Marine wildlife 'thrives' on the coast near Ho Chi Minh City

The water habitat in islands near Ho Chi Minh City is largely undisturbed, meaning the wildlife is some of the most interesting in the region.

Claire Wrathall wrote about a solo holiday she took to the largest city in Vietnam - which the Vietnamese still call Sai Gon - in the Financial Times newspaper.

Ms Wrathall praised the sights that can be seen around the city, but reserved particular praise for the range and proliferation of marine wildlife.

"The fact that these islands have been largely neglected … means the wildlife has thrived. The mountainous jungle-clad interior is home to monkeys and indigenous black squirrels," she wrote.

"The surrounding sea – designated a marine park in 1993 – teems with 1,300 species, not just reef fish but a thriving population of hawksbill and green turtles."

Ho Chi Minh City's metropolitan area is home to around nine million people. Travellers taking solo holidays to the city next month can expect temperatures with an average high of 34 degrees centigrade.