This post on things to do in Saigon, Ho Chi Minh City, is where I’ll lose some fans. This is because every one of us is so different. The boys will prefer that I list the entire party scene so that they can hop from one to another. The ladies will love a suggested itinerary for shopping in Saigon instead of touring. The family man with kids in tow will be happy to visit all the theme parks.
Anyway, I hope this list on things to do in Saigon forms a good guide in your trip planning. I’ve taken the following conditions in doing this Saigon suggested itinerary:
1. A balance between sight seeing, shopping and taking it easy.
2. Placed the more popular things-to-do in front. If you are press for time, you’ll learn that I’ve covered quite a bit for you by the 2nd day.
Note: I highly recommend that you have at least 3 days to tour Ho Chi Minh City, Saigon. The 3rd day being a 2 hours bus ride out of HCMC to visit Cu Chi Tunnels which is a must see as it’s a very special site.
I’ll first list the things to do in Saigon in point form below. After that, I’ll run through them again, this time injecting a few thoughts and notes in between.
Day 01
Ben Thanh Market
Surroundings around Ben Thanh Market
Saigon Square Shopping Centre
Lunch
Reunification Palace
Notre Dame Cathedral
Saigon Post Office
Dinner
Ben Thanh Night Market
Day 02
Cholon, Binh Tay Market
Ong Bon Pagoda
Lunch
War Remnants Museum
Shopping
Dinner
Walkabout in the city
Photo-taking in Saigon Opera House and the People’s Committee Building
Day 03
Guided tour to Cu Chi Tunnels and the Cao Dai Temple
Dinner
Hanging loose in the Saigon backpacker’s hostel area
Day 04
Guided tour to the Mekong Delta
Dinner
Hang loose
Day 05
Last minute shopping
Mariamman Hindu Temple
Lunch
History Museum / Ho Chi Minh City Museum
Dinner
Pack up
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Day 01
Ben Thanh Market
Surroundings around Ben Thanh Market
I’ve noticed that tourists often miss the surroundings of Ben Thanh Market. There are actually quite a bit of shopping there worth exploring, particularly the alleys facing the side entrances.
Saigon Square Shopping Centre
Saigon Square is different from Ben Thanh Market in that they don’t sell food, the clothes there are trendier and the shopping centre is air conditioned.
Lunch
Reunification Palace
Notre Dame Cathedral
Saigon Post Office
I placed the Reunification Palace first because it only opens from 1pm to 4pm after lunch whereas the Notre Dame Cathedral will always be there and the Saigon Post Office closes at about 8pm.
Dinner
Ben Thanh Night Market
Day 02
Cholon, Binh Tay Market
Cholon refers to the whole Chinatown area and Binh Tay Market is a big wholesale market being the focal point of Cholon.
Ong Bon Pagoda
There are quite a few pagodas in Cholon, with Phuoc An Hoi Quan Pagoda being one of them. But Ong Bon Pagoda is the nearest to Binh Tay Market.
Lunch
War Remnants Museum
Shopping
Beside Ben Thanh Market and Saigon Square, there are also shopping centre and many boutiques in the city center. See an example here.
Dinner
Walkabout in the city
Photo-taking in Saigon Opera House and the People’s Committee Building
Saigon Opera House and the People’s Committee Building are being light up every night and they make for good night shots.
Day 03
Guided tour to Cu Chi Tunnels and the Cao Dai Temple
Dinner
Hanging loose in the Saigon backpacker’s hostel area
Allez Boo, Crazy Buffalo and Le Pub are good drinking spot.
Day 04
Guided tour to the Mekong Delta
2 to 3 days tour in the Mekong Delta are also popular with tourists but if your time is tight, I recommend spending them in prettier attractions like Sapa of the north or Hoi An in central Vietnam
Dinner
Hang loose
Day 05
Last minute shopping
Mariamman Hindu Temple
Mariamman Hindu Temple is just round the corner of Ben Thanh Market. If you have time, do check it out.
Lunch
History Museum / Ho Chi Minh City Museum
2 choices here for you: The advantage in visiting History Museum is that the Zoo, Botanical Gardens and the Huong Vuong Temple are all within the same compound. Ho Chi Minh City Museum, on the other hand, is just 2 blocks from Ben Thanh Market.
Dinner
Pack up
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Hi Racine,
Take a taxi or ‘xe om’ (motorbike taxi) to get to Cholon.
Yet to do a water puppet in HCMC but Hanoi seem to have higher quality performance. If you are only restricted to Saigon, try the one at the History Museum. Quite a few good reviews I’ve come across.
thank you so much for all your info! i ll b goin in 2 weeks time!! cant wait!!! =D
btw, another ques, those motorbike taxi, most of dem are reliable right? how do they charge? is there any tips on how to avoid getting ripped off? =)
Thank you Racine for your reading
In many cases in Vietnam, it’s often hits and misses. The tip is to confirm the price before hopping onto the taxi bikes. Generally it’s about 15,000/km in their quote.