Ho Chi Minh City

Is Ho Chi Minh City safe?

Yes, in the sense most travellers mean. Violent crime against foreigners is rare, according to the UK Foreign Office, and the US rates Vietnam at its lowest advisory level. The things that go wrong in Ho Chi Minh City are quicker and more ordinary: a phone pulled from your hand by someone on a motorbike, a scooter clipping you on a crossing, or a taxi fare that triples.

We score Ho Chi Minh City 69 out of 100, a little above Bangkok and just below Kuala Lumpur. Our Vietnam page covers the rest of the country, including Hanoi and the central coast.

Snatch theft is the crime to plan for

If you read one thing before visiting Saigon, make it this. The FCDOFCDO travel adviceThe UK government's travel advice for each country, which can advise against all travel or all but essential travel to specific areas.More in the glossary says bag snatching by thieves on motorbikes is common in crowded and tourist areas, and that it rises around Christmas and Tet (Lunar New Year). The usual target is a phone held at the edge of the road while someone checks a map or waits for a Grab. Riders also grab bags from people sitting in cyclos and on the back of motorbike taxis.

What helps:

• Step back from the kerb before you take out your phone, or use it inside a shop.
• Carry a bag across your body, on the side away from traffic.
• Use a phone strap or keep the phone in a zipped pocket on the back of a motorbike taxi.
• If someone grabs your bag, let it go. The FCDO says to give up valuables rather than risk injury.

City police reported crime against social order down more than 24% in 2025 and property crime down more than 29%, but snatching still happens often enough around District 1 that locals warn visitors. Pickpockets work Ben Thanh market and the crowds on Bui Vien.

Scams are minor. Street taxis without a known brand may run fast meters or refuse them, cyclo drivers sometimes demand far more than agreed at the end of a ride, and some motorbike rental shops ask for your passport as a deposit. The FCDO advises never to hand it over.

Traffic: the real physical risk

The city recorded 1,044 road deaths in 2025, down 65 on 2024, according to city figures reported by the newspaper SGGP. Since mid-2025 the city has included Binh Duong and Ba Ria-Vung Tau, so that works out at very roughly 7 to 8 deaths per 100,000 people, lower than the national WHO estimateWHO road-death estimateThe World Health Organization's estimate of road traffic deaths per 100,000 people in a country, adjusted for deaths that police statistics miss.More in the glossary for Vietnam. Police counts tend to understate deaths, though, and for a pedestrian the numbers matter less than the streets: millions of motorbikes, few drivers who stop at zebra crossings, and pavements used for parking and riding.

Cross at lights where they exist and walk at a steady pace so riders can steer around you. Do not rent a motorbike in the city unless you are an experienced rider with the right licence; the FCDOFCDO travel adviceThe UK government's travel advice for each country, which can advise against all travel or all but essential travel to specific areas.More in the glossary says crashes have killed and injured British visitors. Grab and Be car rides cost little, and Metro Line 1 from Ben Thanh to Suoi Tien opened in December 2024.

Nights out and personal safety

District 1 is where most visitors go out, and it is lively and fairly safe until late. In Gallup's 2025 Global Safety Report, 88% of people in Vietnam said they feel safe walking alone at night, one of the highest shares in Asia; the catch in Saigon is the phone snatcher on a motorbike, who works Bui Vien and the riverside after dark as well as by day. The FCDOFCDO travel adviceThe UK government's travel advice for each country, which can advise against all travel or all but essential travel to specific areas.More in the glossary lists the other risks: rape and sexual assaults often committed by or linked to unlicensed taxi drivers, groping of women walking alone, and drink spiking. It also reports deaths from methanol in alcohol. Buy your own drinks, avoid cheap spirits and home-made rice wine, and book rides through an app so the trip is recorded.

Drug penalties are severe, including for cannabis, and can include the death penalty for trafficking.

Air, water and heat

The air is a moderate rather than severe problem. Vietnam averaged 28.7 µg/m³ of PM2.5PM2.5Tiny airborne particles 2.5 micrometres across or smaller. They reach deep into the lungs and are the air pollutant most linked to early death.More in the glossary in 2024, according to IQAir, more than five times the WHO guideline, and Saigon is usually cleaner than Hanoi, which recorded 45.4. Traffic fumes are worst at rush hour. If you have asthma, check an air quality app and avoid long walks along main roads at peak times.

Dengue is common, especially in the rainy season, so use repellent in the day. Do not drink tap water. The FCDOFCDO travel adviceThe UK government's travel advice for each country, which can advise against all travel or all but essential travel to specific areas.More in the glossary warns that many medicines sold in Vietnam are fake, so bring what you need. International hospitals and clinics in Districts 1, 2 and 7 offer good care for those with insurance.

Floods and storms

Earthquakes are not a concern and typhoons rarely hit the city directly. Flooding is. During the rainy season from about May to November, a heavy afternoon storm at the same time as a high tide on the Saigon River can put streets under water within an hour, and the city lists flooding among the main causes of traffic jams. Wait it out in a cafe rather than wading or riding through. The hottest, most humid stretch runs from March to May.

How we scored it

Traffic safety (45) is Ho Chi Minh City's weakest factor, followed by theft (62) because of motorbike snatch theft and by health and environment (62). Violent crime (85) and night safety (80), which rests on Gallup's survey with a small deduction for late-night snatch theft, are the strongest. Natural hazards (72) sit in between.