Saigon’s District 7 is a sleek, fashionable and well-designed retreat for the wealthy within the fringes of the city. Businesspeople, both expats and the local nouveau riche, have embraced this planned neighbourhood of wide streets, fancy shops and manicured parks.
A centrepiece is the Crescent, a glitzy promenade of eating and upscale shopping along a scooped-out section of canal. After dark, the 700m-long pedestrian-only Starlight Bridge is a colourful attraction. The expansive SC Vivo City shopping centre is also located here.
It’s well worth visiting Saigon South for a stroll and a look around. If you’re a fitness freak, it’s one of the less petrol-fumed places for a jog. Plenty of big-name city restaurants and chains have colonised the area. The Crescent is 7km south of Pham Ngu Lao; it should only take 15 minutes by cab (around 150,000d), outside of peak times.