Phạm Ngũ Lão Street (Backpacker Street), Saigon/HoChiMinh City

Phạm Ngũ Lão Street is known as Backpacker Street because of the many low-rate guest houses, hostels, and small hotels that line it. It is named for Phạm Ngũ Lão, a national hero that lived from 1255 to 1320.

Phạm Ngũ Lão Street is lined with markets, both indoor and outdoor. It's the perfect place in town to buy cheap clothes or electronics. Not everything is on the up-and-up here, so buyer beware.

Besides shopping, there are many bars, restaurants, and cafes along the street. The street is very crowded, noisy, and alive. This is a traveler hot spot where you can get a good look at Ho Chi Minh City life from right inside of it!

A major fixture along the road is the September 23rd Park. The park serves as a quiet, tree-lined oasis of calm in an otherwise bustling neighborhood. It's a great place to eat your banh mi and drink your latte in peace.

Image Courtesy of Flickr and Paul Arps.

Want to visit this sight? Check out these Self-Guided Walking Tours in Saigon/HoChiMinh City. Alternatively, you can download the mobile app "GPSmyCity: Walks in 1K+ Cities" from Apple App Store or Google Play Store. The app turns your mobile device to a personal tour guide and it works offline, so no data plan is needed when traveling abroad.

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Create Your Own Self-Guided Walk to Visit This Sight

Sight Name: Phạm Ngũ Lão Street (Backpacker Street)
Sight Location: Saigon/HoChiMinh City, Vietnam (See walking tours in Saigon/HoChiMinh City)
Sight Type: Attraction/Landmark
Guide(s) Containing This Sight:

Shopping Tour

Walking Tours in Saigon/HoChiMinh City, Vietnam

Create Your Own Walk in Saigon/HoChiMinh City

Creating your own self-guided walk in Saigon/HoChiMinh City is easy and fun. Choose the city attractions that you want to see and a walk route map will be created just for you. You can even set your hotel as the start point of the walk.

Saigon/HoChiMinh City Introduction Walking Tour

While many still refer to the city as Saigon, it was renamed Ho Chi Minh City (HCMC) in 1976 after the reunification of North and South Vietnam. The name honors the first leader of communist North Vietnam, Ho Chi Minh. But many still call the inner business district Saigon, while the larger metropolitan area is known as HCMC.

For most of its early history, this was a scarcely populated area... view more

Tour Duration: 3 Hour(s)
Travel Distance: 4.9 Km or 3 Miles

Chinatown Walking Tour

The relationship between Vietnam and China traces back over 2,000 years. Over this time, Vietnamese culture, customs, administrative system, and even the language have been heavily influenced by the great northern neighbor. So much so, in fact, that although Vietnam had its own spoken language, until the late 1800s its official written language was Chinese.

Chinatown in Ho Chi Minh City,... view more

Tour Duration: 1 Hour(s)
Travel Distance: 3.0 Km or 1.9 Miles

Historical Religious Sites

For centuries, Vietnamese people have practiced Confucianism and Buddhism brought over from neighboring China. Added to these Eastern teachings, in the 16th century, was Christianity – introduced to Vietnam by Western missionaries. The result of this variety of faiths has become a mixture of gorgeous Confucian and Buddhist temples and Catholic churches in Ho Chi Minh City. Some of these... view more

Tour Duration: 2 Hour(s)
Travel Distance: 5.9 Km or 3.7 Miles

Shopping Tour

Among other accolades, Ho Chi Minh City is known as a great shopping destination. Attesting to its reputation are a plethora of street markets scattered throughout the city, selling all sorts of fresh local produce, including coffee beans, and other delights, not to mention street food and souvenirs – all at extremely competitive prices. There are also designated markets specialized in niche... view more

Tour Duration: 1 Hour(s)
Travel Distance: 2.5 Km or 1.6 Miles