HO CHI MINH CITY – After 8 years of operation, Nguyen Hue pedestrian street, district 1, is considered a familiar destination for both tourists and locals.
Nguyen Hue pedestrian street is more than 670 m long, starting from the headquarters of the People’s Committee of Ho Chi Minh City to Bach Dang park and cutting through a number of streets such as: Le Loi, Ton That Dam, Ngo Duc Ke, Hai Trieu. The street is often the venue for major cultural and artistic activities of the city.
Nguyen Hue pedestrian street operates all day. From Monday to Friday, vehicles are still allowed to pass through this area. Every Saturday and Sunday evening, Nguyen Hue pedestrian street will ban vehicles from 6pm to 10pm, to save space for pedestrians.
According to Mr. Tran Duy Hieu, a freelance tour guide specializing in inner-city tours of Ho Chi Minh City, there are two suitable times to roam this area. From 8 a.m. to 10 a.m., visitors will enjoy the slow, less chaotic life of the “sleeping city”. After 7pm, the pedestrian street takes on a different, more vibrant look, especially on weekend evenings.
He also suggested that visitors can experience some fun and entertainment activities below when coming to Nguyen Hue pedestrian street.
Move
Nguyen Hue pedestrian street is located in the city center, so traveling is quite convenient. If you come to Ho Chi Minh City for the first time, you can choose to travel by technology vehicle (car or motorbike). At peak hours, the number of cars on the pedestrian street is quite crowded because this area has many office buildings. This can result in extended travel times between destinations.
In addition, public transport in the city is also quite popular. Bus routes to the pedestrian street include 03, 04, 124, 152, 19 and 93. However, the bus stop will not stop directly at the street, visitors need to walk an additional distance depending on each bus route. .
When coming to the pedestrian street, visitors can choose to rent public bicycles to move to entertainment and dining spots. There are two parking spots along the street at the beginning and at the end of the road. Bicycle rental is 5,000 VND for 30 minutes and 10,000 VND for 60 minutes. On weekends, this activity is chosen by many people, some places may run out of cars. Visitors should download the TNGO software to refer to the car booking points near them and rent a car.
The most active option is to rent a motorbike. Most accommodations offer car rentals. In addition, visitors can also choose from online suggestions. The rental price for a day ranges from 100,000 – 200,000 VND depending on the type of car. There are many parking lots along the pedestrian street with the price of 10,000 VND per car.
Fun activities
- Go for a walk and take photos at famous locations
Walking along this street, it is not difficult for visitors to find beautiful photo corners such as in front of the City People’s Committee headquarters, the monument of President Ho Chi Minh, apartment 42 Nguyen Hue, the front of Ciao Cafe. These are the typical destinations of the walking street, which cannot be missed, especially for those who come for the first time. Walking street does not have much shelter and shade, visitors should bring a hat or umbrella if coming in the morning.
- Saigon Skydeck Observation Deck
The Saigon Skydeck is located on the 49th floor of the Bitexco Financial Tower (Hai Trieu Street, District 1). This is Vietnam’s first observatory at an altitude of 180 m. From here, visitors can enjoy a panoramic view of Ho Chi Minh City.
Saigon Skydeck is open from 9:30 a.m. to 9:30 p.m. daily. Entrance ticket prices are divided into several categories. Visitors can buy directly at the Bitexco tower lobby or buy online through intermediary platforms. Tickets for adults are 240,000 VND. Children from 4 to 12 years old or people over 65 years old fare is 160,000 VND. Children under 3 years old are free.($1=24,000 VND)
The observatory has 6 long-range binoculars, capable of panning 360 degrees and rotating up and down 50 degrees. There is also a system of 6 touch information screens arranged along the glass wall of the observatory. On the screen of each machine is an image corresponding to the outside scene, when visitors stand at the location of the machine, the screen will have display points that, when activated, detailed information about a scenic place. the scene or historical site will appear.
- 2 floor bus
Visitors can choose to take a double-decker bus to get around the city on their first visit. The bus operates from 9am to 22h30 every day, you can buy tickets directly at the counter at the starting point 92-96 Nguyen Hue, opposite the City Theater or book online.
The journey of city tour to Ho Chi Minh City by double-decker bus is more than 13 km long, passing through District 1 and District 3 with 30 famous attractions such as Reunification Palace, Notre Dame Cathedral, City Post Office. There are 22 trips per day, each trip is about 60 minutes long, the time between the day trip is 30 minutes and the night time is 60 minutes. The car has a multi-language voiceover system that automatically guides you to places on the road, tourist maps, free wifi, and guides.
“This activity is quite popular with first-time visitors to Ho Chi Minh City. In the summer, evening trips will be more comfortable, avoiding the hot sun and sudden rains,” suggested Mr. Hieu.
Places to eat
- Streets cuisine
Besides famous restaurants, along Nguyen Hue pedestrian street, visitors can also enjoy attractive street food.
In the morning, the pedestrian street is quite quiet, the most crowded are mainly coffee shops. Guests can choose to sit and drink on the spot or buy to take away.
From the evening, the shops began to operate more. Ice cream, milk tea, cheese tart, bingsu… are some of the snacks you can try when coming to the pedestrian street.
In the evening, this area also gathers many street vendors. However, the prices of these vehicles are not stable and quite high compared to the common ground. Visitors should ask the price before buying to avoid being “hacked”.
- Apartment 42 Nguyen Hue
National Geographic UK once shared a picture of apartment 42 Nguyen Hue with the caption: “This is an old apartment complex that has been renovated to sell coffee, restaurants, and a workspace that attracts a lot of young people.” Located right in front of the pedestrian street, it is not too difficult for visitors to find this interesting place when they first come to Ho Chi Minh City.
The apartment building has 9 floors. Visitors can choose to take the stairs or the elevator for a fee of 10,000 VND/time. Each floor has many cafes or restaurants. According to the general comments of many visitors, each restaurant here has its own color, so it is quite interesting. In addition, some cafes also attract guests by the balcony area with a direct view of the pedestrian street.
Minh Chi, a tourist from Nha Trang, commented that drinking coffee at old apartments is an interesting activity in Ho Chi Minh City. Not only enjoying drinks, this is also an opportunity for visitors to learn more about the history of the city as well as get impressive check-in photos from here.
However, because it is located in an old apartment complex, the area of the restaurants here is quite small. On weekends, some popular brands may run out of space early.
Some suggestions for visitors when coming to apartment 42 Nguyen Hue: %Arabica, Boo Coffee, Saigon Oi Cafe, Poke Saigon, 21 Grams Vegetarian.
- Saigon Garden
Saigon Garden is a complex located in the front of the pedestrian street. The complex includes restaurants, cafes, clothing stores… and is open from 8am to 10pm every day. Mr. Hieu commented that for first-time visitors to the city, complexes are quite safe entertainment options, meeting all needs from dining to shopping.
However, on weekend evenings, this place is quite crowded. If you want to visit famous restaurants in the complex at this time, you should actively book in advance. The dining addresses here are diverse, from Europe, Japan, Korea, Thailand, China and Vietnam.
The complex is also impressed by its open design and green garden space. In addition to visiting famous restaurants, visitors can also come here in the morning to drink coffee and watch the pedestrian street.
Diners can refer to some addresses after dining here: BeAn Vegetarian, Starbuck, Social Local, Koi Thé.
Note:
- Nguyen Hue pedestrian street bans motorbikes every Saturday and Sunday night.
- Actively preserve personal belongings when going to crowded places.
- Should wear sports shoes or flat shoes to facilitate movement a lot.
Photo: Internet (Vinlove.net)