Best Things to Do in Ho Chi Minh City

What Ho Chi Minh City is worth your time for

Saigon is Southeast Asia's best-value city — 45-day visa-free for Western passports, cheap street pho, District 1 rooftop bars, Cu Chi day trips and unbeatable onward flights to Cambodia, Bangkok and Bali.

Best things to do in Ho Chi Minh City

• War Remnants Museum

  Sobering Vietnam War history museum — the essential HCMC visit (VND 40,000, 07:30–17:30).

• Cu Chi Tunnels

  Viet Cong 250-km underground network 70 km NW — half-day tour VND 300,000 including transfer.

• Notre-Dame Cathedral + Central Post Office

  French-colonial icons on Paris Square — Gustave Eiffel-designed post office (1891) still functions.

• Ben Thanh Market + night stalls

  Day market inside for souvenirs; night stalls outside 18:00–23:00 for street-food seafood.

• Mekong Delta day trip

  My Tho or Ben Tre — sampan boat, coconut candy factory, floating market breakfast.

Booking tours and experiences

Timed-entry sights and small-group tours in Ho Chi Minh City sell out first in peak season. Booking the two or three experiences you care most about before arrival usually costs the same and protects the dates you want.

Fitting it into your days

Plan around 3–5 days. Group sights by neighbourhood rather than by ranking — it saves hours of backtracking.