Ho Chi Minh City

Vietnam's largest city, still called Saigon by most. The War Remnants Museum, the Independence Palace, the French-era Central Post Office and Ben Thanh market are in District 1, Cholon is the old Chinese quarter, and the first metro line runs east from Ben Thanh. Direct flights from Delhi, Mumbai, Bengaluru, Hyderabad and Ahmedabad land here. District 1 has many Indian restaurants and the Sri Thenday Yutthapani and Mariamman Hindu temples.

Highlights

• War Remnants Museum
• Independence Palace
• Central Post Office
• Ben Thanh Market
• Cholon's Chinese temples
• Street food by scooter at night
• Rooftop bars of District 1
• Mariamman Hindu Temple

Things to do

• War Remnants MuseumMorning · 2h
• Independence PalaceMorning · 1h 30m
• Central Post Office, Book Street and Ben Thanh MarketAfternoon · 2h 30m
• Cholon: Thien Hau Temple and Binh Tay marketMorning · 3h
• Street-food tour on the back of a scooterEvening · 3h 30m
• Saigon River sunset cruiseEvening · 2h
• Jade Emperor Pagoda & the pink Tan Dinh churchMorning · 1h 30m
• Ho Chi Minh City Museum of Fine ArtsAfternoon · 1h 30m
• Museum of Vietnamese HistoryMorning · 1h 30m
• Landmark 81 SkyView deckAfternoon · 1h 30m
• Nguyen Hue walking street & the Opera House at nightEvening · 1h 30m
• Southern Vietnamese cooking class with a market visitMorning · 3h 30m

Tours & tickets

When to go

Best time: December – April

• Tet (Lunar New Year) — Vietnam's biggest holiday. In the week before, trains, buses and flights sell out and prices rise as everyone travels home; for three to five days after New Year's Eve many shops, restaurants and family-run hotels close, while temples and flower markets are at their liveliest. Book transport a month or more ahead, or avoid travelling in the days either side.
• Mid-Autumn Festival (Tet Trung Thu) — The children's festival of the full moon: lanterns, lion dances and mooncakes. Hanoi's Hang Ma street and Hoi An's old town are full of lanterns in the week before.
• Reunification Day and Labour Day holidays — A long national holiday when much of the country goes to the beach and the hills: hotels in Vung Tau, Nha Trang, Da Nang, Phu Quoc, Da Lat and Sapa fill and raise prices, and buses and flights sell out. Book early or avoid these days.
• National Day holiday — Independence Day: parades and flags in Hanoi around Ba Dinh Square, and a holiday of two to four days when domestic tourists fill the beaches and Ha Long Bay.

Part of a longer route

Ho Chi Minh City is a stop on a curated circuit through Vietnam.