The "Paris of the East", Saigon - Ho Chi Minh City is the largest metropolis of Vietnam. Home to more than six million people, this bustling city is the most densely populated city of Vietnam. The colorful pagodas, the French colonial architecture, the street vendors who sell everything from DVDs and street food, to the designer boutiques: this city effortlessly wears many faces.
 
The ideal time to visit this exciting city is during the months of January and February. The weather feels less muggy and the humidity is tolerable and it is also the time for the famous Tet festival! Do book hotels and the rest well in advance though, because it is almost impossible to find accommodation during this time.
 
The Tet Festival is a major event in Vietnam which is celebrated with a lot of pomp and ceremony in Saigon - Ho Chi Minh City. Tet falls between 19 January and 20 February and lasts a whole week in the south.
 
Another even that is a lot of fun too is Buddha's Birthday Festival that is celebrated on the 15th day of the Fourth Lunar month. In Saigon - Ho Chi Minh City this festival is lavishly celebrated in the Nghia An Hoi Quan Pagoda.
 
Saigon - Ho Chi Minh City is a city of festivals and events. If you have a nose for the exotic and have an interest in learning more about the Vietnamese culture then it is a very good idea to time you visits during the festival season.
 
The other festivals celebrated in this city are:
 
- Le Van Duyet Temple Festival,
-  Nghia An Hoi Pagoda,
- Thien Hau Pagoda Festival,
- Mid-Autumn Festival,
- The Fisherman's Festival,
- Death Anniversary of Tran Hung Dao,
- National Day,
- Wandering Souls Day,
- Ho Chi Minh's Birthday