Landing in Saigon: Heat, Chaos, and the Taxi Lesson That Taught Us Everything

                                                  The beginnings

There’s a moment every traveller remembers — that first step out of an airport into a completely different world. For some, it’s the scent of street food; for others, the buzz of motorbikes. For me, arriving in Saigon for the first time, it was all three at once… wrapped in a thick blanket of heat that felt like someone had opened an oven door onto the pavement.

Tan Son Nhat Airport at night is a spectacle in itself. The sliding doors open and suddenly you’re greeted by a wall of warm air, a sea of people waving signs, families shouting greetings, porters weaving through the crowds, and the distant hum of traffic that never quite fades. At the time, I thought this was chaos. Years later, I’ve learned it’s simply Saigon saying hello.

But back then — wide-eyed, jet-lagged, and perhaps a little overconfident — we were perfectly positioned for our first great Southeast Asia lesson.

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The Taxi We Shouldn’t Have Taken

We’d been told to look for Vinasun or Mai Linh taxis — bright, official, regulated, with meters that don’t play games.
But there we were, bags hanging off us, the heat softening our brains, when a man materialised from the shadows, pointed to a car, and said the magic word:

“Taxi?”

It looked like a taxi. It had a meter. It had a driver who smiled politely. That was enough for us.

The trouble began at the airport toll booth. What should’ve been a tiny charge — around 10,000 VND — suddenly became:

“Five dollars.”

Confusion. Eyebrow raising. A quick exchange between ourselves.

Before we could process that, it became:

“Ten dollars.”

The driver’s smile hadn’t changed, but the tone had. We paid, because you do, when you’re new, tired, and unsure what’s normal.

Then came the next trick.

Instead of pulling up outside the hotel, he swung into a dim side street nearby, stopped the car, and locked the boot with all our luggage inside.

“Fifty dollars.”

At this point, we realised:

• We were stuck.
• Our bags were the bargaining chips.
• We were outmatched.

So we paid him just to end the ordeal, and only then did he pull forward the extra few metres to the hotel entrance — a move that felt both insulting and strangely theatrical.

We stepped out, sweaty, flustered, and 100% wiser.

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The Lesson That’s Served Us for 15 Years

In the years since, we’ve returned to Vietnam many, many times — and that exact situation has never happened again. Not once.

And the reason is simple: we learned.

We learned that the airport taxi stands exist for a reason.
That fake taxis often copy the logos with tiny spelling changes.
That reputable drivers won’t bargain, threaten, or play toll-booth theatre.
That apps like Grab are a blessing for tired travellers.
And that hotels are more than happy to organise licensed drivers who speak your name before you even see them.

These are the small things that make a city feel less intimidating and more welcoming. And Saigon is welcoming — overwhelmingly so — but like any major city, it pays to know the tricks.

Funny enough, that rough arrival ended up being one of the stories we tell the most.
Not because it was pleasant — it wasn’t.
But because it marked the moment the city began to teach us how to travel better.

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Tips We Wish We Knew Before That First Taxi Ride

Here’s the short version of what experience eventually taught us:

• • Use the airport taxi queue
    Vinasun (white/green) and Mai Linh (green) are the two big, trustworthy companies.

• • Check the spelling carefully
    Fake taxis often use tiny variations like “Vina Son” or “Mailinh” — easy to miss when tired.

• • Order Grab or Gojek
    Great prices, secure payment, clear pickup points.

• • Hotel pickups are gold
    Especially late at night — you’ll walk out to someone holding your name.

• • Keep your luggage in sight until you’re seated
    Don’t let anyone load your bags unless it’s a verified taxi or Grab.

None of this is meant to scare you off — quite the opposite. Saigon is an electric, generous, unforgettable city. But like any relationship, your experience improves dramatically when you avoid that one wrong turn at the beginning.

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A First Impression That Became a Long Story

That strange taxi ride didn’t ruin our trip — in a way, it framed it.
It broke the ice.
It gave us something to laugh about later.
And it proved, once again, that the best travel stories often begin when things go slightly sideways.

Saigon has become a huge part of our lives since that night — the city where I met my now-wife, where our family has roots, where I ended up living for a year and even changing careers to teach. It’s where we married. It’s a place where memories pile up faster than the photographs you can take. But it all began with that chaotic step outside an airport door and a taxi we absolutely should not have taken.So if you’re landing in Saigon soon, consider this your gentle, slightly sunburned warning from travellers who learned the hard way:
Start your journey with the right taxi. Take a breath. Let the “chaos” wash over you for a moment and find your bearings — and the city will treat you very, very well.