Ho Chi Minh City
Ho Chi Minh City (HCMC), also known as Saigon (Sài Gòn), is the most populous city and municipality of Vietnam, with a population of more than 14 million in 2025. Its geography is defined by rivers and canals, of which the largest is Saigon River. As the largest financial centre in Vietnam, Ho Chi Minh City has the largest gross regional domestic product out of all Vietnamese provinces and municipalities, contributing around a quarter of the country's total GDP. It is the busiest international transport hub in Vietnam, with Tân Sơn Nhất International Airport accounting for nearly half of all international arrivals to Vietnam. It is known for its alleys and nightlife, including the Phạm Ngũ Lão Ward and Bùi Viện street.
Typical weather
1981–presentCity Rhythm
measuredOpening hours, by kind of place
median across mapped venuesVital absurdities
measured · the Anti-AwardsSame time system
by rhythmWhat to do each season
2dry-hot
tropical-savanna dry season; openmeteo mean 25.8-30.7 °C (Apr hottest at 30.7; record 40 °C in April); very dry (Feb 0.2 mm/day); the most sunshine (2,400-2,700 h/yr); humidity 78-82%
- the high tourist season and the comfortable window for street life — Tết (Lunar New Year, Jan/Feb) is the peak civic moment, with the annual flower festival on Nguyễn Huệ Boulevard
- the hottest pre-monsoon weeks (Mar-Apr) make the daytime streets oppressive; life shifts to the air-conditioned cafés and malls
wet
tropical-savanna rainy season; openmeteo mean 26.3-29.4 °C; wet (Jun wettest 6.9 mm/day, Jul-Oct ~6-7 mm/day); per Wikipedia a combination of tide, rains and land subsidence floods parts of the city — a 1-in-100-year flood would inundate 23% of the city
- street life is disrupted by flooding — 'traffic slows to a crawl' and the alleys (hẻm) and low-lying districts flood regularly
- the daytime heat eases slightly (Jun-Jul 26.8-27.5 °C) but humidity stays high; the night-food and café culture carries the season
- the motorbike swarm — the city's dominant mobility layer — continues through the rain (raincoats, not retreat)
What it is known for
Important moments in a year
Tet
- the year's largest civic ritual — the Tết flower festival on Nguyễn Huệ Boulevard; a mass domestic travel peak
- HCMC led all Vietnamese provinces in tourism receipts over Tết 2025 (~$303M)
Fall of Saigon
- Saigon fell to North Vietnamese forces; the city was renamed Ho Chi Minh City while 'Saigon' remains in common use
Afc Asian Cup 2007
- HCMC (Military Region 7 Stadium) was a venue for the 2007 AFC Asian Cup finals
On the record
source-trackedThe city has a tropical climate, specifically tropical savanna (Aw), with an average humidity of 78–82%. The year is divided into two seasons. The rainy season usually lasts from May to November. The dry season lasts from December to April.
During the rainy season, a combination of tide, rains, flow volume in the Saigon River and Đồng Nai River and land subsidence results in flooding in parts of the city. A once-in-100 year flood would cause 23% of the city to undergo flooding.
It is known for its alleys and nightlife, including the Phạm Ngũ Lão Ward and Bùi Viện street.
Ho Chi Minh City remains Vietnam's main economic and financial centre. It is Vietnam's most modern and cosmopolitan city, with influences from the French former colonial rulers and the ethnic Chinese community in Cholon deeply embedded in the local culture.
Ho Chi Minh City has roadside restaurants, coffee shops, and food stalls where locals and tourists can use local cuisine and beverages. It is ranked in the top five best cities in the world for street food.
Vietnam is the world's second largest exporter of coffee after Brazil, and cà phê is very popular among the Vietnamese.
Cholon is home to the largest Chinese community in Vietnam.
Nguyễn Huệ Boulevard was the first pedestrian street in Ho Chi Minh City. It opened to the public in April 2015.
Getting around HCMC can be a challenge: traffic slows to a crawl for most of the day, the heat and chaotic streets make walking long distances impractical.
Ho Chi Minh City's first metro line opened in December 2024, connecting Ben Thanh Market in the city center with Suối Tiên and the Eastern Bus Terminus in the northeast.
Tân Sơn Nhất International Airport is the largest airport in Vietnam in terms of passengers handled, accounting for more than half of Vietnam's air passenger traffic.
The city contains 20.2% of Vietnam's GDP, 27.9% of industrial output and 34.9% of the FDI projects in the country.
The method behind this atlas — 196 pp. Not published yet.