Staying in Tan Phu: a quiet residential base in west Saigon

Who should stay in Tan Phu?

Tan Phu suits budget travellers, visitors staying with friends or family in the west of the city, business travellers with work in the area, and travellers on long stays who want low prices and local life. It is also close to the airport, which lies just to the north-east.

The trade-offs are distance from the centre and the absence of sights: District 1 is about 7 to 10 km away, 30 to 45 minutes by car outside the rush hours and longer at peak times, and there are few tourist services in the district. Visitors interested in sightseeing usually stay closer to the centre.

Hotels and other places to stay in Tan Phu

The 22 properties listed in this zone are mostly hotels, with a few apartments and homestays. Most are simple one- to three-star hotels on the main streets, aimed at domestic travellers and business visitors, and prices are among the lowest in the city. Each listing gives the distance to the airport and the centre, which is useful because the district is spread out.

As in other residential districts, some small hotels do not serve breakfast, but street-food stalls, bakeries and cafés are never far away.

What is there to do in Tan Phu?

Tan Phu is a district for everyday life rather than sightseeing. Its large shopping centres, including Aeon Mall Tan Phu, have supermarkets, restaurants, cinemas and play areas, popular with local families at weekends, and its markets and street-food alleys offer cheap meals. Dam Sen Park, a large amusement park with a water park, is a short ride away in neighbouring District 11.

For the city's main sights, District 1, District 3 and Cho Lon are a 20 to 45-minute ride away.

How do you get to Tan Phu?

From Tan Son Nhat International Airport, Tan Phu is about 1 to 3 km away, a 10 to 25-minute ride depending on traffic. Ride-hailing cars and motorbike taxis are the usual way to get around, and city buses run along the main roads towards the centre and Cho Lon.

Metro Line 1 does not serve Tan Phu. The Western Bus Station, for buses to the Mekong Delta, is in neighbouring Binh Tan.

When is Tan Phu at its best?

Tan Phu is a year-round base for local stays. The dry season, from about December to April, is the most comfortable time for trips into the centre; during the rainy season, from about May to November, heavy afternoon showers can slow traffic. Around Tet, the Lunar New Year in late January or February, the malls are decorated and busy, while many small shops and restaurants close for several days.

What is daily life like in Tan Phu?

Tan Phu shows how most Saigonese actually live. Mornings start early with street breakfasts of broken rice, banh mi and noodle soup at stalls set up on the pavement, and coffee shops fill with people before work. During the day the main roads are lined with shophouses selling everything from motorbike parts to clothes, and in the evening families head to the malls, the parks and the food alleys, where grilled meat, hot pots and sweet soups are served at low plastic tables.

The district has a large number of schools and residential blocks, so weekends are lively and weekday nights are quiet. There are few bars aimed at foreigners and little English on menus away from the malls, which is part of the experience for curious travellers: pointing and smiling usually works, and prices are often written on the wall. Prices for food and everyday services are noticeably lower than in the centre, and a meal at a local eatery rarely costs more than a coffee in District 1's tourist cafés.

For visitors with children, the play areas in the malls and Dam Sen Park in nearby District 11 are the main attractions. For everyone else, Tan Phu works best as a quiet, inexpensive base combined with day trips by taxi to the centre, to Cho Lon and to the markets of the west of the city.