The New York Times Style Magazine says a short period of overwhelming foreign investment, plus rapid urbanization and a booming labor force, has established Vietnam as one of the fastest growing economies in the world, with Ho Chi Minh City – still often referred to as Saigon – at its forefront.

The magazine then provides readers a guide of where to stay, eat, shop and what to see in Vietnam’s largest and most exhilarating metropolis.

It says anyone with even cursory knowledge of Vietnamese cuisine is aware of Pho and of how readily it can be found in Vietnamese-American enclaves like San Jose, California and Houston. But Ho Chi Minh City offers some of the “funkier, more complex noodle soups of the region”.

The story also suggests visits to the Buddha-themed Suoi Tien amusement park and the Southern Women’s Museum where relics and photographs relating to the history of Vietnamese women and their impact on the development and liberation of the country are on display./.

VNA