Ho Chi Minh city was listed for the best places to go in 2025 by Condé Nast Traveller

This southern Vietnamese metropolis has emerged as one of the world’s fastest-growing tourism powerhouses, and there’s no better time to visit than in 2025. Exactly 50 years after the Fall of Saigon ended the Vietnam War in 1975, Ho Chi Minh City – still referred to locally as Saigon – is set to unveil several grand events, exhibitions, and celebrations commemorating half a century of national reunification.
 
Beyond urban and tourism infrastructure, Ho Chi Minh City shines brightest as one of Southeast Asia’s cultural epicentres – a regional hub of commerce, dining, and fashion. Yet, for all the new and novel, the city, known during the French colonial era as the “Pearl of the Orient”, retains much of its old-world charm, from bustling markets to rustic street vendors hawking hu tieu noodle soup and banh mi sandwiches.