Ho Chi Minh City

The former Saigon -- renamed after reunification in 1975 but still universally called Saigon by its 9 million residents -- is Southeast Asia's most energetic city, where 8 million motorbikes create a perpetual river of traffic and a street food scene of 30,000 vendors serves every Vietnamese regional cuisine simultaneously. The War Remnants Museum, visited by 500,000 people annually, offers the most unflinching account of the Vietnam War from the Vietnamese perspective available anywhere in the world, deeper in historical impact than Hanoi's Hoa Lo Prison. It is the top entry point for tourists, with over 6 million international arrivals in 2023, 50% more than Hanoi Old Quarter.