Ho Chi Minh City moves fast. Street food carts appear at 6am, traffic never really stops, and a decade of construction has filled the skyline with glass towers alongside century-old colonial buildings. Beneath the chaos is one of Southeast Asiaβs most rewarding cities β a place where history, street food, and modern Vietnamese culture collide on the same block.
War Remnants Museum
The single most visited attraction in Ho Chi Minh City, and rightly so. The War Remnants Museum at 28 Vo Van Tan, District 3, covers the American War from the Vietnamese perspective with unflinching honesty. The photographs in the upper floors are harrowing; the collection of captured military hardware in the courtyard is extraordinary.
Entry costs 40,000 VND (approximately $1.60) for foreigners. Open daily 7:30am to noon and 1:30pm to 5pm, closed the last Monday of each month. Allow two hours minimum. Come early β by 10am tour groups fill the corridors.
Reunification Palace
Two blocks from Bui Vien, the Reunification Palace at 135 Nam Ky Khoi Nghia, District 1 is one of the most atmospheric Cold War sites in Asia. The building has been preserved exactly as it was on 30 April 1975, when a North Vietnamese tank crashed through the gates to end the war. Underground bunkers, the communications room, and the rooftop helipad are all accessible.
Entry is 40,000 VND ($1.60). Open 7:30am to 11:30am and 1pm to 4:30pm daily.
Ben Thanh Market and the Surrounding Streets
Ben Thanh Market at the junction of Le Loi and Ham Nghi is touristy but worth an hour β the building itself is a 1914 colonial landmark and the food hall inside sells decent banh mi and fresh fruit. Prices here run 30 to 50 percent higher than in local markets; use it for orientation rather than serious shopping.
For more authentic street food, walk a few blocks south to Co Giang Street or east to the lanes around Ho Thi Ky Flower Market. A bowl of bun bo Hue costs around 50,000 VND ($2) from street stalls; banh mi runs 20,000 to 30,000 VND ($0.80 to $1.20).
Notre-Dame Cathedral and the Central Post Office
Standing side by side on Cong xa Paris Square, these two colonial landmarks make for a single 30-minute visit. Notre-Dame Cathedral is undergoing long-term renovation but the exterior is impressive; the red-brick twin towers were built between 1863 and 1880. The Central Post Office next door is operational and free to enter β the vaulted iron interior designed by Gustave Eiffelβs firm is one of the cityβs most beautiful spaces.
Binh Tay Market, Cholon
Chinatownβs wholesale market in District 5 is the largest in the city and the least visited by tourists. Take a Grab car from District 1 (about $3 to $4 for the 4km journey) and spend 90 minutes wandering the stalls selling spices, dried goods, ceramics, and every variety of noodle imaginable. The central courtyard with its ornate clock tower is a quiet contrast to the surrounding commotion.
The Saigon Skydeck
For an elevated view of the city sprawl, the Skydeck on the 49th floor of the Bitexco Financial Tower at 2 Hai Trieu, District 1 charges 200,000 VND ($8) for adults. The observation deck is open daily 9:30am to 9:30pm. It is not as high as Landmark 81 (which has a restaurant but no public observation deck), but the central location means you can see Reunification Palace, the river, and the old French Quarter all at once.
Cu Chi Tunnels
The Cu Chi Tunnels lie 40km northwest of the city centre and are best visited on a half-day tour. The tunnel network was built by Viet Cong guerrillas from the 1940s onward and extends to over 200km; at peak use it housed thousands of people underground for months at a time. Visitors can crawl through a widened 100-metre section of tunnel, inspect trap doors, and fire an AK-47 on the shooting range (extra charge: 35,000 VND per bullet).
Entry to the Ben Dinh site is 120,000 VND ($5); transport from District 1 by tour bus runs from $15 to $20 per person including the entrance fee. Private car with driver costs roughly $45 return. Allow four to five hours for the round trip.
Mekong Delta Day Trip
The Mekong Delta begins an hour south of the city. Day trips typically visit My Tho and Ben Tre, taking local boats through the narrow water channels, visiting a coconut candy factory, and eating lunch on an island. Tours cost from $25 to $45 per person from District 1 pick-up, including transport, boat hire, guide, and lunch. Longer trips to Can Tho include the Cai Rang floating market and require an overnight stay.
Bui Vien Walking Street and District 1 Nightlife
Bui Vien Street in District 1 is the backpacker hub β bars with live music and cheap draught beer (20,000 VND / $0.80 a glass) open from early evening and run past midnight. The area gets crowded on weekends but remains lively any night of the week. For something more local, the craft beer scene along Nguyen Thi Hoa in Binh Thanh District is quieter and more interesting, with cans of Vietnamese-brewed craft beer from 60,000 VND ($2.40).
Getting Around Ho Chi Minh City
The Grab app is the most reliable way to move around. Grab motorbike rides within District 1 cost 20,000 to 35,000 VND ($0.80 to $1.40); a Grab car to Cu Chi would run about $20 to $25 one way. Metered taxis (Vinasun, Mai Linh) are trustworthy alternatives with a base fare of about 15,000 VND ($0.60). The HCMC Metro Line 1 (Ben Thanh to Suoi Tien) opened in late 2024 and now runs between District 1 and District 9; a single ride costs 12,000 to 20,000 VND depending on distance.
Avoid cyclo rides at tourist sites β rates are rarely agreed in advance and disputes are common.
Day Trips from Ho Chi Minh City
Beyond Cu Chi and the Mekong Delta, Vung Tau is a 90-minute fast ferry ride (tickets from $10 return on PetroExpress or Greenlines DP) and offers a respectable beach escape popular with locals at weekends. Mui Ne, with its red and white sand dunes, is four hours by bus (about $10 to $15) and better as an overnight trip.