After spending years working in Ho Chi Minh City, I’ve come to realize just how deeply I’ve fallen in love with this place – the city that proudly carries the name of Uncle Ho. If someone were to ask me, “So, what’s so special about Saigon?”, here are a few thoughts I’d share:
- The weather: Saigon is bathed in sunshine almost all year round. Sure, the dry season can bring hot days, but the evenings are surprisingly cool and refreshing – not the kind of suffocating heat that clings to Hanoi from morning till night.
- A dynamic work culture: Here, opportunities are vibrant and fast-moving. I’ve had friends who switched jobs multiple times within private companies, and it was considered normal – just part of the journey to find the right fit. What really matters in Saigon is competence, not connections. You don’t need to be “somebody’s child” to earn respect. In fact, being related to the boss can make things harder, because colleagues judge you even more closely. I once saw a slogan in a company office that summed it up perfectly: “Attitude is more important than aptitude.”
- Transparency in business: Companies with clear, fair systems make foreign investors feel secure – and that transparency is one of Saigon’s strengths.
- Open-minded people: Life here feels refreshingly free of rigid formalities and outdated traditions. It’s not unusual to see men staying home to take care of the kids so their wives can enjoy a coffee date, get their nails done, or simply relax. Even doing the dishes is just… normal. No drama, no ego.
- Respect and kindness: People mind their own business when needed, but they’re quick to lend a hand. I’ve seen strangers step up to direct traffic at an intersection before the police even arrived. Drivers patiently made way for one another, no endless honking. Even small accidents were often settled with a smile or a word, instead of shouting or swearing. Once, a man riding next to me reminded me to flip up my kickstand, then sped off without expecting a thank-you. Moments like that stay with you.
- Opportunities for everyone: Saigon is known as one of the easiest places to make a living, whether you’re a highly educated professional or a laborer with nothing but determination. People often say, “If you can’t find a job in Saigon, you probably can’t find one anywhere.” Even street vendors selling iced tea under an office building can make a million dong a day. As for company employees, salaries here are often higher than in other provinces.
- One of my favorite pastimes in Saigon is simply sitting in a coffee shop and people-watching. From a corner table, I often see young professionals working with impressive focus, their laptops perched neatly on the counter. Walk into a familiar Highlands Coffee on a weekday morning, and you’ll find entire rows “occupied” by these busy bees. One is deep in design work, another is writing, while others are creating content or even livestreaming. The concept of shared offices or flexible workspaces has never been more popular, especially since the Covid years.
- I once had a boss who embodied Saigon’s fascinating contrasts. Out on the street, he looked like any other xe ôm driver on an old, beat-up motorbike. But behind that modest appearance, he was in fact a wealthy and brilliant lawyer.
- I also love the vibrant style of Saigon’s youth. Walk down the pedestrian streets and you’ll see people dressed in sportswear, trendy outfits, or bold, creative fashion. Even service staff – from restaurants and pubs to barbershops – look polished and welcoming. The service itself is another story: order a round of beers, and before your ice has even melted, a server is already replacing it. Get a simple hair wash, and it often comes with a shoulder and hand massage that could last an hour. At a street market, buy a fish and the vendor will likely throw in free herbs and vegetables “just because.” Small gestures, but they add up to something big.
- The city feels cleaner and more orderly than people expect. In bookstores, you can sit and read all day for free, and no one disturbs you. At roadside stalls, iced tea is often given away, a humble but generous gift for workers, xe ôm drivers, and passersby under the blazing sun. Watching an old man sip that free glass of trà đá (ice tea) with a grateful smile – that’s Saigon’s kindness in a nutshell.
- Lotteries are everywhere, too. Buying a ticket seems less about winning and more about habit, a little daily ritual. In the mornings, I’d often see housewives, students, and ride-hailing drivers crowding around vendors to pick their lucky numbers. By late afternoon, groups would gather to check the results together. Big jackpots, they say, often go to people from the South or the Mekong Delta – perhaps because they play more, and buy more.
- Weddings here are a whole different experience. Women dress as beautifully as if it were their own big day. Even when the invitation says noon, the party might not really begin until 1 p.m. – guests simply mingle, chat, and take photos while waiting. Evening weddings start around 6 p.m. with a relaxed, joyful pace. And in everyday life, office workers might dress casually, but at company year-end parties, it’s a transformation – heels, makeup, elegant dresses – leaving colleagues stunned by the glow-up.
- Then there are the little quirks, like Saigon’s sudden rains. One moment the sky is clear, the next it’s pouring, only to stop as soon as you’ve wrestled your raincoat on. It’s like the city itself is teasing you.
- Food, of course, is its own love letter. Where else do people eat cơm tấm with grilled pork ribs first thing in the morning? Walk down Nguyễn Hữu Cảnh at 7 a.m., and you’ll find lines of colorful food carts: bánh mì, hủ tiếu, sticky rice, coffee, all side by side. Quick, cheap, and delicious – a breakfast solved in minutes. Some bánh mì stalls even have long queues of office workers and xe ôm waiting patiently for their turn.
- Even the drivers here leave an impression. The Green SM ride-hailing drivers often look like K-pop idols – well-groomed, polite, even wearing perfume. Step into Bùi Viện or Thái Văn Lung, and you might wonder, “Did all the world’s most beautiful women somehow gather here?”
- Drinking culture is another part of Saigon’s soul. Sharing a few beers on the sidewalk, feasting on seafood and snails – it’s not just about food, but about friendship and connection.
- Every now and then, I escape the city with friends to the Mekong Delta, where time slows down. We sit around a bubbling hotpot of điên điển flowers, listen to traditional đờn ca tài tử music, sip sweet coconut water straight from the shell, or taste durians fresh from the tree. Watching schoolgirls in flowing white áo dài ride their bicycles across small bridges – those moments feel like pure joy, free of worry.
- What I admire most, though, is the respectfulness ingrained in Saigonese culture. Even university students I’ve met still greet their partner’s parents with the same politeness and humility as small children. Families also value health and recreation. In the evenings, you’ll find women dancing aerobics in parks, couples filling dance clubs, or neighbors gathering in alleys to sing karaoke together after a long day. The city knows how to balance work and play.
- And oh – the Saigon accent. Sweet, melodic, and soothing, whether spoken by men or women, it’s music to the ears.
- During Tết, the city reveals another side. Flights are packed with workers heading home to the North or Central provinces, ticket prices skyrocketing with the demand. It reminds me that Saigon is not just a city – it’s a magnet, a place where people from every corner of Vietnam come to live, work, and dream. Perhaps that’s why it feels so alive.
Ho Chi Minh City has countless untold stories, each shaped by its sunshine, its rains, its people, and its energy. A city of integration and creativity, it will always hold something special in my heart.
As a poet – Nguyễn Đình Huân once wrote:
“Peach blossoms of the North, how dearly I miss,
Golden apricot blooms of the South, how deeply I cherish.”
For me, this is love. This is Saigon.
Cún’s Love Affair with Saigon
