I have several years of being a "digital nomad" (hate that term btw).
I've lived all over the world. Out of all the places I've been Saigon is in the top 3. I'm here right now actually, have spent in total over a year of my life here, and don't plan on leaving for a while.
Being A Tourist:
Vietnam in general is boring as shit if you're doing the tourist thing. The beaches suck (and like was mentioned a lot of Ruskies there). It's not that pretty IMO, and there aren't many sites that are jaw dropping besides the biggest caves in the world.
Living Here Though...
- The quality of life here is unreal if you learn the right place to live. I'm not a peasant, I can live like a king anywhere in the world and yet I still find the quality of life here hard to beat. A huge Japanese population, so the japanese food is of the highest quality. It was a former colony of the french, so the french food is amazing. As crazy as it sounds I don't really eat Vietnamese much.
- The people are great overall. MUCH MUCH MUCH genuinely nicer than Thailand, and they are definitely not always trying to fuck you over 24/7 (except for backpacker areas which I avoid). The people just generally don't get worked up about anything ever. English is good all around in the district 1 area (expat area).
- I find the women particularly great. They are Asians with curves, and have class. The thais all look like ugly dudes, while Vietnamese have a very classy and feminine look. Usually well educated. The entire city is young, motivated and full of energy.
- Cafe Culture: Without a doubt the best cafe culture in the world. Good solid internet most of the time, great cafes literally several on every block, and it's completely normal to spend 10 hours a day on your laptop in them. Possibly the best part for me, as I find I'm always hyper productive when here.
Downsides: If you are not a city person, stay the fuck away. This isn't Chiang Mai, it's a bustling city and is always noisy. It doesn't bother me, but there are plenty of people who can't stand it. Also "motorbike bag snatchings" are a very real thing. There is practically zero crime, and definitely nothing ever violent. But if you put your bag or phone by the street it will get taken, especially in the tourist areas.