New in HCMC - looking for accomodation and tipps

Hey together,

my name is Felix Finger and I am 22 years old. Currently I am studying business informatics and digital media in Stuttgart in Germany. Due to my fascination of new cultures and Asia, I am going to do my semester abroad at the RMIT University in Ho Chi Minh City from 1.9.15 til 20.1.16. I always wanted to live in a completely different surrounding than in Germany and I am really excited to visit Vietnam and Cambodia. I am not really well informed about the housing situation in Vietnam and therefore I would be really happy about some useful information regarding this topic.

Accomodation:
Frame conditions:
- max 300 Dollar / monthly
- nearby the RMIT in district 7 (arround 20 minutes of walking / 5 minutes -10 minutes with motorbike)

Some further organizational stuff I might have missed in preparation?
Some tipps for exploring the city (HCMC) and the surroundings in the first days before my trimester begins?

Thank you in advance for all your help.
I am really looking forward to hearing from you

Cheers,
Felix