The 6 Best Ho Chi Minh City Districts For Expats

There are certain areas in Ho Chi Minh City where foreigners are an oddity. In others, they seem to be everywhere, clustered near boutique sandwich shops and craft beer bars. Whether you want to blend into normal Vietnamese life or have some version of home, there’s a place for you in this city.

Bình Thạnh

Most of this district is hiding down tiny alleys, which don’t look like much, but the inside of many of the homes would amaze you. There are so many cool places to live, and most landlords are more than happy to have foreigners. This is about as close as you can get to District 1 without inflated rents — but it doesn’t have the feel of a downtown metropolis. If you want to live in an actual Vietnamese community, rather than one that’s overflowing with foreigners and/or tourists, this hip district is for you. And if you love Japanese culture, be sure to check out Japan Town.

District 3

Phú Nhuận

And on the other side of the Nhieu Loc–Thi Nghe Canal is Phú Nhuận. The area along Trường Sa Street is popular with expats because of the plentiful cafes and restaurants. And it’s only a 10-minute drive to the downtown, so you’re not isolating yourself by living here. We lived here for years and loved it.

District 1

As long as you don’t mind higher rents and smaller accommodations, then District 1 is an exciting place to live. It’s more popular among newer expats, though, because most people get sick of the traffic and the hectic pace of life. And unless you’re willing to spend some serious money, you’ll likely be sharing a room in a house with others. There are as many nightmare roommate stories as there are expats in Vietnam. The upside, however, is that you’re right in the action. Many of the best bars, clubs, cafes and restaurants are minutes away.

District 7

A large number of the seasoned expats in the city reside in District 7 — and in the Phú Mỹ Hưng area, especially. You’ll find all the imported creature comforts you could ever want here: fancy restaurants, cafes, world class gyms, international schools, spas and boutique shops. Korean and Japanese business people in particular gravitate to this area. Think of it as an upscale suburb.

District 2

With such a large concentration of international schools, District 2 attracts many teaching professionals. Thao Dien ward in particular almost feels like foreigners are the majority these days. Expats here pay a premium for quieter living — to live on streets where they can jog and walk their dogs without insane traffic. You’ll pay more to live in District 2, but that’s the price for a bit of silence in a city of 10 million people.

Since you are here, we would like to share our vision for the future of travel - and the direction Culture Trip is moving in.

Culture Trip launched in 2011 with a simple yet passionate mission: to inspire people to go beyond their boundaries and experience what makes a place, its people and its culture special and meaningful — and this is still in our DNA today. We are proud that, for more than a decade, millions like you have trusted our award-winning recommendations by people who deeply understand what makes certain places and communities so special.

Increasingly we believe the world needs more meaningful, real-life connections between curious travellers keen to explore the world in a more responsible way. That is why we have intensively curated a collection of premium small-group trips as an invitation to meet and connect with new, like-minded people for once-in-a-lifetime experiences in three categories: Culture Trips, Rail Trips and Private Trips. Our Trips are suitable for both solo travelers, couples and friends who want to explore the world together.

Culture Trips are deeply immersive 5 to 16 days itineraries, that combine authentic local experiences, exciting activities and 4-5* accommodation to look forward to at the end of each day. Our Rail Trips are our most planet-friendly itineraries that invite you to take the scenic route, relax whilst getting under the skin of a destination. Our Private Trips are fully tailored itineraries, curated by our Travel Experts specifically for you, your friends or your family.

We know that many of you worry about the environmental impact of travel and are looking for ways of expanding horizons in ways that do minimal harm - and may even bring benefits. We are committed to go as far as possible in curating our trips with care for the planet. That is why all of our trips are flightless in destination, fully carbon offset - and we have ambitious plans to be net zero in the very near future.