The sprawling old Chinatown south-west of the centre — a dense, humming tangle of wholesale markets, herbal shops, food stalls and some of the city's most beautiful and atmospheric Chinese temples. Not a big hotel area, but the city's best cultural-and-food adventure; go for the incense-wreathed pagodas and the frenetic Binh Tay market.
A look around
What you’ll be living next to. Swipe through.
€20–45
typical per night in Vietnam
Easy on the wallet
Among the cheapest areas to sleep in Ho Chi Minh City.
Where it sits
The circle is Cholon and roughly a 10-minute walk around it.
How far is everything?
From the middle of this area to the city's headline sights — pick your own on the city page and these become your list.
- Saigon street food11 min taxi3.5 km
- Vietnamese coffee culture12 min taxi3.8 km
- War Remnants Museum13 min taxi4.2 km
- Ben Thanh Market13 min taxi4.3 km
- Reunification Palace13 min taxi4.4 km
- Notre-Dame Cathedral15 min taxi4.8 km
- Saigon Central Post Office15 min taxi4.9 km
- Nguyen Hue walking street15 min taxi5.0 km
On your doorstep
What you’re living next to if you stay here.
- 9.Thien Hau Temple — The most beautiful temple in Cholon's Chinatown, dedicated to the sea goddess Mazu — a 19th-century jewel of intricate ceramic roof friezes, giant spiralling incense coils and drifting smoke, thronged with worshippers. Free and endlessly atmospheric; the highlight of a wander through the old Chinese quarter, with its markets, herbal shops and other ornate pagodas all around.
- 13.Binh Tay Market — The grand old wholesale market at the heart of Cholon, built by a Chinese merchant around a beautiful central courtyard and clock tower — a frenetic, un-touristy warren of dried goods, spices, kitchenware and knock-offs, with a great local food court. A vivid plunge into working, wholesale Saigon; wander the galleries, snack at the stalls, and see the city's Chinese-Vietnamese trading heart.
When are you staying?
Booking.com & Airbnb open searched to Cholon; flights via Google Flights.