Ho Chi Minh City.

Ho Chi Minh City, still Saigon to locals, is Vietnam's economic engine: dynamic, international and open, with more English spoken and a bigger expat and international-student scene than anywhere else in the country. You get skyscrapers and rooftop bars alongside incredible street food, a low cost of living, and a tropical, buzzy energy. Home to RMIT's main Vietnam campus and the country's top public universities, it is a springboard to the Mekong Delta and the whole region.

Student life here is fast and social, spread from the backpacker energy of Bui Vien walking street in District 1 to the polished bars of Thao Dien across the river, the main expat and international-student enclave. Rooftop bars, live music, cheap street-side beer and endless coffee shops fill the week, and the large RMIT and international cohort makes it easy to find your feet.

• Start out on the Bui Vien walking street in District 1 for cheap beer and buzz, or Thao Dien for a more polished scene.
• Ask the Ho Chi Minh City group on Studcasa where the RMIT and exchange crowd meet and which rooftop bars to hit.
• Join a snail-eating, or oc, crawl in District 4, a beloved local night out over cheap seafood and beer.

Ho Chi Minh City is very affordable, though a touch pricier than Hanoi: budget 500 to 800 euros a month and live comfortably. Street food and local coffee cost next to nothing, and rent is a fraction of European levels, while the international restaurants and rooftop bars of District 1 and Thao Dien are where you can spend real money if you choose to.

• A plate of com tam or a banh mi costs 25,000 to 50,000 dong, around 1 to 2 euros, from a street vendor.
• A room in a shared flat or serviced apartment runs roughly 4 to 8 million dong a month, around 150 to 300 euros.
• Use Grab and Be for cheap rides, and keep the pricier expat bars and Western restaurants for occasional treats.

Most students rent a room in a shared flat or a serviced apartment, usually sorted after arriving through Facebook groups like HCMC Housing and local agents. District 1 is central but pricey; the leafy District 3 is a good middle ground; District 7, or Phu My Hung, suits RMIT students; and Thao Dien in Thu Duc City is the expat favourite. View in person and check the air-con and security.

• Search the 'HCMC Housing' Facebook groups and use a local agent for serviced apartments.
• Pick District 7 for RMIT, Thao Dien for the expat scene, or District 3 for a central middle ground.
• Always view in person, and check the air conditioning and building security before you sign.

Saigon runs on motorbikes, and the simplest way around is a Grab, Be or Gojek bike-taxi ordered on your phone, or the electric Xanh SM taxis. The city's first metro line finally opened at the end of 2024, linking the centre out to the east, with buses covering the rest cheaply. Traffic is intense and the heat relentless, so app-hailed rides beat walking most of the year.

• Use Grab, Be or Gojek for cheap bike-taxi and car rides; Xanh SM offers clean electric options.
• Ride the new Metro Line 1, from Ben Thanh to Suoi Tien, opened in December 2024, for a fast run east.
• Lean on app rides rather than walking far, as the heat, humidity and traffic make longer walks tough.

Ho Chi Minh City hosts Vietnam National University HCMC, with its universities of technology, science, social sciences and the International University, the University of Economics (UEH), and the country's largest international campus, RMIT University Vietnam, in District 7. RMIT and the international programmes teach in English, while most public-university courses are in Vietnamese. Plan around the Tet new-year shutdown when scheduling.

• RMIT and international programmes run in English, while most public-university courses are taught in Vietnamese.
• Check term dates against Tet, the lunar new year, when campuses and much of the city close down for a week or more.

This depends entirely on your passport, so check your embassy's page, but here is the shape of it. Most exchange students enter on a student visa (the DH category) sponsored by the host university, then convert it to a temporary residence card for stays over three months. Your uni's international office does most of the heavy lifting - start early, because the sponsorship letter can be slow.

Many nationalities can also enter visa-free or on a 90-day e-visa for short stays, which some students use to arrive before switching to the proper student visa in-country. Keep your passport valid for at least six months and hold onto every stamp and document.

• Student visa: DH category, sponsored by your university
• Stays over 3 months: apply for a temporary residence card
• E-visa (90 days) available to many nationalities online
• Passport valid 6+ months beyond your entry date

Southern Vietnamese cooking is sweeter and herb-heavy, and Saigon eats on the street. The signature is com tam, broken rice with grilled pork, alongside a famously loaded banh mi, hu tieu noodle soup and fresh goi cuon spring rolls, all washed down with iced milk coffee, ca phe sua da. District 4's snail, or oc, streets are a nightlife institution.

• Eat com tam and a loaded banh mi from a street cart; Banh Mi Huynh Hoa is the legendary stop.
• Order iced ca phe sua da at a street cafe, and cool off with che, a sweet dessert soup, in the heat.
• Spend an evening eating oc, snails and shellfish, with cheap beer on the seafood streets of District 4.

District 1 is the central business and tourist heart, with Ben Thanh market and the Bui Vien and Nguyen Hue walking streets. District 3 nearby is leafier and more local; District 5 is the Chinatown of Cho Lon; District 7's Phu My Hung is a modern, planned, international area with RMIT; and Thao Dien across the river in Thu Duc City is the green, cafe-filled expat enclave.

• District 3 for a central, leafier, more local base close to District 1.
• District 7, Phu My Hung, for RMIT students and a modern, international neighbourhood.
• Thao Dien in Thu Duc City for the expat scene, riverside cafes and international restaurants.

Saigon is the gateway to southern Vietnam. The waterways and floating markets of the Mekong Delta are a couple of hours away, the Cu Chi Tunnels a half-day war-history trip, and the beaches of Vung Tau a quick hop for a weekend. Further out, the cool highland town of Da Lat, the dunes of Mui Ne and the island of Phu Quoc make superb longer breaks, with cheap flights across the region.

• Day-trip to the Cu Chi Tunnels, or spend a weekend on a Mekong Delta homestay around Ben Tre and Can Tho.
• Head to Vung Tau beach, about two hours, for a quick escape, or the sand dunes and kitesurfing of Mui Ne.
• Take a cheap flight or night bus to cool, hilly Da Lat, or fly to the island of Phu Quoc for the beaches.

Saigon is easy to enjoy but the heat and traffic demand respect: it is hot and humid year-round with a distinct wet season, so plan for downpours from May to November and stay hydrated. Cross roads with the same slow, steady confidence as in Hanoi, and secure your phone against snatch-theft from passing bikes. Learn a little Vietnamese and always fix prices or use apps to sidestep the tourist markup.

• Expect heat and humidity all year, with heavy afternoon rain in the May-to-November wet season, so carry a light poncho.
• Hold your phone and bag securely, especially near the road, as snatch-theft from passing motorbikes happens.
• Learn basic Vietnamese phrases and fix prices via Grab or by asking first to avoid overpaying.