Ho Chi Minh City is recognized as a safe destination for both domestic and foreign tourists. Your trip to this charming city will generally go smoothly and you will not get any troubles on your vacation. Several people may be worried about the crime such as pick-pocketing, bag/purse-snatching and thefts from the hotel rooms; however, the level of these crimes is much lower than that of other cities in Vietnam. A good understanding of the surroundings and some helpful tips below will help you avoid unexpected problems during your visit to Ho Chi Minh City.
Is Ho Chi Minh City safe?
Low Rate of Crime in Ho Chi Minh City
Violent Crime
The violent crime is exceedingly rare in Ho Chi Minh City as well as other cities in Vietnam. Anyone committing any act against foreigners is punished more harshly than those who do so against the locals. Therefore, visitors can feel safe when traveling to the city.
Terror Threat
There is a low probability of a terrorist attack in the city. The main cases just happen in the border regions. Also, for the personal safety of visitors, the Vietnamese Government, as well as tourism companies, do not allow tourists to get to the conflict areas or unsafe places.
Ho Chi Minh City Experiences Less Natural Disasters
The weather in Ho Chi Minh City is quite nice and rarely has severe natural disasters like typhoons, flood or drought. However, during the wet season (May to October), there will be rainy days throughout both daytime and nighttime that cause some problems for both the locals and tourists and make everyone feel uncomfortable. If you are planning for your vacation, you should get to know about the best time to visit Ho Chi Minh City to make your journey as smooth and relaxed as possible.
Some Risks in Ho Chi Minh City
Generally, Ho Chi Minh City is a safe city. However, some risks still occur such as pick-pocketing, bag/purse snatching and valuables theft.
One of the most common issues in the city as well as in Vietnam is motorbike snatching which usually involves thieves on motorbikes snatching pedestrians’ bags, purses, mobile phones, cameras, and jewelry. They target not only foreign tourists but also local people. Besides, in hotel rooms, there have been reports of stolen belongings such as wallets, cell phones, cameras… so you should put everything in a security deposit box.
Concerning transport risk, some local taxi drivers are from private taxi branches and they know that you are not a native, so do not acquaint with the local taxi fares. Therefore they refuse to switch on the taxi meters and you have to pay for the double expensive service.
Also, sexual assaults and robberies are probable in the areas which are filled with clubs, bars, and pubs because there are many suspicious individuals in these places.
Useful Safety Tips for Travelers in Ho Chi Minh City
Although Saigon has no serious threat to travelers and the Saigon government has many policies to protect foreigners, we should protect ourselves by anyway. Hereunder are some useful safety tips we highly recommend to you:
• Keep valuable items carefully. You should not bring too many costly items such as watches, jewelry, and others when going out
• Try to sightsee in the daytime, you will be safer as the streets are crowded with a lot of people
• Don’t go out too late in the deserted areas to avoid unexpected troubles
• Learn Vietnamese a little; for example, “xin chào” (hello), “cảm ơn” (thank you), “xin lỗi” (sorry), “cứu tôi” (help me!) and several sentences to order or ask the direction.
• Keep the emergency contacts in your phone
112: Assistance, search, and rescue
113: Police
114: Fire
115: Ambulance
Hope this information we provide can be your picked-notes when traveling in Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam. Please check https://www.saigonlocaltour.com/ho-chi-minh-city-travel-blog/ for more tips and guides for your time in Hanoi, Vietnam.
