Saigon traffic chaos - where to buy gps?

Drive around and get a feel for the place,if you really get lost use a smartphone.When I first moved to Saigon 7 years ago I just drove around,I got lost plenty of times, but I also found some places I would never of found without doing that.

Also, grow a pair of eyes in your arse.
If the roads are anything like they are in Thailand and Indonesia, you'll need the extras.

It is no more difficult to navigate than any big city.

Major Streets
The difficulty arises from it not being a North-South city like Toronto or New York. HCM was designed/aborted by the French. They love traffic circles/roundabouts so their military could, with one gun, control many streets running from the traffic circle.

If you look at www.DiaDiem.com you will easily determine the major streets - learn these and you are half-way home!

Wards and Phuongs
Key to locating things is the ward (phường) in Vietnam it is an urban sub-district. For example, if you follow DIEN BIEN PHU from the SaiGon Bridge that separates Quan 2 from Quan Binh Thanh you will find the numbering is duplicated/repeated as you follow it to the LY TAO TO ROUNDABOUT in Phuong/Ward 1, Quan 10. (GPS: 10.767720, 106.674374).

The only way to figure which set on numbers is the one you want is by using the Ward or Phuong number.

Hem Numbering
Hems are narrow side streets.

656/52 Cach Mang Thang Tam Street is a side street at 656 Cach Mang Thang Tam Street and the 52 refers to the house number. But this one is tricky!

Start www.DiaDiem.Com and enter 656 Cach Mang Thang Tam in the search field. You will see this single exit from CMT8 actually splits into 656 and 658!

However, there could have been an equally acceptable way. 656/44/21 Cach Mang Thang Tam could equally be treated as the side street at 656, with another side street at #44 (of 656) and then house 44.

But, if you want to go the high-tech route the Garmin Dealer and Service Station is:
THANH QUANG CO LTD [b](GPS: 10.768669, 106.651474).
56, 7A Street - Cu xa Binh Thoi
Ward 8, District 11, TP HCM[/b] (Ask them to load detailed maps in free)

Distance : 4.88 mi; Duration : 23 min
    Depart REX HOTEL, Nguyễn Huệ, District 1
    At roundabout, take 2nd exit onto ĐƯỜNG Lê Lợi
    At roundabout, take 3rd exit onto ĐƯỜNG Trần Hưng Đạo
    Bear right onto ĐƯỜNG Phạm Ngũ Lão
    Turn right onto ĐƯỜNG Nguyễn Thị Nghĩa
    At roundabout, take 2nd exit onto ĐƯỜNG Cách Mạng Tháng 8
    Turn left onto ĐƯỜNG Nguyễn Thị Minh Khai
    At roundabout, take 3rd exit onto ĐƯỜNG Hùng Vương
    Keep straight onto ĐƯỜNG Hồng Bàng
    Turn right onto ĐƯỜNG Lý Thường Kiệt
    Turn left onto ĐƯỜNG Nguyễn Chí Thanh
    Turn right onto ĐƯỜNG Lê Đại Hành
    Bear right and then turn right onto ĐƯỜNG Bình Thới
    Arrive at DUONG Binh Thoi 7A, Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam

Simple - it's in ChoLon. (I love our new mapping software!)

dirkbeszia wrote:

i just moved here from California and want to purchase a moto. But, I need to get some sort of gps system or I will be circling the same roundabout for days on end....lol.
Any suggestions on ways to navigate Saigon with gps, where to buy, etc?
Thank you so much!

Try buying a map of the city.And buy a pen.
If that fails,do what " test that allows your doctor to look at the inner lining of your large intestine" has told you.
-Use your smartphone.They have Google maps and with the power of 3G technology,will show you exactly where you are.
Buy a motorbicycle and ride it-

Dirk,

In VN I used my Garmin Nuvi and free maps from http://garmin.openstreetmap.nl/  That website is a bit confusing to look at but basically what you are doing is clicking on the areas you want maps for, like HCMC, and click Submit and someone on the other end will build the file for you and email you a notice when its ready, like 3 hours later and then you download and install the maps. Its very easy and works with no problems. Ive gotten tons of maps from them.

In my Garmin experience in Saigon, sometimes it can be more than an hour to catch a satellite but once you have the signal its fine after that. Previously I had created waypoints of places I needed to know about and then when I installed the maps i just navigated to them and the maps are accurate.

I brought my Nuvi to VN, I dont know where in Saigon to buy one. Someone else can help on that one.