Useful Links

Saigon Travel Links

Things you will actually need in Saigon that we do not make ourselves. FluentSaigon covers the Vietnamese you will speak; these cover everything else. There are no affiliate links on this page — nobody pays to be listed here, and if that ever changes we will say so.

Apps

Getting around

Grab

The one most visitors already know. Rides, motorbikes, and food delivery, with the fare set in the app so there is nothing to haggle over.

Xanh SM (Green SM)

VinFast's all-electric fleet, now the largest ride-hailing service in Vietnam. The cars say Xanh SM and the app stores say Green SM. Same company — do not let the two names confuse you.

be

The Vietnamese-owned option, and a useful backup when Grab is surging.

Telling a driver where you are going

Before you go

Vietnam e-visa, official portal

This is the government's own site, and the only one that charges the government's own fee. Lookalike sites buy ads for phrases like "Vietnam visa official website", collect your details, submit them here, and keep the difference. Travelers routinely overpay by 50 to 200 dollars doing it.

US State Department: Vietnam

Entry requirements, the current advisory level, and a clear account of what a consulate can and cannot do for you.

Emergencies

If something goes wrong

FV Hospital

An international hospital in Ho Chi Minh City with English-speaking staff. Worth saving to your phone before you need it, not after.

US Embassy and Consulates in Vietnam

Passport replacement, emergency assistance, and the Ho Chi Minh City consulate's contact details.

Saying what is wrong, in Vietnamese

Learning more

VietnameseLessons.com

A wider library of Vietnamese learning resources: courses, apps, and tutors across regions and dialects. We teach spoken survival Saigon Vietnamese. If you want a full curriculum, start there.

Every link on this page was checked in August 2026.