We are looking to spend some time there and would like to hear from anyone who has done so with advice about;
1] Where to stay that is close to points of interest & of a reasonable standard,
2] Whether January/February is Ok as far as weather is concerned,
3] Must sees and does - culture, museums, local colour, etc.,
4] Out of town places to explore, that are reachable by public transport.

I've spent a few weeks there on different trips. I love Saigon!

1. Anywhere in District 1. If you are looking for specific hotel recommendations you need to give a price range.

2. Great time of the year, but make sure you know the dates of the Tet holidays when the city fills to the brim with returning Vietnamese who live abroad. IN 2011 Tet begins 3 February which means that the city will start to fill up before then..so you need to book hotel well in advance.

3,4. Please do some reading, either on the Destinations page of this site, or trip reports on this forum, or in guidebooks....to me, the city is more about soaking up the atmosphere than seeing individual "sights."

we stayed at liberty central...it was very nice...

Thanks for the tip about Tet, ekscrunchy. "Destinations" has nothing on Vietnam but I'll keep my eyes open for other sources of info.

Roger: You can read my report linked below; Saigon is the last stop. Unfortunately, there is no info about sightseeing, as this visit was mainly for lounging at the end of a SE Asian jaunt.

But there are other trip reports here that cover the city in more detail.. You really do not need much advance preparation other than hotel reservations and you certainly do not need a guide. A popular side trip would be to the Delta but I've not managed to get that far..


http://www.fodors.com/community/asia...rip-report.cfm



Try the Destinations page of Frommers.com.

http://www.frommers.com/destinations/vietnam/

Thanks again ekscrunchy. Your report has given us the incentive to start preparing in earnest. Fortunately Vietnam's London embassy is only an hour from home, so a visa will be our first step.

The Park Hyatt sounds like a great base.

The park hyatt is a wonderful hotel and in a great location. Book thru whatahotel.com sometimes you get additional perks. We did and got an 80usd credit for lunch in one of their restuarants