Aerial view of central Saigon with the lotus-bud Bitexco tower and the Saigon River at sunset
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Ho Chi Minh City in 3 days

  • 3 days
  • 8.7 km on foot
  • 18 stops
  • Audio guide

Three days let you live Saigon at its own pace: up early while the air is still fresh, under cover at midday, back out when the light softens. Each morning has its route or neighbourhood, and each afternoon a different breather: the city from the top of Landmark 81, a botanical garden founded in 1864, a museum spanning two thousand years. The mysteries are saved for last, as they should be.

Day 1From the market to the sky

An easy first day to find your feet. Head out early with “Saigon highlights: from the market to the river”: Ben Thanh Market, the Bitexco, Nguyễn Huệ Boulevard and the Opera House, down to the Hotel Majestic and the river. Have a bánh mì at Như Lan and, when the heat peaks, retreat into the City Museum in the old Gia Long Palace. Late in the day, a Grab takes you upriver to Landmark 81: get there before dark to watch the city light up below you.

  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

    City Museum (Gia Long Palace)

    A neoclassical palace from the late nineteenth century, designed by Alfred Foulhoux, which became President Ngô Đình Diệm's residence after the presidential palace was bombed in 1962. Today it tells Saigon's story, and it's just a few blocks from the Opera House.

    Directions

    Landmark 81 (SkyView observation deck)

    Vietnam's tallest skyscraper, 461 metres high, opened in 2018 on the banks of the Saigon River. Its SkyView deck, on the top floors, gives you the widest view of the city and the river's loops. It's about fifteen minutes away by Grab; check opening times.

    Directions

Day 2From the 1975 palace to an 1864 garden

Today is all about the twentieth century with “From Saïgon to 1975: the century that changed the city”: from the War Remnants Museum to Independence Palace, the cathedral, Foulhoux's post office and Nhà Rồng Wharf. If you want to go inside the museum or the palace, start as soon as they open. Then take a Grab to Tân Định for bánh xèo on Đinh Công Tráng; from there, the Botanical Garden gate is a few minutes away by Grab. See the Museum of Vietnamese History first, indoors, and save the stroll under the trees for last.

  1. Morning

    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

  2. Lunch

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

  3. Afternoon

    Museum of Vietnamese History

    A 1929 building with traditionally inspired roofs, right by the Botanical Garden entrance. It traces the country from prehistory to the Nguyễn dynasty, with finds from the Óc Eo culture and a fine collection of Cham sculpture. Ideal for the hottest or rainiest hours.

    Directions

    Botanical Garden and Zoo (Thảo Cầm Viên)

    Founded in 1864, it's one of the oldest zoos in the world and the centre's great green lung, with century-old trees, ponds and shady paths. Come less for the animals than for the garden, and to watch Saigon families spending the afternoon.

    Directions

Day 3Chợ Lớn incense, legends at dusk

Get up early and take a Grab to Chợ Lớn, the Chinese quarter, while Bình Tây Market is in full swing, then walk on to the Thiên Hậu Pagoda before the sun gets fierce. On the way back to the centre, stop for bún thịt nướng at Chị Tuyền on Cô Giang and rest through the hottest hours. At dusk, “Spies, dragons and weeping statues” leaves from the Hotel Continental, passes 22 Gia Long and Turtle Lake, and ends in Tân Định. Have phở for dinner at Phở Hòa on Pasteur Street.

  1. Morning

    Bình Tây Market

    Chợ Lớn's great wholesale market, built in the late 1920s by the Chinese merchant Quách Đàm, with Chinese-style roofs and a central courtyard. First thing in the morning it smells of spices, tea and dried fruit, and the sacks are still being unloaded.

    Directions

    Thiên Hậu Pagoda

    A Cantonese community temple dedicated to Thiên Hậu, goddess of the sea and protector of sailors, and one of the oldest in the city. Huge incense coils that burn for days hang from the ceiling, and the roof is crowded with ceramic figures.

    Directions

  2. Lunch

    Try Bún thịt nướng at Bún thịt nướng Chị Tuyền. Đường Cô Giang, 175C

  3. 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

  4. Dinner

    Try Phở at Phở Hòa Pasteur. Đường Pasteur, 260C

The map

Ho Chi Minh City in 3 days, on the map

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

Mixed History Mysteries & legends Extra sight

Loading the map…

Before you go

Tips for Ho Chi Minh City in 3 days

  • Many of the city's museums usually close one day a week, often Monday: check the Museum of Vietnamese History's calendar and, if it clashes, swap day two with day one.
  • Chợ Lớn is a morning place: by midday the market quietens down and by afternoon many stalls are packing up. Go and come back by Grab, and carry cash in dong in small notes.
  • The mystery route finishes in Tân Định, a few streets from Tân Định Church, a vivid pink and one of the most photographed in the city: if there's still some light, the detour is worth it before dinner.

Questions

Ho Chi Minh City in 3 days: your questions

Can I fit in the Cu Chi Tunnels?

Yes, by swapping out the morning of day three: Cu Chi is an hour and a half to two hours away by road, and most people go on an organised half-day tour. You'd be back in time for lunch and the mystery route at dusk, but you'd have to give up Chợ Lớn.

What about the Mekong Delta?

The delta needs a full day, and an organised tour is the easiest way to do it. It won't fit into these three days without sacrificing a whole day of the city. If it appeals, the sensible option is to add a fourth day and keep this plan as it is.

How far will I walk in 3 days?

The three routes add up to about 8.7 km: 2.6 km on day one, 3.3 km on day two and 2.8 km on day three. They're manageable days on foot; Landmark 81, the Botanical Garden and Chợ Lớn are further out, and the practical way to reach them is by Grab.

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