Sai Gon Activities
If the heat starts to get you down, there are several water parks where you can splash around to cool off.
- Dam Sen Water Park, 03 Hoa Binh, Ward 3, District 11, ☎ 858.8418, 865.3453 (damsenwaterpark@vnn.vn, fax: 858.8419), damsenwaterpark.com.vn/en/home. Mon-Sat 8:30AM-6PM, Sundays and Holidays 8AM-7PM. Close to the city centre. Opened in 1999, with new water slides added each year — this water park offers some truly unique water slide experiences (including the amazing “Space Bowl”)! The slides have been badly designed and it’s a common sight to see someone clutching their head when leaving them. Restaurant, health services, and animatronic dinosaurs are on the premises. Admission is height based; under 0.8m free, others 35,000-80,000 dong.
- There’s also Water World in District 9, Ocean Water Park in District 7, and Dai The Gioi Water Park in District 5.
- Water Puppet Show at Ngon Restaurant, 95 Nguyen Van Huong Street, Thao Dien Ward, Dist. 2, ☎ (+84) (08) 3744.645. Every saturday at 7:30pm there is a traditional Vietnamese Water Puppet show on the riverside outdoor terrace of Ngon Restaurant in District 2. This is a traditional Vietnamese experience nobody should miss. The show is located about 15 minutes by taxi from District 1 (all Taxi drivers will know the address) and is well worth the trip.
Visiting hair salons is also a must do for tourists, as Vietnamese are famous for it. Hair wash, manicure and pedicure cost no more than US$10. However, if the salon seems to be staffed exclusively by comely young ladies in tight dresses sitting on display at the window, they may offer more than just haircuts.
If you’re in Saigon on a Sunday night, then beg, borrow, or rent a two-wheeled vehicle and join the throngs for di choi. It’s basically a party on wheels, where everyone just rides through the downtown streets until the wee hours.
- MegaStar Cineplex Vietnam’s leading world-class cineplex venue with 2 locations in Ho Chi Minh city and the first to offer 3D movies (at Hung Vuong Plaza only). All locations present first-run US Hollywood and International releases and situated within attractive shopping complexes. (1) Hung Vuong Plaza (about 20-30 mins from CBD) — 126 Hung Vuong Str, District 5, Level 7. (2) CT Plaza (near the airport) — 60A Truong Son Str., Tan Binh District, Level 10. The latest show session times and dates are available at “https://megastar.vn”
- Galaxy Cinema at 116, Nguyen Du, District 1, is a favorite among locals.
- Xuan Spa (If you have that much money. Services on the upside of 1,780,000 dong), Park Hyatt Saigon Hotel, 2 Lam Son Square, District 1, ☎ +84 8 824 1234 (saigon.park@hyattintl.com), saigon.park.hyatt.com/hyatt/pure/spas.
- Dai Nam Tourist Park, Thu Dau Mot Town, Binh Duong Province (Catch the 616 Bus from the Bus Station, or talk to a travel agent), travel.vietnamwebsite.net/post/118. Located about 40km from Sai Gon, the Dai Nam Tourist Park, opened in November of 2008, it is one of the newest and largest tourist attractions in Vietnam. It features the Dai Nam Van Hien Temple, an entertainment site, open range zoo, shopping areas, hotels, local and western cuisine sites, and the largest man made mountain range in Vietnam. Costing over 50 billion dong to build, this park is the beginning of mass tourism in Vietnam, although it is aimed at both tourists and locals and comes highly recommended. Transport options to the park are quite convoluted and as the park is new, online information is scarce. Reports are that you can catch the 616 bus from the main bus terminal in Sai Gon, but most hotels will tell you that’s not possible and insist on a private taxi. According to the locals, it is very much worth a visit, purely just to view the temple.
- Happy Ending Massage Yuan, 15B8 Le Thanh Ton Street, District 1 Ben Nighe Ward Sai Gon (On Le Thanh Ton between Thai Van Lung and Ngo Van Nam. Across from Sky Garden), ☎ (08) 3825-0795. “Legitimate” foot and body massage, hostess will explain pricing to you at the beginning, usually offering 30% discount. 223,000 dong.
- Twenty-Three September Park, (Across from Ben Thanh Market and running the length of Phan Ngu Lao Street). Running along Phan Ngu Lao Street are a number of parks which fill up with locals before sunset, after work. They play a variety of games which you can participate in: badminton, kicking a shuttlecock and womens group aerobics (to music) are all very popular and great to watch. If you sit down by yourself in the open area near the Ben Thanh market a number of young university age locals will come and ask to practise english with you, this is a great way to spend an evening and the best way to meet intelligent interesting youth, they will question you either individually or in groups and share with you a lot about their country.
- Central Mosque, 66 Dong Du, Sai Gon Vietnam, ☎ +84 8 824 2903 (Tourist information), [6]. 8 am to 8 pm Daily. One of 12 mosques serving Sai Gon, the Central Mosque was built in 1935. It was originally constructed for worshipers from southern India then resident in Saigon, but now Muslims from as far as Pakistan and Indonesia come to pray. Friday draws the biggest crowds. The shaded verandah and cool stone floors make it an ideal place to sit, read or even nap in the heat of the day. As with most mosques, remember to take your shoes off before entering.
