Its official name is Ho Chi Minh (renamed in 1976) but all locals I spoke to still call it Saigon, so that's what I call it. It's a huge, extremely hectic, polluted city but I loved it! There is so much going on and once you leave District 1, you're surrounded by culture and fantastic food. Saigon has a population of about 13 million, almost twice the population of the capital Hanoi. The streets are filled with a constant stream of scooters.
When I arrived to the airport, I opted for the local bus to District 1 which only cost 5,000d and was probably only a little slower than an expensive taxi. I was the only foreigner on the bus and one local even paid for my fare (until I sorted out my money and repaid him). I've got local buses in Saigon multiple times and I recommend them over taxis. They're much more adventurous (without being stressful) and only a fraction of the price.
The organisers of 'Talking with the Tourist' (see below) have created an amazing 'Surviving Saigon' booklet for tourists. They also have a Facebook group that's very useful if you spend more than a couple of days in Saigon. Saigon International Friends.
At the 'Talking with the Tourist' meet-up I met two Vietnamese girls who asked to take me around the city and took me to some amazing food places (all of which made it into my food guide) because I'd shown interested in the local cuisine. I got on the back of a scooter and we joined the masses of other bikes and headed out of District 1's tourist trap. The other districts are so much better but no tourists seem to visit them ever. I remember driving through District 10 and thinking I had to come back and stay there (which I did). It had such amazing energy. I highly recommended exploring the rest of the city.
Not long before I arrived in Vietnam, I started using the Couchsurfing app to discover meet-up events (usually just in cities). I've been to a few in different countries now and they tend to range from 10 to 50 people, a mixture of travellers, ex-pats and locals. I went to quite a few in Saigon and met some lovely people. I actually took over as the host of the regular meet-up while the main organiser was away.
After spending about a week in Saigon during my first trip, I decided to base myself here for two months when I returned. It was one of the best culinary experiences of my life. I highly recommend renting a scooter (it was one million dong for a month, which works out as about £1 per day), otherwise you will be stuck in one area. The roads are actually safer than you might think when you first arrive. I drove every day for two months and never felt in danger. I made lots of local friends and spent most of my time learning about the food and eating it!
Food
Please use my Vietnam food guide which has all of my favourite places and dishes for the best food in Saigon / Ho Chi Minh City.
Nightlife, bars & cafés
Ong Cao Craft Beer
A nice bar offering craft beer from a selection of local breweries including Pasteur Street, Heart of Darkness & Winking Seal. The sizes are determined by the breweries so not all of them have a small option and the prices seemed to be a bit higher than going direct to each brewery bar, but it's nice to have a selection and it makes a difference from all of the other bars on Bui Vien.
They seem to be the only place in town to add a slice of fresh mango to the Lac Mango IPA which makes it much more tasty and gives you the treat of IPA-soaked mango at the end.
East West Brewing Co.
Massive craft beer brewery bar with nice decor and atmosphere. It's quite different from the other brewery bars in Saigon.
There are 8 permanent beers on tap and 4 specials. You can get a tasting flight of 4 (175k) or 10 (425k).
The beers are tasty although not as interesting and complex as Heart of Darkness or Pasteur but I enjoyed it there and will go back.
Shri Restaurant & Lounge
Incredibly inventive cocktails on the 23rd floor. They have a happy hour with 25% off but most cocktails are 190k but they're more than just a drink.
Sights & Activities
FITO
Highly rated on TripAdvisor, it's a bit weird but I enjoyed it. Don't go if you only have a short amount of time in the city.
Ben Thanh Market
Too touristy for me (especially the prices) but it's a very popular market near to District 1. During the day the market is inside the building and at night, the streets either side are filled with stalls. If you go between 6-6.30pm you can watch the night market being set up.
Talking with the Tourist
Every Thursday to Sunday from 3pm to 6.30pm in 'September 23 Park' in District 1. It's easy to find as there will be rows of people sat on the floor, one side Vietnamese, one side foreign. The idea is that they want to improve their English and learn about our culture, in return for giving us local information. They even have laminated reference sheets with things like a map of the UK (I was asked to comment on loads of British cities and did some mildly offensive accents for each one) and photos of Vietnamese foods to help with the conversations. Visit their closed Facebook group.
Transport
Chi's Cafe
Scooter rental. I paid 800,000d for 3 weeks or 1,000,000d for 4 weeks for an old scooter but it was good enough for what I needed.