Where to put down your expat roots in Hi Chi Minh City

If you’re relocating to Saigon, now known as Ho Chi Minh City, where’s the best place to put down roots?

Expats relocating to Southeast Asia generally and Vietnam in particular come in two flavours, with the first eager to embrace the colourful life in their new home and the second desperately searching for familiar surroundings including Western amenities. With expats, accommodation is almost always ‘horses for courses’, but commuting time also pays a big part in the final decision, especially in Ho Chi Minh City with its horrendous traffic. For expatriates willing to embrace the difference and diversity of Vietnam from a slight, expat-oriented distance, District 2 is the place, and for those whose motto is ‘there’s no place like home’, District 7 is just right. The truly adventurous couldn’t do better than the chaotic city centre and its surrounding districts.

If the new job or startup is in the city centre, District 1 with its broad, tree-lined streets, bright lights and upscale apartments is as close to Western comforts as you’ll get in Southeast Asia. The vast majority of expatriates in Vietnam settle in District 2, a vast area combining marshlands with developments given over to housing for a combination of wealthy Vietnamese and Western expatriates. Cut into two halves by Highway 1, the entire area is comparatively quiet and bicycle-friendly, with surprisingly affordable luxury mansions complete with pools set in gated communities along with good quality restaurants and bars. International schools are within an easy drive, but the commute to District 1 takes around 40 minutes.

District 7 is another expat hub, set around 40 minutes' drive south of District 1 and originally planned as a satellite town for Ho Chi Minh City. Wide, tree-lined avenues, towering apartment blocks, impressive villas and loads of green space interspersed with sports clubs, international schools and swimming pools are the attractions here. The multinational expat community includes Japanese, Koreans and Westerners, and the selection of shops, bars and restaurants is now increasing. Another advantage is that the district is comparatively quiet, a rarity in this frantic city.

For traditionalists, District 3 is the perfect place, with its old colonial villas sheltered by giant trees and its quality of life much appreciated by Vietnamese lucky enough to be able to afford to live here. It’s close to District 1 but far less westernised, and boasts excellent eateries and more than its fair share of peace and quiet. Villas in good condition are pricey to rent and many of the charming old homes need repairs and renovations, but there’s also a good choice of townhouses available at more reasonable rents.