Aerial view of central Saigon with the lotus-bud Bitexco tower and the Saigon River at sunset
  1. Home
  2. Destinations
  3. Vietnam
  4. Ho Chi Minh City
  5. 1 day itinerary

Ho Chi Minh City in 1 day

  • 1 day
  • 8.7 km on foot
  • 18 stops
  • Audio guide

A stopover, or just one day in Saigon? This plan packs the centre into three walking routes that link up with barely any transport: the highlights in the morning, the twentieth century in the afternoon and the legends as the sun goes down. It's a long, hot day, built for anyone who wants to get the city in one go and leave knowing why everyone still calls it Saigon.

One day in Ho Chi Minh CityFrom the Ben Thanh clock to the demon-chasing general

Start early, before the heat builds, with “Saigon highlights: from the market to the river”: the Ben Thanh Market clock tower, the Bitexco tower, Nguyễn Huệ Boulevard and the river by Mê Linh Square. Pick up a bánh mì at Như Lan, right by the Bitexco, and rest in the shade. In the afternoon, a short Grab ride takes you to “From Saïgon to 1975”, which runs from the War Remnants Museum to Independence Palace and Nhà Rồng Wharf. At dusk, “Spies, dragons and weeping statues” sets off from the Hotel Continental and climbs to Tân Định, where bánh xèo awaits.

  1. Morning

    Saigon highlights: from the market to the river

    Mixed · 2.6 km · 1 h 40 min

    1. Ben Thanh Market (Chợ Bến Thành)The 1914 market whose clock is the city's unofficial symbol, built on top of an old marsh.
    2. Bitexco Financial TowerA 262-metre skyscraper inspired by a lotus bud, with a helipad jutting out halfway up.
    3. Nguyễn Huệ BoulevardA canal that became a boulevard and, in 2015, the city's great pedestrian square, with an apartment block full of cafés.
    4. Saigon Opera House (Nhà hát Thành phố)A theatre of 1900 inspired by the Petit Palais in Paris, which served as South Vietnam's parliament and became a theatre again in 1976.
    5. Hotel MajesticThe hotel the tycoon Hui Bon Hoa opened in 1925 on the riverfront, where the old rue Catinat ends.
    6. Mê Linh Square and Bạch Đằng WharfA square that has changed statues several times, and a general who since 1967 has been pointing at the river.

    Start the audio guide See the route

  2. Lunch

    Try Bánh mì at Bánh mì Như Lan. Đường Hàm Nghi, 50

  3. Afternoon

    From Saïgon to 1975: the century that changed the city

    History · 3.3 km · 2 h 5 min

    1. War Remnants MuseumVietnam's most visited museum tells the war from the Vietnamese point of view, and its name has changed three times.
    2. Independence Palace (Dinh Độc Lập)South Vietnam's presidential palace, where the war ended with two tanks at its gates around noon on 30 April 1975.
    3. Notre-Dame Cathedral Basilica of SaigonA red-brick cathedral the French built in three years, now undergoing a restoration that has lasted almost a decade.
    4. Saigon Central Post OfficeA colonial post office often credited to Eiffel, though its real architect was Alfred Foulhoux, and it still sells stamps.
    5. Former City Hall (Hôtel de Ville)The Hôtel de Ville the French took eleven years to build is now the seat of the city's People's Committee.
    6. Nhà Rồng Wharf (Dragon House)A French shipping company's headquarters with dragons on the roof, whose wharf the young man who became Hồ Chí Minh left in 1911.

    Start the audio guide See the route

  4. Early evening

    Spies, dragons and weeping statues

    Mysteries & legends · 2.8 km · 1 h 50 min

    1. Hotel ContinentalFor a century, Saigon's oldest hotel was the best place to find out everything, and for others to find out about you.
    2. 22 Gia Long Street (22 Lý Tự Trọng)The rooftop in the most famous photo of the fall of Saigon, which for decades was thought to have been taken at the US embassy.
    3. The weeping Virgin (Notre-Dame Cathedral)A Carrara marble statue, a pedestal left empty for fourteen years and tears that drew thousands of people in 2005.
    4. Turtle Lake (Hồ Con Rùa)A roundabout with a 1960s monument and a geomantic legend: a turtle to hold down a dragon's tail.
    5. Jade Emperor Pagoda (Chùa Ngọc Hoàng)A Cantonese temple full of smoke, turtles and fertility goddesses which, according to a Vietnamese scholar, also hosted secret meetings.
    6. Trần Hưng Đạo TempleThe temple of the general who defeated the Mongols, turned by popular devotion into a saint who can drive away evil spirits.

    Start the audio guide See the route

  5. Dinner

    Try Bánh xèo at Bánh xèo 46A. Đường Đinh Công Tráng, 46A

The map

Ho Chi Minh City in 1 day, on the map

Each route’s stops are numbered in order; the stars are the extra sights.

Mixed History Mysteries & legends

Loading the map…

Before you go

Tips for Ho Chi Minh City in 1 day

  • Cross the street the way locals do: at a steady pace, without running or stopping dead, so the motorbikes can judge where you'll be and flow around you. Eye contact with riders helps; trusting the zebra crossing, less so.
  • Notre-Dame Cathedral has been under restoration for years and the interior is usually closed to tourists, with work expected to run until around 2027: check whether it has reopened. Meanwhile, admire it from the square and step into the post office next door.
  • The humidity wears you out more than the distance: carry water, a hat and sunscreen, and don't hesitate to call a Grab between the end of one route and the start of the next. Keep some cash in dong for street food stalls.

Questions

Ho Chi Minh City in 1 day: your questions

Can you see Ho Chi Minh City in one day?

You can see the centre properly, and that's where almost all the famous sights are: the market, the Opera House, the palace, the cathedral, the post office and the temples. What won't fit is Chợ Lớn, the Chinese quarter, or the Cu Chi Tunnels and the Mekong Delta: for those you need at least one more day.

How far will I walk in one day?

The three routes add up to about 8.7 km: 2.6 km in the morning, 3.3 km in the afternoon and 2.8 km at dusk. In the humid heat it feels like more; if you tire, a short Grab between routes cuts out the connecting stretches without skipping a single stop.

Is the War Remnants Museum worth going inside?

For many travellers it's the visit that stays with them most: photographs, weapons and documents on Vietnam's wars, with a great deal of space given to the effects of Agent Orange. It presents the Vietnamese state's account, and some rooms are hard going. There's an entry fee; allow at least an hour and a half.

Other itineraries for 1 day

Ho Chi Minh City

More or less time?

2 day itinerary 3 day itinerary All about Ho Chi Minh City