Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon): top things to do, hidden gems and key tips

Give Ho Chi Minh City two days, and a third for the Cu Chi Tunnels. Base yourself in District 1: the sights, the market and Metro Line 1 all start there. The one thing to know is the rain: from May to November a downpour hits most afternoons, so do outdoor sights in the morning.

How long have you got?

• One day: the War Remnants Museum, Independence Palace, then the Central Post Office and Saigon Notre-Dame Cathedral, which face each other. Eat at a Michelin-listed pho shop.
• Two days: add Ben Thanh Market, Thien Hau Temple in Cho Lon, a Saigon Waterbus ride and a night on Bui Vien.
• Three days: add a half-day at the Cu Chi Tunnels.

When are you going?

• February: Tet. In 2026 the first day of the Lunar New Year was 17 February, and Nguyen Hue Street became a flower street from 19:00 on 15 February to 21:00 on 22 February, closed to vehicles.1Tuoi Tre (opens in a new tab)news.tuoitre.vn Metro Line 1 ran extra late and was free on 16 and 17 February.2Viet Nam News (opens in a new tab)vietnamnews.vn
• May to November: the wet season, with “a dependable afternoon downpour, usually lasting a few hours”.3Vietnam National Authority of Tourism (opens in a new tab)vietnam.travel It usually starts between 10 and 20 May.4VnExpress (opens in a new tab)e.vnexpress.net
• December to April: the dry season, clear and hot.5Vietnam National Authority of Tourism (opens in a new tab)vietnam.travel

Top things to do

• War Remnants Museum: 28 Vo Van Tan Street, District 3. Since 1 October 2026 entry is 60,000 VND, up from 40,000 VND; students and children are free.6Tuoi Tre (opens in a new tab)news.tuoitre.vnTip It holds Nick Ut’s Pulitzer Prize-winning photograph, and tanks and aircraft stand in the courtyard.7Vietnam National Authority of Tourism (opens in a new tab)vietnam.travel
• Independence Palace: open daily 07:00 to 18:00, with tickets for 80,000 VND (adults), 40,000 VND (students and seniors) and 20,000 VND (children aged 6 to 17).8Independence Palace (opens in a new tab)dinhdoclap.gov.vnTip Book online on the palace’s ticket site; the command bunker is in the basement.9Vietnam National Authority of Tourism (opens in a new tab)vietnam.travel
• Saigon Central Post Office: a working post office, free to enter, open 07:00 to 19:00.10VnExpress (opens in a new tab)e.vnexpress.netTip It is a good rainy-afternoon stop.
• Saigon Notre-Dame Cathedral: the restoration is not finished. Two gold-plated crosses went back on the towers on 19 March 2026, after nine years of work, and no completion date has been announced.11Dan Tri (opens in a new tab)dtinews.dantri.com.vnTip Expect to photograph it from the square.
• Cu Chi Tunnels: two sites, 13 km apart: Ben Duoc and Ben Dinh, about 70 km from the centre.12VnExpress (opens in a new tab)vnexpress.net Foreign visitors paid 85,000 VND at Ben Duoc in April 2025.Tip Choose Ben Duoc; it has the memorial temple with a nine-storey tower, and VnExpress gives no Ben Dinh price.13VnExpress (opens in a new tab)vnexpress.net
• Thien Hau Temple: a Mazu temple at 710 Nguyen Trai Street in Cho Lon, built about 1760 by the Cantonese community.14Wikipedia (opens in a new tab)en.wikipedia.orgTip Look up at the porcelain scenes on the roof.
• Michelin-listed food: the 2026 guide gave stars to Long Trieu, Anan Saigon, Akuna, CieL, CoCo Dining and, new this year, Upstairs.15Michelin Guide (opens in a new tab)guide.michelin.comTip For a cheap meal, try the Bib Gourmand list, which includes Pho Hoang and Banh Canh Cua Ba Ba.16Michelin Guide (opens in a new tab)guide.michelin.com

Hidden gems

• Saigon Waterbus: Route 1 runs 11 km from Bach Dang Wharf to Linh Dong, for 15,000 VND one way or 30,000 VND return. It runs 07:00 to 21:00 on weekdays and to 23:00 at weekends and on holidays.17Saigon Waterbus (opens in a new tab)saigonwaterbus.com The trip takes about 50 minutes.18Tuoi Tre (opens in a new tab)news.tuoitre.vn
• Bui Vien: the backpacker street, closed to vehicles at weekends.19VnExpress (opens in a new tab)e.vnexpress.net
• Ben Thanh Market: the old covered market in District 1, with a night market on Phan Boi Chau and Phan Chu Trinh streets.20Wikipedia (opens in a new tab)en.wikipedia.org

Getting there and around

• Metro Line 1: runs 20 km from Ben Thanh Station in District 1 to Suoi Tien Station in Thu Duc, 05:00 to 22:00 on weekdays and to 23:00 at weekends, every 6 to 12 minutes.21Tuoi Tre News, August 2025 (opens in a new tab)news.tuoitre.vn Single tickets cost 7,000 to 20,000 VND.22VnExpress (opens in a new tab)e.vnexpress.net A one-day pass is 40,000 VND.23Viet Nam News (opens in a new tab)vietnamnews.vn
• City buses: free on 134 routes until 31 December 2026; airport shuttle services and open-top sightseeing buses are excluded.24Tuoi Tre News, June 2026 (opens in a new tab)news.tuoitre.vn Tap a Visa or Mastercard chip card or a phone wallet on the reader to log the trip; nothing is charged.25Tuoi Tre News, July 2026 (opens in a new tab)news.tuoitre.vn This has been required since 1 October.26Tuoi Tre News, October 2026 (opens in a new tab)news.tuoitre.vn
• To Cu Chi: take bus 13 from Ben Thanh Market, or a taxi or ride-hailing car at about 500,000 VND one way.27VnExpress (opens in a new tab)vnexpress.net
• To the Mekong Delta: see the Mekong Delta guide.

If it doesn’t go to plan

• Caught in the afternoon rain? Go inside: the War Remnants Museum, Independence Palace or the Central Post Office.
• Cathedral under scaffolding? Move on to the post office next door; it is free.
• Waterbus not running? Take Metro Line 1 from Ben Thanh to see the east of the city.