Cho Lon, also well-known as Chinatown, is an area of Ho Chi Minh where many Chinese immigrants reside and earn their living. Within Cho Lon, the biggest and most crowded trade hub is Tan Binh Market, where you can find a wide range of clothing and knick-knacks at very low prices (although be warned the assortment is mostly made up of obscure dried edibles and Chinese ritual paraphernalia). An interesting time to visit Cho Lon is when locals celebrate the Chinese New Year Festival. During Tet, all shops and eateries are lavishly decorated with multi-coloured lanterns, and streets seem to become deluged with the lucky colour red.

Besides being incredibly rich in fruit trees and vegetables thanks to a wonderful climate that usually ranges from 12°C to 25°C, this area offers the most scenic destinations. Explore the rocky mountain rivers, wander the great hiking trails, visit horse and orchid farms and admire the impressive Baru Volcano, Panama's tallest mountain, 3.474 meter high, from which on a sunny day you can see both the Pacific and Atlantic Ocean. Your experience will also be made special by the interaction with the indigenous tribes who still live here, the ancient archaeological sites and if interested, the many bird watching sights. The area offers multiple cabins, hotels and hostels to suit all tastes and budgets.

There are multiple local companies offering scooter tours of the Vietnam capital. These tours range greatly in thematic focus (street food to historic landmarks) and duration, and depend on the individual provider, but details can often be agreed upon on an individual basis. On these tours, an individual driver is normally assigned to each visitor, who then hops on the back of the scooter as a passenger. Helmets should normally be provided. One motorbike tour of Ho Chi Minh personally tested out by the editor is Non-profit Student Tour, an incredible initiative that works surprisingly well. The coordinator links up tourists with available local student volunteers, allowing the students to practice their English and bringing overseas visitors into contact with locals. Each traveller is assigned an individual driver (this even works with larger groups). Drop them a WhatsApp message to arrange the date and time.

The New Church (or Nieuwe Kerk) isn't just a regular 15th-century church. It played an important role throughout history, and hosted the inaugurations of multiple Dutch kings and queens. Today's royalty — the Dutch king and queen — exchanged vows here, too. These days the church frequently hosts various exhibitions.