10 Things You Need To Do In Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon)

Most people struggle on coming up on what other things to do when planning for trips to Ho Chi Minh. Some get stuck to just doing a city tour and eating on the side streets. But there’s more to Saigon than these. Check out these 10 things you need to do in Ho Chi Minh City when you visit for more ideas!

City Walking Tour

Most of the attractions in Ho Chi Minh as far as buildings and heritage sites are concentrated in District 1. You can actually just walk half a day to cover most of the sites in the city.

Read More Of City Walking Tour Information

Mekong River Tour

One of the longest rivers in Asia, the Mekong river is a popular destination for tourists. The river tours takes people around the Mekong river environment. Passing by marshland and floating markets tourist are in experience a feast for their eyes.

Check Mekong River Tours Rates

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Cu Chi Tunnel

Visit the Cu Chi Tunnels and learn how the Vietcongs managed to hide in the forests from the American forces. Walk through a series of tunnels where the north Vietnamese army lived while in war with the Americans.

Book Cu Chi Tunnel Tours

Mui Ne

A quick day trip to Mui Ne is a nice break. The city is just about 4 hours away from Ho Chi Min city. Sleeper buses leaves 12 AM from Ho Chi Minh and returns to the city around 11 PM the same day. One way fare is about VND 110k via FUTA bus company. Popular spots in the area includes the sand dunes (white and red), fishing village and fairy streams.  There are group tours available in hostels that cost less than $10.

Book Bus Tickets To Mui Ne

Check for Mui Ne Hostels

 

Food Tour

Saigon is one of the best places on Earth for eating. Ho Chi Minh is abundant of food vendors be it in a formal shop or just a table  around the corner. We booked our Food Tour with Saigon Free Walking Tours and had a blast hopping from one spot to another. The best part of it is that we used scooters to get around!

Coffee Shop Hopping

Vietnam in general is coffee haven. You will find sidewalk vendors selling good coffee, sometimes as good as coffee shops. But then there are coffee shops who sell specialty coffees like egg coffee or cinnamon coffee. The entire country is just teeming with coffee culture and Ho Chi Minh city isn’t an exception.

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Sky Deck

See Ho Chi Minh City at great heights, literally! Take a view of the city from the 49th level of the Bitexco financial tower. Saigon is fast becoming urbanized and expanding and this is the best time to see the expanse of the entire Ho Chi Minh City.

Book Tickets To Bitexco SkyDeck Saigon

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Watch Water Puppets

The Water Puppets show is one of the unique cultural shows you can see in Saigon. These puppet shows came about as one of the main entertainment for the people living in the flood plains near Ho Chi Minh. Today, these puppet shows showcase the rich rural culture of Vietnam in very unique way. Note though that the shows are entirely in Vietnamese.

Book Water Puppets Show Tickets

Watch Performances At The Saigon Opera House

If you want to see the inside of the Saigon Opera house, you can watch one of the shows in the theater. This way you can not just enjoy the architecture but also see the amazing talents of the Vietnamese people.

Check Saigon Opera House Show Tickets

Eat at Lunch Lady

The Lunch Lady came to fame when Anthony Bourdain came to her shop and eat. The shop basically serves one type of meal depending on the day of the week. I haven’t tried this one so, it’s on my list. The Lunch Lady’s shop is a bit off from the city center and near the northern banks of the Saigon River.

 

There you have it. These are some of the best things to do when visiting Saigon. There may be more activities that you can think about specially when you are in the city already, not to mention the nightly parties in Bui Vien. Saigon can be viewed as Veitnam’s rebellious son, hence the best time of your life!

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