Formerly Saigon, Ho Chi Minh City is a calamitous cacophony of 5.4 million people. It is Vietnam's commercial centre and a vibrant, cosmopolitan city. Situated on the west bank of the Saigon River, it buzzes with an energy that is at times aggressive and overwhelming. Cyclo drivers try their utmost to whip up passing trade while elegantly clad young women in ao dai (national dress) roar by on motorbikes with nonchalant aplomb.

There are numerous museums, pagodas, temples and other monuments dotted around the city to get you off the busy streets. At the top of most visitors' lists is the War Remnants Museum which offers a harrowing insight into the devastation wreaked on the country by the American-Vietnam War. Meanwhile, the Reunification Palace, the Post Office and Notre Dame Cathedral are also worth a peek as is a visit to the lively Ben Thanh Market. Back in the fray and a little further out of town, Cholon (Chinatown) with its jam-packed markets makes for an alternative shopping experience.

At night, Ho Chi Minh City's bars and discos come to life and the river glows with the reflections of neon signs.

Many visitors to Ho Chi Minh City take in a half-day tour of the Cu Chi Tunnels - an incredible 250-kilometre network of claustrophobic and often poorly-ventilated tunnels which were utilized by the North Vietnamese during the war with the United States. Some of these tunnels were several storeys deep and contained everything needed for daily life - from kitchens to makeshift hospitals, where operations were carried out by torchlight.