to show respect, not sugarcoating or only to get views. Don’t get things wrong. I’m working in Marketing too.
Very good video! Very honest on your thoughts!
Bro has 0 connects in Saigon, of course he didn’t get to do anything fun. Bro just walked around the whole time looking for something to do 😂😂😂
As travelers, we often visit places without any prior connections-our journey is about exploration, not visiting family or familiar faces. For us, the appeal lies in discovering clean, welcoming, and adaptable cities, rather than dealing with the limitations of conservative mindsets or unmaintained areas.
In this era, true travel is about walking around, seeing what’s new, and immersing ourselves in the unexpected. Connections aren’t necessary to make a destination interesting; it’s about being open to fresh experiences.
Maybe it’s time for you to step out of the comfort zone and see what the world has to offer beyond the familiar!🎉😢
Of course..HCM is a model city ..because all of buildings just build less than 10 years …all new ..
Love your content brother but we will have to agree to disagree here. I prefer 'HCMC' to Bangkok. I stayed mainly in 'Thao Dhien' i.e. district 2 aka 'the white mans part of town' - despite being a brown man! Its a highly 'marked-up' part of town, with luxury restaurants, cafes, malls, apartment blocks and even its own 'casa del habano' but still much cheaper than London but then which place isn't?! For a city of 10 mil+ people, I found HCMC to be full of remarkably friendly yet busy people and I found it easy to make friends and the average woman to be very beautiful and easy to approach - seriously wasn't expecting Vietnamese women to be so beautiful but I'll be ready for next time. District 5 'Cho Lon' was an interesting part of town, as was 'Phuong nga' or district 9. I encourage you to give it another try!
If u see that big blue building in district 5 that was my grandpa home worth 2 million USA but after the Vietnam war it was invaded n my mom n grandfather was force to burn all the currency or give it away when the communist took over.
Good video, yeah, Little Tokyo is on Le Thanh Ton street. Behind it is what we call "The Ghetto. All the cheaper houses to rent were there until 2007 when the Japanese took over the area but now it's very expensive and all have a business on the ground floor. Little Tokyo is turning into Little Korea. The working girls don't like to be filmed. That area is very expensive. Your observations are good. 30 years back there were beautiful French villa's and buildings and they tore many down to build glass and steel high rises. They destroyed what tourists come to see. Nguyen Hue used to be the greatest street in the city but the under ground train station destroyed the entire area. So sad. I have photos from 1989 of Nguyen Hue, great place. Downtown is clean but the rest.................
I love being stared at by foreigners. The attention is uplifting. They don't mean to be rude about it. 😁😁😁
I was there on November
Spend a couple of days, get a hotel with a rooftop pool!!
Saigon is dirty, chaotic , noisy and hot but its fun to visit for a few days .
Have a great day thank you for sharing this video Im glad im here hoping to watch more videos from you. Kapiso Mo Vlog 9:18
What hostel did you stay at? Would you recommend?
Saigon Authentic Hostel and Meander Saigon. Both nice, different vibes
This guy is clueless about the Vietnam war... like most people are.
You can ask GPT about the war, were the dictator destoryed the south by force lied to America on their itent, and the direct attack between the US and Russia in their proxy war
You are right most do NOT understand the VN war
Heres a question who won the war?
I'll give you a hint, its 1 of two answers, North or South, and last i checked people in the south still call that place Saigon for a reason :)
Most Californians are
Good video. How would you rate Da Nang and Hanoi out of ten?
Check out my da nang video. Da nang was 9.5
thanks for honest views...very helpful :)
Cheers bro
Well, between the French and American influence ... the govt. may want to de emphasize the city, much like the PRCC de emphasizes HK for Shanghai now.
Saigon used to be known as East Paris by the way, don't know what's known as East Paris nowadays
why you dont visit KL? kuala lumpur??
As a vietnamese myself i kinda 90% percent agree with you about pollution, entertainment, trafic congestion, horn noise,etc. 2 big city in vietnam ha noi and hcm city, beside visit historical building, try some local food, there's not much to do as a tourism
Is it like Bangkok just too city like Manila too
District 5 is not really a place for tourist. Thao Dien in district 2 and Phu My Hung in district 7 are places that are more foreigner-friendly.
Ya got me bro, got a vietnamese woman from there, top pick bro 💪
The Vietnam war is intersting but many do NOT understand it, i say this as i read your comments about it
I always ask the question when people debate on this
"Who was America truly attacking?"
than a follow up
"Who won the war?"
At this point people typically say "Vietnam won", than you go talk to a South Vietnamese and ask them the same thing and the answer will not be anything like "Vietnam won"
Fun fact, many VIetnamese still go with the ideas of the tribes of the "Three stick people"
There is a reason why some Vietnamese call Saigon, saigon and others don't.
VN war was a proxy war, and American lost a lot sure, and did a lot of bad but they were not the ones that truly lost..
Again "Who was American truly attacking?"
It wasn't ALL of Vietnam, they were trying to stop SOMEONE, i won't say who...but y'all know :)
On the side isn't it funny in China they put General Mao on all their money? I wonder how the 80+ million Chinese back 110 years ago would have felt about that
Look mom, I featured in a youtube video! 🥰😂 It was a lot of fun to meet you and the rest of the gang at the hostel, Europe next? 🌝
Absolutely bro, nice to meet u man!
I would recommend reading history before visiting saigon . Its not easily digestible if your from the west . I found myself in tears wanting to find somewhere more civilised and refined (am from chelsea in london)
Which do u prefer Thailand or Vietnam?
Vietnam
I hope they do something with the pollution and traffic
Your feeling is quite similar to my feeling when I came back Vietnam in the first time after leaving there 2 years. It's noisy and polluted. I had no words but I felt much better after living there for a few days.
Fantastic Vietnam People
clean is Saigon, u probably havnt venture outside Dist1, which is tourist backpack area. Saigon gas many districts btw
Lmao Saigon is not clean at all wtf
Hcmc is one hell of a city and cheapest for sure. Never bored here after 1 year. D1 expensive area is extremely cheap
You should give it more time. Districts 2, and 7 are nicer and cleaner. To the tourists it's chaotic but to the locals it's order.
gotta respect the viets on their amazing development. a country that has recovered from multiple wars.
Filling out my evisa. Its asking me the province in Saigon? I don't know, it's my first time. I want to go to the tourist spot. How much are the hotels?
Currently in Saigon. Much nicer than Manila but not as nice as Bangkok. I liked Da Nang more than Pattaya though. Off to Kuala Lumpur next then Hanoi. So far the only city I could live comfortably in would be Bangkok.
What hotel did you take?
Thanks you just created a new passport bro movement to vietnam...here come the trans hunters
it's already been here bro. Viet women don't care for foreigners much tho tbh, Asians are still their main preference.
Thanks for a solid travel review video which covers important topics.
Cheers bro
This guy said he's not a big fan of big cities and then visit one to tell us he doesn't like it. Imagine if I said I don't like beef and then I go to a steak house.
It's been Ho Chi Minh city for years
Hey Wes, and to anyone that's reading, I was wondering if you could please address and/or spread the hate video where Theo Von says he would eat a vietnamese person. As a Vietnamese American I have experienced so much hate in this world for just randomly being born the ethnicity that I am and I'm just going crazy because of it. Not a single person chose to be born as who they were born as, yet others feel the need to put down and bash others down, to dehumanize them and say they would eat people from a specific ethnic group. I was just wondering if you could spread the word and bring the awareness to such hate. Thank you!
30 dong? 10 cents us?
30, 000 vnd equals 1.2 usd dollars,
don't have 30 dongs.
I think saigon is famous for the foods, but if you want to see more culture, you should go to the North!
I am in Colombia now and have made up my mind that its not a " wifey country". Not a country to go look for wife, but to have fun😜( you knw what I mean ? Leaving in January for Greece.
a whole country of women not "wifey" material lol
Yeah exactly. I'm planning on going to Eastern Europe to find a relationship cuz they're more serious minded there.
@WheresWes most of eastern Europe is EU now. It's more Western than it was 20 yrs ago. As an Asian guy you'll find it tough to find a relationship there regardless. If i was you, id just go to phillipines. .
Greece is a 1000 times better than Colombia
@@NEILBAGELSTEIN123 esp with all the migrants landing on the beaches
You are totally wrong about Sai Gon.
It is awesome.
The honesty is very helpful. I'm going to Vietnam for the first time in like 50 days and Da Nang and Hanoi always looked more interesting, but your video kind of seals the deal. If time isn't too limited I hope to visit Saigon for a quick trip.
Great video,
Is Saigon more Touristy than Hanoi?
Cheers
I'd say it attracts different kinds of tourists but I didn't go to Hanoi
I see what you mean now lol@@WheresWesWhat is the best place for foodies in Vietnam?
@@julioc4978 Saigon is more westernised than Hanoi
Depending on if you want local food or the Vietnamese version of western foods
Please can you let me know how much is the salary for a fresher data scientist in saigon ? I have a Master degree in computer science and and will get a college degree from Canada in machine learning and ai in the end of the year.
Thanks a lot.
any job in Vietnam will have you earning drastically less the only way to live like a tourist is to have a remote job which is only possible if you have a tech/design job
I agree I have been all around vietnam and saigon is messed up. It's also the only place i've seen multiple crimes happen
Going to places where you live in the US! Where homeless people & junkies are hanging around! Isn’t it messy?
Is it worthy to go visit America? YES!
We travel to other countries for experiencing other cultures, without any expectation that they should live to ours norm in ours head! Wise guy! 😅
Good video. I guess it's all about expectations and perspective. I had a terrific time in Saigon a couple of weeks ago. But, I also hired a personal tour guide and stayed at the best hotel in the city. You get what you pay for. I had a great experience from start to finish. Da Nang was a whole different level. Stayed at the Intercontinental resort in a 5,000 sq. ft. villa with a butler. I guess when you get to be my age, you will see Vietnam differently.
Impressive there’s a global village scenario going on modernity has reached almost every corner of earth
I appreciate your candid views. Keep it up!
😄 if you're looking for China culture in Vietnam, you'll get disapointed
Totally agree saying VIetnamese culture, manners, and living standards are the same as China
When you studied the night before the final exam and failed horribly. Dude mentioned sex tourism like 4-5 times in this video smh lol
You should do some researchs on the country first.
You not harassed because you blended in, local assume you one of us DuMa from the States. If you white, good luck with the vendor 😂 wish you happy journey
Saigon used to be the economic power house until the Vietkongs massacred and stole the land and gold
nice. been following you for over a year now. i wanted to meet you in da nang which ill be there november 8th. my birth and hometown is near hi an. ha noi is more crowded and old building. saigon is my favorite city or mexico city. those 2 are my fav
Need a little bit of research regarding the Vietnam conflict. A lot of what you see there is communist propaganda. Communist north Vietnam took over the more capitalist, American back South Vietnam. In the US, go to any Viet communities and shop and you would never see the official communist Vietnam flag hanging around. There is a lot of untold story in that museum. As far as your opinion about Saigon, I got no problem with it. Everyone's experience is different. I been there once and I was just cultured shocked just because I am a Viet from the US. Street vendors are mostly located within local neighborhoods and not in the main tourist area. With any big cities there will be dirty and eye sore areas. Vietnam has come a long way and is one of the favorite place that people are now recognizing as a tourist destination. Very proud of my native country. Haven't been there since 2009 and it seems to look better now.
Go eat Pho Le and go check out District 5!
Ho Chi Minh Wonderfull
Stop hanging out at hostels and meet an actual vietnamese person. If you know you know người Việt Nam đẹp quả va ấm. Try to understand a country don't just tour it superficially. Bạn phải hiểu. Don't just look.
SAIGON? It's called Ho Chi Min City!
same same potato potato
Most people I have met in Vietnam still talk about Saigon rather than Ho Chi Minh City.
Only kids call it Ho Chi Minh City.
If you lived in HCM city or in the Southern areas of Vietnam when you were young, or you born here, you will call it Saigon!❤ We don’t call it HCM City that often unless we are doing paperworks!