Ho Chi Minh City Tours: Cu Chi, Mekong, Food & More (2026)

Ho Chi Minh City (HCMC, still widely called Saigon) is the largest city in Vietnam and one of the most dynamic in Southeast Asia - a place where war history, colonial architecture, and an intense food culture sit within walking distance of each other. Day tours from HCMC divide broadly into three types: city experiences (walking tours, motorbike food tours, war museums), half-day suburban trips (Cu Chi Tunnels), and full-day out-of-city excursions (Mekong Delta). Here’s what’s worth your time, and who to book through.

Cu Chi Tunnels Tours

The Cu Chi Tunnels are the most-visited attraction from HCMC - a 250-kilometre network of underground passages used by Viet Cong fighters during the Vietnam War. The two visitor sites, Ben Dinh and Ben Duoc, are 35–70 kilometres from the city. Most tours are half-day format, returning to HCMC by 1–2pm.

GetYourGuide group half-day tour: From approximately $20–30/person, including air-conditioned bus, English guide, and entry fees. Multiple operators listed - verify that entry fees are explicitly included.

Speedboat option: Travel upriver from HCMC rather than by road, approximately 2 hours each way. More expensive (from approximately $45–70/person) but significantly more scenic and faster than navigating city traffic.

Private tour: A private car and guide costs approximately $40–60/person (for two people), dropping per person in larger groups. Private tours allow you to visit the quieter Ben Duoc site and spend more time at the tunnels.

For a full breakdown of operators, both sites, and what to expect inside the tunnels, see our Cu Chi Tunnels tour guide.

Mekong Delta Day Trips

The Mekong Delta - the vast river plain south of HCMC - is accessible as a full-day excursion, departing around 7:30–8am and returning by 6–7pm. Standard day trips visit My Tho or Ben Tre, taking a boat through narrow canals past stilted houses, coconut groves, and floating gardens.

What’s included on most tours: Air-conditioned bus to the delta, local boat transfer on the canals, a visit to a coconut candy or honey workshop, a rowing boat section through the narrower channels, lunch, and bus back. Most are group tours with 15–30 people.

Pricing: From approximately $18–30/person for a standard My Tho day trip. Ben Tre tours, which go deeper into the delta and involve more canal time, run approximately $25–35/person. Both are listed widely on GetYourGuide.

Extended Mekong tours: Overnight trips to Can Tho (250 kilometres from HCMC) allow you to visit the Cai Rang Floating Market at dawn - the largest in the delta - and see more of the river system. From approximately $80–120/person for a two-day tour including accommodation.

For a detailed breakdown of Mekong day trip formats, see our Mekong Delta day trips guide.

Book Mekong Delta tours on GetYourGuide - useful for comparing same-day departures and reading recent reviews.

Motorbike Food Tours

Saigon’s street food scene is vast and geographically scattered. Motorbike food tours solve the logistics - a local guide takes you on the back of their motorbike through neighbourhoods that most tourists never reach, stopping at stalls for bánh mì, bún bò Huế, cơm tấm, bánh xèo, and other regional dishes.

XO Tours - the most established and well-reviewed operator in HCMC. Evening tours (5:30–10:30pm) visit six to eight stops across Districts 1, 3, and 5. From approximately $69/person. Female guides riding female passengers, male guides for others. The night format is better than morning tours - the streets are livelier, the vendors are busier, and the food is fresher.

Saigon Street Eats - similar evening motorbike food tour, from approximately $49–55/person. Slightly smaller operation than XO but consistently well reviewed on GetYourGuide.

Vespa Adventures - higher-end option, using Vespa scooters (driver and passenger) and premium food stops including a private rooftop bar and restaurant visits. From approximately $75–95/person. Worth the premium if you want a more polished experience.

Evening food tours book out 3–5 days ahead during peak season (December–January, June–July). Browse HCMC food and motorbike tours on GetYourGuide for current availability.

City Walking Tours and Free Tours

The Free Walking Tour Saigon - meets daily at 9am at the Opera House (Nha hat Thanh pho) on Lam Son Square. Tip-based. A good introduction to Districts 1 and 3, covering the colonial-era architecture, Ben Thanh Market, and the neighbourhood streets around Notre-Dame Cathedral. Duration approximately 2.5–3 hours.

Saigon Street Walks and similar small operators offer structured walking tours of specific neighbourhoods - Chinatown (District 5 / Cholon), the riverfront, or the backpacker area. Priced at approximately $15–25/person. Check GetYourGuide for current offerings - the guide quality varies significantly between operators.

Self-guided walking: Districts 1 and 3 are compact enough to cover independently. The core sights - Reunification Palace, Notre-Dame Cathedral, the Central Post Office, Ben Thanh Market - are all within 1.5 kilometres of each other. The War Remnants Museum is 10 minutes on foot from Ben Thanh.

War History Tours

HCMC is the primary city for understanding the American War (Vietnam War) from the Vietnamese perspective. The key sites:

War Remnants Museum (Bao tang Chung tich Chien tranh) - the essential stop. Three floors of photographs, weaponry, and documentation of the war’s impact on civilians. The collection is not neutral in tone, but the photographic evidence is undeniably powerful. Admission approximately 40,000 VND as of 2026. Open daily 7:30am–6pm. Allow 2 hours minimum.

Reunification Palace - the former presidential palace of South Vietnam, surrendered in April 1975 when a North Vietnamese tank crashed through its gates. The building is preserved largely as it was in 1975, including the basement command bunkers and communications rooms. Admission approximately 40,000 VND. Open daily 7:30am–5pm.

Guided war history tours (half-day, approximately $20–35/person) combine both sites with commentary from a licensed guide, which significantly deepens the context. Available on GetYourGuide.

Booking and Practical Notes

When to book: Cu Chi and Mekong Delta tours are bookable same-day during quiet months (February, August, September). Book 3–5 days ahead in December–January and June–July. If you’ve left it late, our last-minute Vietnam tours page pulls in departures you can still book for tomorrow.

Transport: Most organised tours from HCMC include hotel pickup from Districts 1 and 3. Confirm your pickup point when booking - some operators only serve central District 1 hotels.

Combining tours: Cu Chi (half-day, morning) and a walking tour or War Remnants Museum (afternoon) work well as a single long day. Mekong Delta tours fill a full day and shouldn’t be combined with anything else - you’ll return at 6–7pm.

Browse all HCMC tours on GetYourGuide - the widest selection of operators and formats for day trips from the city.

See Also

• Ho Chi Minh City city guide - accommodation, restaurants, and neighbourhood overview
• Cu Chi Tunnels tours - dedicated guide to the half-day tunnel circuit
• Mekong Delta day trips - full breakdown of delta excursion formats
• 1-week south Vietnam itinerary - how HCMC fits into a southern circuit