At first glance, Ho Chi Minh City is a lot like Hanoi. Motorbikes whizz down every street, food vendors with their tiny red plastic chairs set up on every corner, night markets generate one undistinguishable smell after another.... 

But as soon as we started exploring, it was clear that Ho Chi Minh City - more commonly referred to by its previous name, Saigon - is very different from its northern sister. While it has more than twice the population, Ho Chi Minh's square milage (809) is less than Hanoi's (1,200+). And yet it still feels less crowded, thanks to wider, European-style streets and city squares.

The western influence is obvious, from the young people sporting crop tops and platform sneakers to the McDonald's on the corner. (There are only three McDonald's in all of Vietnam and all three are in Saigon. I looked it up.) 

Only when we went up to the 52nd floor of Bitexco Financial Tower, one of the tallest skyscrapers in the city, did we fully grasp just how massive the city really is. 360-degree views are the only reason to go up to the helipad restaurant, which has a 10+ page menu of outrageously priced cocktails. We paid 140,000 dong for two beers (only $6.20 but unacceptable compared to the low prices we're already used to). But, watching the sun set and the city lights gradually grow brighter and brighter from above was a bit magical. 

We spent every day wandering from restaurant to museum to market to restaurant, just taking it all in. The Ben Thanh Market was a bigger, badder version of the street markets we'd seen thus far, with all the clothes, jewelry, flowers, dried seafood, fresh pigs feet and live squid you could want!

The War Remnants Museum was a powerful, somber experience that left us asking "why?" for days to come. We also continued our education about the "American War" by visiting the Cu Chi Tunnels an hour outside the city. 

Not pictured are many great meals (including Noir) and spa treatments (crazy cheap in Vietnam). 

Our hotel was a block away from Ho Chi Minh Square, a pedestrian area that starts at the massive statue of Ho Chi Minh adjacent to City Hall and stretches for about four blocks to the river. At night, Ho Chi Minh Square comes alive with break dancers, drum circles, kids running around and selfie sticks everywhere you look... and it's all surrounded by towering buildings outlined in neon lights. It has an almost futuristic feel, an observation that I'd expect the forward-thinking city to take as a compliment.