For your weekend getaway to the city once known as Saigon, consider booking a room at PARKROYAL Saigon, which is conveniently located near city attractions. Check into our Premier Balcony Room (37sqm) to enjoy a room with a city view. The balcony overlooks the hotel pool, and the spacious room offers a tranquil haven after a hectic day exploring Ho Chi Minh City’s many hidden gems. 

Bo Cap Lua Restaurant

Ho Chi Minh City may be famous for its pho, but that is probably too tame for an adventure-seeking traveller like you. How about trying something more extreme—like bugs for breakfast? 

You can start your holiday with some creepy crawlies at Bo Cap Lua Restaurant. Instead of pho, the restaurant offers a motley mix of exotic delicacies like tarantulas, lizards, fried worms and scorpions. While most of the food is thankfully cooked (like tarantulas and lizards), others are served raw and even live (like worms). Only recommended for those with strong stomachs and adventurous palates! 

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Binh Quoi Tourist Village

Fancy something less stomach churning? Step into the rural oasis of the Binh Quoi Tourist Village, located in the heart of the city. 

Modelled after a traditional village on the Mekong Delta, a trip here feels like entering a time portal—one which brings you back into the past. You can paddle a boat on the lake, visit the bamboo huts lining the waterways, or enjoy a traditionally-cooked Vietnamese meal at one of the restaurants. The best time to visit is during the serene morning, when the village has barely roused from its sleepy stupor. 

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The Cafe Apartment

Few places are as hip or happening in Saigon as the 9-storey Cafe Apartment. Once used to house military personnel, the building now contains a smorgasbord of coffee shops, restaurants, bookstores, and other outlets. 

Hang out at one (or two!) of the many quirky cafes housed in the building, where you can relax with a cup of good coffee while appreciating their unique designs and deco. Some of the coffee shops even have balconies that offer views of the bustling street below. 

Our choice hipster hangout is Thinker and Dreamer—a cafe that blends vintage and modern design to provide an Instagram-worthy haven. Sip your coffee and snap your selfies amidst vinyl record players, typewriters and well-travelled suitcases.  

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Veer from the well-trodden tourist path to explore the hidden, darker and seedier side of the city. Solve the murder mystery of the Strange Case of Dr Lam, whose corpse was discovered in the dark corridor of a dilapidated building in the Cholon district, Saigon’s Chinatown. 

Armed with a map and a compass, your travel partner and you will have to comb the backstreets and alleys of the Cholon district to look for clues of the murderer. As you investigate the fragments of evidence scattered around the precinct, you will get to visit the area's best-kept secrets, including hidden lanes and century-old temples.  

Pet Me Cafe

Love animals? Cosy up to a puppy, cat, or tropical bird at Pet Me Cafe—a cross between a petting zoo and a cafe. If you are feeling especially adventurous, consider snapping a couple of memorable Saigon photos with some scaly reptiles. 

The cafe’s expansive outdoor space makes a great setting for you to enjoy mingling with the menagerie of beasts, while sipping a fortifying cup of Vietnamese or Espresso based coffee. 

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Get up close and personal with larger-than-life mythical creatures at the much-lauded Suoi Tien Cultural Theme Park guaranteed to be unlike any theme park you have ever been to. This water-filled fantasy-themed heritage-cum-amusement park is dedicated to Vietnam’s local folklore and legends. Sacred animals such as Dragon, Unicorn, Phoenix and Tortoise are fashioned into gigantic beasts that are perfect for photography enthusiasts. The park’s highlight? Massive Buddhist monuments such as the Goddess of Mercy, Buddha, and Bodhisattvas which take centrestage, impressing visitors both local and foreign. 

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Any visit to Ho Chi Minh City isn’t complete without paying homage to its tumultuous wartime history. At the War Remnants Museum,  vehicles and weapons used in the Vietnam War dot the museum's grounds, while its interior houses war memorabilia and graphic visuals of the effects of chemical Agent Orange. While this may not be the usual tourist attraction, a visit here opens your eyes to an important event in Vietnam’s nation-building history. 

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Experience the wonder and romance of sending a letter to your loved ones back home right here in Ho Chi Minh City. The only place to do so? Saigon Central Post Office, an iconic institution housed in a building designed with Gothic architectural influences. 

While the post office’s exterior is mesmerising, its interior further steals the show with stunning marble floors and magnificent arches framing its expansive space. The perfect backdrop for you to send a postcard home, reflecting on the unusual places you’ve visited during your weekend getaway in Saigon. 

Get directions to the Ho Chi Minh City Post Office

Ready for an unusual Saigon travel experience? Contact us today at PARKROYAL Saigon—we will be delighted to host you during your stay.