District 1 Saigon: Neighbourhoods, Landmarks, Food and Where to Stay
District 1 no longer exists on paper. Since 1 July 2025, the old centre of Ho Chi Minh City has been split into four wards. It is still where visitors see the landmarks and eat, and everyone still calls it District 1. The streets kept their names; what changed is the ward printed under them.
- No district since 1 July 2025. Old District 1 is now four wards: Sai Gon, Ben Thanh, Tan Dinh and Cau Ong Lanh.
- Same streets, same names. Only the ward on maps and invoices is new.
- People still say District 1. Drivers and booking sites use it every day.
- Sai Gon ward is the Opera House and Nguyen Hue core; Ben Thanh ward holds the market and the palace.
- Metro Line 1 stops at Ben Thanh and Opera House.
What Changed on 1 July 2025
Vietnam removed the district tier from its map. Wards now report straight to the city, so District 1 stopped being an administrative unit. Three decisions, taken in June 2025, did it.
- 112 June 2025
Resolution 202/2025/QH15
The National Assembly cuts 63 provinces and cities to 34. Ho Chi Minh City absorbs Binh Duong and Ba Ria-Vung Tau.
- 216 June 2025
Resolution 203/2025/QH15
The Constitution is amended to abolish the district tier. 696 district units disappear nationwide.
- 316 June 2025
Resolution 1685/NQ-UBTVQH15
The Standing Committee of the National Assembly draws the new wards of Ho Chi Minh City, including the four that replace District 1.
- 41 July 2025
The new map applies
Wards and communes report directly to the city. District 1 ends as an administrative unit.
The merged city now counts over 14 million people and 168 local units: 113 wards, 54 communes and the special zone of Con Dao.
For a visitor, the change is mostly on paper. The centre did not move. The Opera House, Ben Thanh Market and Nguyen Hue are where they were, on the same streets. What you will notice:
- Hotel invoices and official addresses show a ward name, often with no district.
- Older guidebooks and blogs name wards that were abolished, such as Ben Nghe or Pham Ngu Lao.
- People in the street, drivers included, still say District 1.
This page keeps the old name for that reason, with the new ward beside it. For every other old district, our guide to Ho Chi Minh City districts after the reform has the full table.
Guests ask me which district they are standing in. The honest answer is a ward name. I tell them to keep saying District 1 to drivers, and to read the ward only on paper.
The Four Wards and the Old Ones Inside Them
Before July 2025, District 1 held ten wards. They now sit inside four. Keep this table open if you are reading an older guide.
| New ward | Old District 1 wards it took in | Places inside, with their address |
|---|---|---|
| Sai Gon | All of Ben Nghe, part of Da Kao, the rest of Nguyen Thai Binh | Central Post Office, Notre-Dame Cathedral, City Hall (86 Le Thanh Ton) |
| Ben Thanh | Ben Thanh, Pham Ngu Lao, part of Cau Ong Lanh, part of Nguyen Thai Binh | Ben Thanh Market, Independence Palace, Saigon Square, Pho Museum |
| Tan Dinh | Tan Dinh, the rest of Da Kao | Jade Emperor Pagoda (73 Mai Thi Luu) |
| Cau Ong Lanh | Cau Kho, Co Giang, Nguyen Cu Trinh, the rest of Cau Ong Lanh | No landmark in this guide |
Sai Gon ward: the riverside core
The Dong Khoi, Nguyen Hue and Opera House area. If an old blog says Ben Nghe, it now means Sai Gon ward.
Ben Thanh ward: market, palace and backpacker streets
The market, the palace and the old Pham Ngu Lao ward, home of the backpacker quarter. Metro Line 1 starts at Ben Thanh station, at the market's front door.
Tan Dinh ward: the Jade Emperor Pagoda
The pagoda stands at 73 Mai Thi Luu, in what used to be Da Kao ward.
Cau Ong Lanh ward: four old wards in one
Cau Kho, Co Giang, Nguyen Cu Trinh and the rest of the old Cau Ong Lanh ward now share one name. An address there written before July 2025 may carry any of the four.
Sights, Grouped by What You Came to Do
Prices and hours below were checked in September 2026.
Colonial buildings on foot
Start at the Central Post Office, 2 Cong Xa Paris, free to enter. One of its wall maps is a hand-painted 1892 map of Saigon.
Notre-Dame Cathedral, 1 Cong Xa Paris, has been under restoration since 2017. The square and facade are free; the interior opens for mass only.
Beside the post office, Nguyen Van Binh Book Street is a shaded 100 m lane of bookshops and cafes.
The Opera House has no public tours: you go inside only with a show ticket. City Hall is a working office. Free tours run only on 30 April to 1 May, 1 to 2 September and the last weekend of each month.
History and museums
The Independence Palace, 135 Nam Ky Khoi Nghia, can close without notice for state events, especially around 30 April.
The Fine Arts Museum, 97A Pho Duc Chinh, costs 30,000 VND; its 1929 mansion still has the city's first private lift. The Pho Museum, 211 Nguyen Thai Hoc, opened in January 2026.
One museum people place in District 1 is not there: the War Remnants Museum sits in old District 3. Our local guide to things to do across the city covers it.
A temple away from the traffic
The Jade Emperor Pagoda is free, and stays open longer on the 1st and 15th of the lunar month.
The skyline from above
The Bitexco Skydeck, floor 49 at 2 Hai Trieu, costs 240,000 VND. The EON Heli Bar, on floors 50 to 52, charges only for a drink: a beer is about 90,000 VND.
Markets and evening walks
Our Ben Thanh Market guide to prices and bargaining tells you what to pay. After dark, walk Nguyen Hue, 670 m from City Hall to the river, closed to vehicles on weekend evenings. Leave the Bach Dang riverside before midnight.
| Place | Ward | Hours | Adult entry, 2026 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Central Post Office | Sai Gon | Mon-Fri 7:00-17:00, Sat 7:00-18:00, Sun 8:00-18:00 | Free |
| Notre-Dame Cathedral | Sai Gon | Exterior only, interior for mass | Free |
| City Hall | Sai Gon | Tours on set dates only | Free |
| Independence Palace | Ben Thanh | 7:00-18:00 | 40,000 VND; 80,000 with exhibition |
| Ben Thanh Market | Ben Thanh | Hall 6:00-18:00, night stalls to 23:00 | Free |
| Pho Museum | Ben Thanh | 8:00-21:00 | 750,000 VND guided visit |
| Jade Emperor Pagoda | Tan Dinh | 7:00-17:30 | Free |
Where to Eat in the Centre
Old District 1 has Michelin-listed noodle shops and 25,000 VND banh mi a few streets apart.
Morning noodles
Pho Minh, down alley 63/6 Pasteur, serves bowls at about 60,000 VND from an 80-year family recipe, and sells out by 10 AM. Pho Phuong, 25 Hoang Sa, shares its 2025 Bib Gourmand.
For rolled rice sheets, Banh Cuon Tay Ho, 127 Dinh Tien Hoang, charges 30,000 to 55,000 VND and earned a new Bib Gourmand in 2026.
Banh mi and sticky rice
Huynh Hoa, 26-32 Le Thi Rieng, opens 6 AM to 10 PM; its March 2026 menu runs 28,000 to 78,000 VND. Banh Mi Bay Ho, 19 Huynh Khuong Ninh, has sold them for over 80 years at 25,000 to 35,000 VND. By Ben Thanh, Xoi Ga Number One, 15 Nguyen Trung Truc, is Michelin Selected: corn sticky rice is 20,000 VND, with a chicken leg 40,000.
An evening on Co Giang
Co Giang is a quiet local strip that lights up at its north-east end after dark. Order bo la lot at Hoa, 91 Co Giang, for 20,000 to 30,000 VND, and bun thit nuong at Chi Tuyen for 60,000. Chao long at Ba Ut has been served for over 85 years.
Coffee above Nguyen Hue
The Cafe Apartment at 42 Nguyen Hue is a nine-storey 1960s block of cafes. The lift costs 3,000 to 5,000 VND, usually refunded against an order.
For dishes by name and what to order, see our Saigon street food guide, 21 dishes and where locals eat them.
Where to Sleep: Three Bases in One Old District
The centre suits a first visit: you walk to most sights. The choice is really about noise and budget.
Sai Gon ward, by the river
Colonial streets and walking distance to everything. Five-star examples: Caravelle $180, Park Hyatt $259, Sheraton $350 a night.
Compare areas
Ben Thanh ward, by the market
3-star rooms $25 to $35, 4-star $55 to $70, with Fusion Original and Silverland among them.
Compare areas
Pham Ngu Lao and Bui Vien
Hostels from $9.50 to $10. Very loud at weekends, suited to solo travellers, not to families.
Compare areas
With children, look at Hotel Indigo, Sofitel Plaza, Fusion Original, which has mall access, or Somerset HCMC. Bui Vien stays loud until about 2 AM. If you walk back late, read our honest safety guide, written by a local woman.
To weigh the centre against quieter districts, our where-to-stay comparison by traveller covers the whole city.
What an Address Becomes When You Book
The same hotel can carry two addresses, and both are correct. Hotel Grand Saigon gives its own as 8 Dong Khoi, Sai Gon Ward. Booking sites list it in District 1. The ward is the official name; the district is the everyday one.
| Where you read it | What it usually shows | What to do |
|---|---|---|
| Hotel invoice, front desk card | Street, number and new ward | Nothing: it is the same street |
| Booking platform | District 1 | Nothing: it is the same place |
| OpenStreetMap-based maps | New ward, no district | Search by street and number |
| Google Maps | Often the old district name | Search by street and number |
| Older guidebook or blog | Abolished wards, such as Ben Nghe | Use the ward table above |
What did not change
Street names stayed the same. Dong Khoi is still Dong Khoi, and the street name is what a pedestrian or a driver needs. The ward only matters on paper.
With a driver
Show the street and number written in Vietnamese. If you say District 1 out loud, you will be understood. After 10 PM, book a Grab home rather than hailing a ride.
Questions we get on the bike
Not as an administrative unit. Since 1 July 2025 it has been split into four wards: Sai Gon, Ben Thanh, Tan Dinh and Cau Ong Lanh. The name is still used every day by locals, drivers and booking sites.
Ben Thanh ward, the same ward as the Independence Palace and Saigon Square. Metro Line 1 has a station at the market's front door.
Official addresses use the new ward. Sai Gon ward took in all of the old Ben Nghe ward, the Dong Khoi, Nguyen Hue and Opera House core. Booking sites still say District 1 for the same street.
Yes. You can walk to most sights, it is safe, and there are rooms from hostels to five-star hotels. Pick Bui Vien only if you do not mind noise until about 2 AM.
Violent crime is rare. The main risk is a phone or bag snatched from a passing motorbike, around Ben Thanh, Bui Vien, Nguyen Hue and Dong Khoi. Avoid the Bach Dang riverside after midnight.
Clara grew up just outside Saigon and moved to the city five years ago to study. She has been riding its streets ever since. Most evenings you’ll find her leading our night rides, usually with a bowl of snails waiting at the end. Everything in this guide is what she tells her own guests before the first stop.
See old District 1 from the back seat
Four hours on the City Tour, 8:30 AM or 1:30 PM, with a local woman guide at the handlebars. Free cancellation up to 24 hours, no deposit, pay on the day.
