Ho Chi Minh City is a sprawling, dense concrete jungle, says Travelfish, “so locals relish the city’s remaining green spaces and communal areas.” Parks “dripping with tropical foliage” are a reminder that “everything and anything can grow, even in the middle of Saigon,” observes Vietnam Coracle. The best time to visit the city’s parks are in the early mornings and evenings, “when locals partake in myriad exercises, temperatures are relatively cool, and the aroma of grilled pork and coffee fills the air.”
Tao Dan Park is a “leafy sanctuary” tucked away behind the Reunification Palace, in Saigon’s downtown area, writes Ecophiles. “Scattered around the park are larger-than-life animal topiaries displaying prominent motifs in Vietnamese folklore like tigers and dragons.” The 10-hectare park competes for “the title of most impressive canopy of tropical trees in Saigon,” says Vietnam Coracle. “Towering, century-old, African mahogany trees cast a welcome shadow … their columned trunks rise a hundred feet before exploding in foliage, filtering the heat, noise, and pollution of the city.”
30/4 Park is named after Vietnam's Liberation Day, 30th of April, explains hcmc.com. “It is beautifully located” between the Reunification Palace and Notre Dame Cathedral in the centre ofthe city, full of people enjoy “chatting with friends and having a drink.” Its tall trees, grass, and shaded walkways “make for a relaxing stroll between two of Saigon’s architectural icons,” says Vietnam Coracle. “Quiet in the mornings, this park gets going in the late afternoons and evenings, when it plays host to a lovable Vietnamese youthful tradition: café bệt … essentially drinking coffee and chatting with friends in the open air, café bệt draws hundreds of Vietnamese students, who gather at dusk to gossip, flirt, play guitar, sing, and relax in the cooler hours of the day.”