A Weekend in Ho Chi Minh City
Ho Chi Minh City (formerly known as Saigon) is an incredible historical destination to visit with unique geography and culture. Easily accessible from most points in Southeast Asia, the city makes for a nice weekend trip, although I don’t think I would spend more than 3-4 days strictly within the city when the country has so much more to offer! I had the chance to go for a weekend when I was living in Singapore, and here’s what I think a great itinerary would look like for a couple days in Vietnam’s largest city.
Day One: Historical & Cultural Attractions
Vietnam is a country of great cultural/religious history, as well as a profoundly sad recent history given the Vietnam War. It’s both important and enlightening to learn all aspects of this, and Ho Chi Minh is a great place to do so. I’d start out at Independence Palace, the former main government building of the country that was the site where the Vietnam War ended (during the Fall of Saigon). It is an incredible structure that costs only ~$2 to enter, so spend an hour or so immersing yourself in the palace and checking out all the magnificent structures inside.
Head to the War Remnants Museum next; this is the main museum in the country depicting the history of the war. The amount of artifacts they capture here is astonishing, and the exhibits, while tragic and hard to look at many times, are really well done. This is a place to spend a couple of hours in and really take in the history & atrocities that were committed in the country just ~50 years ago.
Break for lunch and grab a traditional staple of Banh Xeo or Banh Mi at a nearby market; there’s a ton of local options that if you have the stomach for it, you cannot go wrong. In fact, you can even go to the large Ben Thanh Market, which sells any kind of good you can imagine and also serves up some incredible food/drinks. If you want to shop for some souvenirs for back home, this is the place to do it!
Checking out Notre Dame Cathedral and the Saigon Postal Office as they serve for great backdrops for pictures and an image into what life in Saigon was really like. I’d wrap up the day at Bui Vien Street, which turns into a really fun night market in the evening where you can get dinner, desserts, and any entertainment to close out your first night in Ho Chi Minh City.
Day Two: Explore the surrounding areas of Ho Chi Minh City
Having seen most of the critical sites in the city, I think the second day of your weekend can be devoted to seeing either one of two unique experiences, each around 1 hour away from the center of the city.
Option 1: Cu Chi Tunnels
During the war, this network of tunnels just outside of Saigon served as the base for the North Vietnamese army’s operations. Soldiers maneuvered through these tunnels, using them as hiding spots, storing food there, and planning out operations. Many tour groups will lead a one-day exploration of the tunnels for you to learn more about the history and visually see how the soldiers were using the tunnels to their advantage in real-time. This will take around 6-8 hours in total, giving you ample time to come back to the city and catch your flight/bus to your next location!
Option 2: Mekong Delta Bike Tour
This is what I opted to do during my time in Ho Chi Minh City, as I was keen to take advantage of the unusually cool weather and enjoy a nice stroll. Online tours through Viator will take you around 1 hour away from the city to the rice paddy fields that use the Mekong River as their source of income/livelihood. Spending ~3 hours in total biking around these settings to take pictures of the scenery and also meet some local workers who live on the farms was a really unique opportunity. I think it’s a great option if you want to see both the city and countryside during a weekend in Vietnam!
And once you head back into the city, you should be able to head back home/your next spot knowing you had the best time in Ho Chi Minh City!
Anything we missed? Let us know!
