<map lat='10.771928557041234' lng='106.68617248535156' zoom='11' view='0' float='right'/> Saigon, currently better known as Ho Chi Minh City, is the largest city in Vietnam.
In Saigon you won't have the feeling of being out of the city for a very long time... But don't panic!
Contents
Public Transport
Saigon is covered by an extensive bus network, which reaches well into the suburbs. You can get the map on paper for free at Ben Thanh market.
Hitchhiking out
Towards Hanoi
There are 2 main roads: AH1, super busy road along the coast, crowded and in good shape. Ho Chi Minh highway, going through the highlands, more scenic, some parts have very light traffic or bad roads.
Bus 43 goes to the beginning of this highway. Get off at Nguyễn Thị Định. Bus 15 follows approximately this route and bus 22 this route. Probably the best bus to take is 19 which starts at Phạm Ngũ Lão and goes out to the New Eastern Bus Station (the furthest point on AH1 that any local bus goes) along this route, which is perfect for hitchhiking.
AH1 is QL1A on some maps. To go to the north, like Nha Trang, Da Nang or Ha Noi, you could try going to the junction of QL1A and DT43. It's a highway, where lots of cars, buses and some tracks are passing by. And this place is easily reached by bus from the city centre, check out google maps directions for public transport.
Towards Cambodia by National Road QL22
Take a bus to Bến Xe An Sương (bến xe means a bus station and it's pronounced as ben seh). This is the main bus station for the northeast of the city, so there are about 14 lines from other parts of Ho Chi Minh city. If you're in the city centre you can take a bus 4, 27, 65 from Bến Xe Sài Gòn. It should cost around 7,000 VND. In the past it was possible to walk outside the An Sương bus station and start hitching there, however now there are three lanes in each direction and the marginal lane, the one next to the foot path is for motorbikes and buses only and it is separated from the other two lanes by a concrete barrier. So trucks and cars cannot pull in to pick up hitchhikers. It's like that for another 20km.
So from An Sương bus station take a bus number 74 to Củ Chi (7,000 VND). Only there you can normally hitchhike. From Củ Chi bus station there is also a bus 70-1 (sometimes spelled as 701) that can take you even closer to the border, to the town of Gò Dầu. This town is only 17km away from the border. This bus should cost a similar price. The best spot to hitch is on the other side of the bridge.
South towards My Tho, Can Tho by expressway CT01
You need to get to a bus stop near Nút Giao Bình Thuận (Bình Thuận Intersection). Bus 102 from Sài Gòn bus station can bring you there. Then walk south a bit and turn to this point. On the way there's a shop with a huge pile of cardboard pieces and the staff is happy to give you one to make a sign.
Nomadwiki & Trashwiki
Check Trashwiki for dumpsters...and share your wisdom :)