1. OVERVIEW

Ho Chi Minh City, also known as Saigon, is a land of closeness and hospitality. This place not only has skyscrapers but also sidewalks crowded with people coming and going. It is a city that is not only beautiful and luxurious but also home to buildings bearing the imprint of time and history. If you travel to Vietnam, you should experience all the things to do in Ho Chi Minh below, ensuring you will have an unforgettable impression.

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2. BEST THINGS TO DO IN HO CHI MINH 

2.1. Where to visit in Ho Chi Minh City?

  • Ben Thanh Market

Ben Thanh Market started construction in 1912, which is a characteristic of Saigon. With an area of ​​over 13,000 m², the market sells mainly clothes, fabrics, shoes, fashion, handicrafts, fresh food, fresh fruits, and flowers. Also, coming to the market, you will be overwhelmed by the long line of sweet soup stalls of all colors and delicious flavors. Besides, dishes like broken rice or hearty crab soup noodle bring irresistible flavors for visitors.

– Location: Le Loi Street, Ben Thanh Ward, District 1, Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam
– Open time: From 4 AM to 7 PM  / everyday
– Price: Depend on items

  • Saigon Central Post Office

Saigon Central Post Office is one of the ancient architectural works in Ho Chi Minh City, built from 1886 to 1891 by a famous French architect. Many souvenirs and postcards about the country and people of Vietnam, as well as about Saigon in particular, are sold to serve tourists along both sides of the building’s corridors.

– Location: 02 Paris Commune, Ben Nghe, District 1, Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam
– Open time: From 7 AM to 7 PM  / everyday
– Price: Depend on items

  • Ho Chi Minh City Museum of Fine Arts

Ho Chi Minh City Museum of Fine Arts has a unique beauty imbued with history and art culture. The museum has a lot of valuable artifacts, with up to 21,000 artifacts of famous painters from Gia Dinh school, Indochina Fine Arts, and modern art from before 1975.

– Location: 97A Pho Duc Chinh, Nguyen Thai Binh Ward, District 1, Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam
– Open time: From 8 AM to 5 PM  / everyday
– Price:

  • Adults: 1.72$
  • Students: 0.86$
  • Children and students from 6 to 16 years old: 0.43$
  • People with disabilities and children under 6 years old: Free

  • Vietnam History Museum

Vietnam History Museum was established in 1979, which collects and preserves the unique cultural heritage of the Vietnamese nation since the reign of the Hung king built the country. The whole building was built in the style of ancient Indochina, with tiled roofs decorated with phoenixes and stylized dragons, attracting many international visitors.

– Location: 2 Nguyen Binh Khiem, Ben Nghe Ward, District 1, Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam
– Open time: From 8 AM to 11:30 AM and From 1 PM to 5 PM / everyday (Monday close)

– Price:

  • Adults: 1.72$
  • Students: 0.86$
  • Children and students from 6 to 16 years old: 0.43$
  • People with disabilities and children under 6 years old: Free

  • War Remnants Museum

The War Remnants Museum was established in 1975, specializing in researching, collecting, preserving, and displaying evidence of crimes and consequences of the wars of aggression in Vietnam. It consists of 3 exhibition floors, with a total area of 4,522 m² and with nearly 1 million visitors annually.

 

 

 

– Location: 28 Vo Van Tan, Ward 6, District 3, Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam
– Open time: From 7:30 AM to 5:30 PM / everyday
– Price:

  • Adults: 1.72$
  • Students and Children from 6 to 16 years: 0.86$
  • People with disabilities and children under 6 years old: Free

  • Independence Palace

Independence Palace is one of the most unique and famous architectural works in Ho Chi Minh City, which has existed for more than 150 years. The Palace has three main floors and a terrace that is also a helipad. More than 100 rooms of the Palace are decorated in different styles depending on the purpose of use, including staterooms, cabinet meeting rooms, offices of the President and Vice President in the past, etc.

 

 

– Location: 135 Nam Ky Khoi Nghia, Ben Thanh Ward, District 1, Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam
– Open time: From 8 AM to 3:30 PM / everyday
– Price:

  • Adults: 1.72$
  • Students: 0.86$
  • Children and students from 6 to 16 years old: 0.43$
  • People with disabilities and children under 6 years old: Free

2.2. What to do in Ho Chi Minh City?

  • Bus Tour – Hop On Hop Off Vietnam

You can explore the famous landmarks listed above without having to move by yourself, such as the Independence Palace, War Remnants Museum, Saigon Skydeck, Ben Thanh Market, etc. Moreover, many benefits make your journey even easier, such as hopping on and off at any stop on the bus route and audio narration of landmarks in 8 languages.

 

– Location: 210 Dien Bien Phu, Vo Thi Sau, District 3, Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam
– Open time: From 8 AM to 6 PM / everyday
– Ticket price: 14.18$

  • Motorbike Tour – Saigon By Night

Motorbike Tour – Saigon By Night is a type of Ho Chi Minh City discovery activity such as visiting famous places and eating local food according to the available schedule. However, the difference is that you travel by motorbike with a guide to care for you throughout the journey.

 

– Location: 86/8A Mac Dinh Chi Street , Dakao Ward, District 1, Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam
– Departure: From 6:00 PM to 10:00 PM
– Price: about 39$

  • Cu Chi Tunnels Tour

Cu Chi Tunnels Tour is a must thing to do in Ho Chi Minh City. In particular, you will learn about the ethnic Vietnam activities that have endured hardships during the guerrilla war, such as crawling underground, setting up bombs, experiencing Cu Chi specialties, etc. Currently, there are many tours from half day to 1 day for you to choose easily.

 

– Location: Provincial Highway 15, Phu Hiep, Cu Chi, Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam
Recommended tour of Klook Travel 

– Time: Half day tour
– Price: about 18.12$

  • Mekong Delta Tour

The Mekong Delta has long been famous in the West of Vietnam. Many domestic and foreign tourists love many beautiful scenes and activities such as the traditional early market, activities of rural shops, visiting fruit gardens, etc. Tour 2 days 1 night or 1 day is often chosen by most tourists when going to the Mekong Delta Tour.

 

– Location: National Highway 1, connecting Ho Chi Minh City, My Tho (Tien Giang), Vinh Long and ending in Can Tho, Vietnam
Recommended tour of Klook Travel 

– Time:  2 days 1 night
– Price: about 102.30$

  • Rowing Sup on the Saigon River

Rowing Sup on the Saigon River is a very interesting activity many people love. Because not only can you experience the outdoors in the middle of nature, but you can also enjoy the panoramic view of Ho Chi Minh City with famous buildings such as Landmark 81, Phu My Bridge, Sai Gon Bridge, Anh Sao Bridge, etc.

Recommended Saigon Sup Club

– Location: 480/89 Binh Quoi, Ward 28, Binh Thanh District, Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam
– Open time: From 6 AM to 6 PM / everyday
– Price: From 12.89$ to 25.78$

  • Bui Vien Street

Bui Vien Street is a very bustling place loved by young Saigonese and tourists. This street is the most fun at night for various activities such as wave music and circus performances. In addition, this place is a gathering place for groups of friends, eating, drinking and having fun.

– Location: Pham Ngu Lao Ward, District 1, Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam
– Open time: From 7:00 PM to 2:00 AM
– Price: from 2.15$ to 21.49$

2.3. What to eat in Ho Chi Minh City?

  • Noodle Soup (Pho)

Pho is the most loved traditional food in Vietnam. People love pho because of the delicious and sweet broth combining the essence of many ingredients and meat. So if you have come to Saigon, do not miss trying to eat Pho.

Recommended address: Pho Hung – 243 Nguyen Trai, Nguyen Cu Trinh ward, district 1, Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam
– Open time: 6 AM – 3 AM / everyday
– Price range: From 2.15$ to 2.79$

  • Broken Rice (Com Tam)

Broken rice is an almost indispensable dish in Saigon, from breakfast to dinner. They can be served with many other things, but the most popular are still grilled ribs, egg rolls, omelets, and pork skin.

Recommended address: Com Tam Phu Loc Tho – 236 Dinh Tien Hoang, Dakao, District 1, Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam (many other branches)
– Open time: 6 AM to 10 PM / everyday
– Price range: From 1.68$ to 2.15$

  • Bread (Banh Mi)

Banh mi is a rustic and popular dish in Saigon. People choose them because they are delicious, nutritious, and cheap. Bread will fill you with any filling, such as grilled meats, cold cuts, omelets, with vegetables etc.

Recommended address: Banh Mi Huynh Hoa – 26 Le Thi Rieng, Pham Ngu Lao Ward, District 1, Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam
– Open time: 11 AM to 9 PM / everyday
– Price range: From 1.63$ to 2.58$

  • Vietnamese Spring Rolls (Goi Cuon)

Vietnamese Spring Rolls are a popular dish that adults and children love on sidewalks. The food is delicious because of the rice paper, meat, shrimp, and vegetables, and they are attractive with mouth-watering dipping sauce.

Recommended address: Goi Cuon Le Van Sy – 359 Le Van Sy, Ward 13, District 3, Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam
– Open time: 2 PM to 6 PM / everyday
– Price range: From 0.21$ to 0.43$ / roll

  • Rice paper mix (Banh Trang Tron)

Mixed rice paper is a delicious dish that cannot be missed when visiting Ho Chi Minh city. This food is usually sold on the sidewalk, street vendors, or even in shops. A simple piece of rice paper with eggs, mango, laksa leaves, and spices has captivated generations.

Recommended address: Banh Trang Tron Chu Vien – 38 Nguyen Thuong Hien, Ward 5, District 3, Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam
– Open time: 10 AM to 8 PM / everyday
– Price range: From 0.43$ to 1.72$

2.4. Where to stay in Ho Chi Minh City?

  • Mai House Saigon Hotel 5* 

Mai House Saigon Hotel has an extremely elegant neoclassical architecture with a total of 224 rooms. The hotel’s highlight is the 11-meter-long chandelier inspired by the flexibility of the Vietnamese Ao Dai. Besides, Mai House also has delicious cuisine and ideal conference spaces.

– Address: 157 Nam Ky Khoi Nghia, Ward 6, District 3, Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam

– Category: 5 star

– Tel: 028 7303 9000

“Nice hotel and has great staff! 

The rooms are very nice; you can see their meticulousness in the details. We found the staff to be customer friendly. Breakfast was delicious. The hotel is very close to the central post office, a 10-minute walk which is convenient for us”. 

  • Mia Saigon – Luxury Boutique Hotel 5*

Mia Saigon – Luxury Boutique Hotel is located next to the Saigon River, promising to bring you a quiet stay in the heart of bustling Saigon. The hotel is built in Art Déco style, conveying the beauty of Saigon through each historical period. Along with high-class service and dedicated service, you will surely be satisfied.

– Address: 2-4 10th Street, An Phu, Thu Duc City, Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam

– Category: 5 star

– Tel: 028 6287 4222

“What a beautiful hotel!

Beautiful building with charm, lots of beautiful historical art collections spread throughout the hotel, and an atmosphere of feeling at home. The morning with breakfast by the river is a beautiful start to the day after a wonderful night”. 

  • An Lac Charner Hotel 4*

An Lac Charner Hotel is inspired by the tea rooms of the French colonial period. The hotel features wicker furniture and pastel tones that make guests feel at ease. This place is very close to the center for you to move and visit, such as Ben Thanh Market, Ho Chi Minh City Museum of Fine Arts, etc.

 

– Address: 87-89-91 Ho Tung Mau, Ben Nghe, District 1, Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam

– Category: 4 star

– Tel: 028 3915 6666

“Feel satisfied!

The reception is enthusiastic and polite; the space is large and comfortable, and the design is highly artistic. The hotel’s location is in the center of District 1, convenient for visiting attractions. There are many restaurants and eateries around the hotel”. 

  • Eden Star Saigon Hotel & Spa 4*

Eden Star Saigon Hotel & Spa has warm brown tones. The hotel is fully equipped with a fitness center, sauna, meeting/banquet facilities, business center, and free parking. Guests can also enjoy a relaxing massage at the spa.

 

– Address:38 Bui Thi Xuan, Pham Ngu Lao Ward, District 1, Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam

– Category: 4 star

– Tel: 028 6298 8388

“Good conference organization!

In the middle of a large Saigon with countless hotel options for organizing conferences, you can find a reliable address, EdenStar Saigon Hotel. There you will find the friendliness and enthusiastic support of all department staff”. 

  • Blue Diamond Hotel 3*

Blue Diamond Hotel features all fully furnished guest rooms featuring hardwood floors and classic wooden furnishings. In addition, the design of the large window frames allows you to receive natural sunlight to bring a pleasant space in the rooms. In particular, Com Nieu Blue Diamond restaurant has a well-prepared, traditional pot meal.

 Address:48-50 Thu Khoa Huan, Ben Thanh Ward, District 1, Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam

– Category: 3 star

– Tel: 84 28 38 236 167

“Great hotel!

This is an affordable hotel. The rooms, although small, are clean and very nice. The facilities are very good. Delicious buffet breakfast”. 

Above are the big things to do in Ho Chi Minh City that you should experience when coming to Vietnam; we make sure you will love this land with its idyllic and friendly lifestyle.

In conclusion, Metta Voyage hopes this information helps you choose more suitable vacation trips. You can refer to Half-day or Full-day tours for more details in your vacation.

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