22 Best Things to Do in Ho Chi Minh City ( + District 1 Walking Route)
- Shal & James
- Jan 6
- 10 min read
Updated: 17 hours ago
From a District 1 sightseeing walking route to hidden temples in District 5, and a secret skyline view that’ll have your camera roll begging for mercy, here's the best things to do in Ho Chi Minh City (aka Saigon), Vietnam.
We'd been warned—Ho Chi Minh City's motorcycle chaos is the stuff of legend. But hey, we’re seasoned jaywalkers, trained on the mean streets of New York City and London. Most of the time, we strutted across like pros…until we had a harrowing, near-death encounter with a roundabout swarming with hundreds of motorbikes that clearly viewed traffic lights as mere suggestions.
Still, that chaotic, full-throttle energy is exactly what gives HCMC its edge. It’s loud, it’s wild, and it’s utterly intoxicating. This guide covers the 22 best things to do in Vietnam’s southern powerhouse, from the experiences we loved to the ones we missed and wish we’d squeezed in.
P.S. If it’s your first time in Vietnam, don’t miss our 15 essential travel tips, including how to cross the street without panicking and a few other handy nuggets we learned the hard way.
THANK YOU FOR YOUR SUPPORT!
This post has affiliate links, which means we may earn a teeny commission if you book through them (at no extra cost to you). We only recommend what we’ve road-tested, adored, or nearly booked ourselves. Your support helps keeps our adventures going – thank you. 💙
22 BEST THINGS TO DO IN HO CHI MINH CITY
We’ve included opening hours, prices with currency conversions based on current exchange rates, and what we paid for the best things to do in Ho Chi Minh City, but opening hours, prices, etc. can change so it’s always worth double checking to dodge any last-minute surprises.
Activities follow the most efficient walking route within District 1, which is also where we’d strongly recommend staying. We based ourselves at La Siesta Premium Saigon (£150 pn; converted: €174 / US$203), a 5-star hotel that opened in 2023 and comes with a rooftop pool that feels well-earned after a day dodging motorbikes.
District 1 is very walkable once you’ve cracked the art of crossing the road without panicking. For anywhere beyond it, GrabCar is your best bet. It’s Vietnam’s version of Uber and ridiculously cheap, usually ~£1–3 (converted: €1–3.50 / US$1–4) to get across town or even to the airport. We linked our credit card, but you can also book in-app and pay cash.
One tip we learned fast: standard 4-seater cars are cramped if you’re tall. At 6 feet, James couldn’t sit upright without hunching. If that sounds familiar, book a 7-seater Xpander instead. The price difference is minimal, the comfort upgrade is not.
DISTRICT 1
DISTRICT 3
DISTRICT 5
DISTRICT 10
THU DUC CITY
DAY TRIPS
1 | EMPEROR JADE PAGODA
District 1
Daily 7AM - 6PM
Free
Built in 1909 for the Jade Emperor, this wildly atmospheric temple is all smoky incense, shadowy chambers, and otherworldly statues. It also has a tiny shop selling stunning prayer amulets (yes, we bought one for a bit of divine backup).
2 | HCMC HISTORY MUSEUM
District 1
Tue - Sun 8-11:30AM + 1:30-5PM
30,000 VND pp; converted: £0.84 / €0.98 / US$1.14
The HCMC History Museum should be like stepping back through Saigon’s centuries-old story, from Champa and Khmer beginnings to French colonialism and modern resilience, all housed in a leafy old-world villa. While this museum was on our list, unfortunately its quirky hours just didn’t vibe with our schedule.
3 | SAIGON POST OFFICE
District 1
Daily 7AM - 5PM
Free
A French colonial beauty designed by Gustave Eiffel (yes, that Eiffel), where you can still send a postcard under its grand arched ceilings or just snap a selfie pretending you’ve time-traveled to 1880s Paris. There’s not much to do inside beyond browsing the souvenir stalls or picking up a stamp, so treat it as a quick but worthwhile photo stop rather than a place to linger.
4 | NOTRE DAME CATHEDRAL OF SAIGON
Across the street from the Saigon Post Office is the Notre-Dame Cathedral of Saigon, though it’s currently closed to visitors for renovations until 2027.
5 | BOOK STREET
District 1
Free
A charming, tree-lined lane packed with indie bookstores, cosy cafes, and shaded benches, perfect for a quiet browse, stationary splurge and caffeine fix.
6 | THE INDEPENDENCE PALACE
District 1
Daily 8AM - 4:30PM; last entry 3:30PM
25,000 VND pp (cash); converted: £0.70 / €0.81 / US$0.95
The Independence Palace, also known as Reunification Palace, was the former home of South Vietnam’s president and the site where a North Vietnamese tank famously crashed through the gates in 1975, marking the end of the Vietnam War.
That said, with its retro décor, vast meeting halls and underground bunker, it feels more like a time-capsule conference venue from another era than a grand presidential residence.
7 | REHAHN GALLERY
District 1
Daily 9AM - 7PM
Free
French photographer-turned-Hoi-An-local has made it his mission to capture powerful portraits of people from all 54 of Vietnam’s ethnic groups. The photos at Réhahn Gallery? Absolutely stunning. The kind that stop you in your tracks and make you feel something deep in your travel soul.
8 | GREEN PALM GALLERY
District 1
Daily 9AM - 7PM
Free
Green Palm Gallery is a treasure trove of contemporary Vietnamese art, but it was Dang Van Quynh’s work that really stopped us in our tracks. His pieces somehow bottle the essence of Ho Chi Minh City—gritty, vibrant, layered, and pulsing with life. Like the city itself, they demand a second (and third) look.
9 | HO CHI MINH STATUE PARK
District 1
Free
Ho Chi Minh Statue Park is a brief but striking stop, with the statue facing City Hall while traffic hums endlessly around it, a very on-brand snapshot of Saigon in motion.
10 | NGUYEN HUE WALKING STREET
District 1
Free
Nguyen Hue Walking Street starts just beyond Ho Chi Minh Statue Park and quickly becomes one of the city’s most pleasant strolls, a broad pedestrian boulevard that comes alive late afternoon with locals, street performers and a laid-back energy that feels worlds away from the motorbike madness.
11 | THE CAFE APARTMENT
District 1
Daily 8AM - 10PM
3,000 VND pp; converted: £0.08 / €0.10 / US$0.11
We only found out about Café Apartment after we left Ho Chi Minh City (cue dramatic sigh). It’s a whole apartment block stacked floor-to-ceiling with quirky little cafes—each one more Insta-worthy than the last. Especially at night when it lights up like a caffeinated Christmas tree. Don’t be like us. Go. Sip. Snap.
While we quickly clocked that HCMC takes its coffee culture very seriously and happily stumbled into plenty of cute cafés, we only learned after our trip that the city is also home to wildly creative spaces. These range from jungle garden cafés like Cafe San Vuon Mien Thao Moc (a bit of a hike in District 11) to Tokyo-style animal cafés such as Kapi Cafe (Thu Duc City), where you can feed and pet capybaras.
12 | MARIAMMAN HINDU TEMPLE
District 1
Daily 9AM - 8PM; closed 12 - 1PM
Free
While the Mariamman Hindu Temple's real star is its vibrant, eye-popping exterior with its colourful statues and intricate carvings that practically beg for a photo op, the interior’s worth a look too. The temple is dedicated to the goddess of rain and fertility, Mariamman, widely revered for her power to cure diseases and protect communities from epidemics.
13 | BEN THANH MARKET
District 1
Daily 6AM - 6PM
Free
Get ready for aisles upon aisles of street food and to haggle for quirky souvenirs, all while soaking in the chaotic charm of Ben Thah Market. It’s meant to turn into a night market, but both times we swung by around 8PM, it was shuttered. If you're new to haggling, start by offering 50% of the price. When they say "no," flash a smile, say "thanks," and start to walk away. Trust us, they won’t let you get far.
Ben Thanh Market is great for easy souvenirs, knock-offs and neatly packaged local goods, but if you’re chasing genuinely handmade or traditional crafts, Hoi An does it better, provided you look past the lantern-lit tourist strip and dig a little deeper.
14 | BUI VIEN WALKING STREET
District 1
After dark
Free
Between the throngs of people, neon lights, blaring live music, touts and go-go dancers, it’s a spectacle you won’t forget. A bit too touristy for us to grab a drink, but definitely worth seeing!
15 | WAR REMNANTS MUSEUM
District 3
Daily 7:30AM - 5:30PM
40,000 VND pp (cash); converted: £1 / €1.30 / US$1.50
The War Remnants Museum offers a sobering, often gut-wrenching look at the Vietnam War (referred to as the "American War" locally) through the lens of Vietnamese civilians, with powerful photojournalism, preserved military equipment, and graphic depictions of Agent Orange’s lasting impact. It's not an easy visit, but a vital one.
16 | TAN DINH CHURCH
District 3
Visiting hours: Mon-Fri 7AM - 12PM + 2-5PM + 8-9PM; Sat 7AM - 12PM; Sun closed to visitors
No visitors allowed during mass
Free
Built by the French in the 1870s, the eye-popping pink Tan Dinh Church is one of Ho Chi Minh City’s oldest—and most photogenic—Catholic churches, and yes, we’re gutted we missed it!
17 | TEN THOUSAND BUDDHA PAGODA
District 5
Daily 7AM - 7PM
Free
Don’t miss this jaw-dropping maze of 10,000 hand-carved Buddhas, ancestral tablets, and incense swirling through four floors of Mahayana magic, crowned by a serene, crowd-free Buddha finale on the top floor.
18 | TUE THANH ASSEMBLY HALL
District 5
Daily 6AM - 5:30PM
Free; incense coil 40,000 VND (cash); converted: £1 / €1.30 / US$1.50
Step into a haze of incense, sea goddess blessings, and smoky rituals where you can even light your own giant coil for a dose of health, happiness, and good travel juju.
To buy the incense coil: Purchase your ticket (cash only) from the little register tucked under the courtyard overhang, then shuffle a few steps to the opposite window at the same counter. Hand it over and they’ll sort you out with the coil, plus a helping hand to light it and hang it up.
19 | FITO MUSEUM
District 10
Daily 8:30AM - 5PM
180,000 VND pp; converted: £5.05 / €5.96 / US$6.82
Housed in a gorgeous wooden mansion with traditional Vietnamese flair, the FITO Museum blends beautiful architecture with quirky remedies like snake wine—once believed to boost virility and cure all sorts—but misses a trick by skipping over the darker side of traditional medicine, like the brutal bear bile trade. If alternative medicine isn’t your thing, this is one you could comfortably skip.
20 | ONG CAY BRIDGE
Thu Duc City
24/7
Free
When night falls, hit up Ong Cay, a pedestrian bridge to soak in the neon skyline. Turns out, Ho Chi Minh City loves a good light show! We seemed to be the only tourists wandering through a sea of date-night couples and reluctant boyfriends being coaxed into Instagram shoots.
How to get there (without summoning a teleportation spell): Pop “Café Bờ Kè Nóc Hầm Thủ Thiêm” (QPC5+6WJ) into your GrabCar app and let it whisk you away for the grand price of about £2 (converted:€2.30 / US$2.70). Once you’re dropped off, head right toward the pedestrian bridge and cue beautiful skyline views.
But don’t stop there! Keep walking after you've crossed the bridge. Trust us, the real view is still coming and it will have your camera roll begging for mercy.
If you keep wandering (highly encouraged), you’ll end up in a pedestrian-only zone with more skyline views and coffee shops. When it’s time to head home, you’ll need to stroll back out of the pedestrian area to grab your Grab. Worth it? 100%.
21 | MEKONG DELTA
While most tourists cram into buses bound for the coconut candy factory and commercial orchards of the Mekong Delta, we took the road (or river) less traveled, hopping on a speedboat with just eight other people.
We visited a lime farmer, held his giant python (yes, really!), meandered through the Mekong Delta's canals in a sampan, a traditional rowboat; visited a sleepy local food market; popped by a tri-faith temple and walked through a beautifully kept orphanage run by local monks. We went the entire day without seeing other tourists, not even one.
If you also prefer to go off the beaten path, check out our post, Most Authentic Mekong Delta Day Trip from Ho Chi Minh City and/or book the tour we took here.
22 | CU CHI TUNNELS
If you’ve got a third day in Ho Chi Minh City, you’ve got options. One classic: the Củ Chi Tunnels, an underground maze used by the Viet Cong for everything from hiding to hospitals. But crawling through jungle tunnels on our hands and knees? Hard pass. We opted for a breezier adventure: a day trip to the Mekong Delta instead.
Pin this for later!
FOLLOW US ON PINTEREST
