Fun Things To Do In Saigon
Okay, so you can jump on TripAdvisor and quickly find the popular things to do in Saigon. War Museum, Tunnels, Skybar bla bla bla. These common tourist trails are overexposed and the locals you interact with are desensitized to the experience – there to pull in the tourist dollar.
Once you’re out of this tourist bubble, you will meet Vietnamese with a genuine interest in meeting foreigners, engaging with them to both learn and share. Interacting like this is really fun for both parties. Don’t be surprised if they want to add you on Facebook after a five minute chat. You can find young and old Vietnamese like this everywhere, you just have to explore a bit. The younger Vietnamese tend to have better English are eager to improve it by chatting with you.
So I just randomly start talking to someone on the street?
Well yes, once you get out of the center, Vietnamese will literally say hello to you and ask where you are from, however they can be shy and may choose to stare. So ask them for directions, or where to find a Pho, and 90% of the time they will have 4 questions for you. These are nearly always:
Where are you from?
How old are you?
Are you married? (If you’re answer is no, then the next question is Why Not?)
What do you do for work?
Yep, they don’t mess about! So, now that you are equipped with the knowledge, here are some fun things to do in Saigon that are little more outside the box:
Rent A Bike And Go For A Spin
Get Wasted With Locals At A Beer Garden
Go For A Jog Along The River And Sweat It Out
Eat At A REAL Local Restaurant
Go Fishing
Go To The Make-Out Point Next To The Bridge
Do A Pub Crawl
Tackle A Vietnamese Supermarket
Drive Out To A River Province
Chat To Language Enthusiasts In The Park
Convince A Longtail Boat Guy To Take You For A Spin
Go On A WaterPark Tour
Visit District 2 – The Expat Bubble