Ho Chi Minh City Trip Overview
Learn how to cross the busy streets in Ho Chi Minh city, soak up the atmosphere of the dynamic city formerly nicknamed the Pearl of the Far East. Take a delightful walking through French colonial square to see Notre Dame Cathedral and the Old Central Post Office, Witness the War Remnants Museum, See the bustling China town, Enjoy last minutes shopping at the Ben Thanh central market and more interesting things ahead.
Additional Info
Duration: 6 to 8 hours
Starts: Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam
Trip Category: Tours & Sightseeing >> Bus & Minivan Tours
Explore Ho Chi Minh City Promoted Experiences
What to Expect When Visiting Ho Chi Minh City, Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam
Learn how to cross the busy streets in Ho Chi Minh city, soak up the atmosphere of the dynamic city formerly nicknamed the Pearl of the Far East. Take a delightful walking through French colonial square to see Notre Dame Cathedral and the Old Central Post Office, Witness the War Remnants Museum, See the bustling China town, Enjoy last minutes shopping at the Ben Thanh central market and more interesting things ahead.
Itinerary
This is a typical itinerary for this product
Stop At: The Independence Palace, 106 Nguyen Du District 1, Ho Chi Minh City 700000 Vietnam
In the morning, start a sightseeing tour to the Reunification Palace, which was the former residence of the President of South Vietnam until end of the war in April 1975, and some French colonial structures including Notre Dame Cathedral, the Old Central Post Office. Continue on to Chinatown, Thien Hau pagodas. which is dedicated to the Goddess of the Sea. Explore the highlights of this fascinating area, beginning with intricate friezes, carved tableaus and impressive incense coils make for some great photos.
Duration: 1 hour 30 minutes
Stop At: Saigon Notre Dame Cathedral, 01 Cong xa Paris Ben Nghe Ward, District 1, Ho Chi Minh City 700000 Vietnam
Saigon Notre Dame Cathedral, built in the late 1880s by French colonists, is one of the few remaining strongholds of Catholicism in the largely Buddhist Vietnam. Located in Paris Square, the name Notre Dame was given after the installation of the statue ‘Peaceful Notre Dame’ in 1959. In 1962, the Vatican conferred the Cathedral status as a basilica and gave it the official name of Saigon Notre-Dame Cathedral Basilica. Measuring almost 60 metres in height, the cathedral’s distinctive neo-Romanesque features include the all-red brick façade (which were imported from Marseille), stained glass windows, two bell towers containing six bronze bells that still ring to this day, and a peaceful garden setting in the middle of downtown Ho Chi Minh City District 1.
Duration: 1 hour
Stop At: Ba Thien Hau Temple, 710 Nguyen Trai Cho Lon, District 5, Ho Chi Minh City Vietnam
Ba Thien Hau Temple in Saigon is a Buddhist temple dedicated to the Chinese sea goddess, Mazu. It’s believed that she protects and rescues ships and people on the sea by flying around on a mat or cloud. Mazuism is connected with traditions and beliefs from both Taoism and Buddhism. Mazuism is therefore an incorporation of different aspects and traditions which have merged to form a new belief. You will find this temple in ‘Cholon’ (Chinatown) in District 5, which is roughly a twenty minute drive from the city centre.
Duration: 1 hour
Stop At: Binh Tay Market, 57 Thap Muoi, Ward 2, District 6, Ho Chi Minh City 700000 Vietnam
Binh Tay Market, constructed by the French in the 1880s, is located in the centre of Vietnam’s largest Chinatown district. Unlike Ben Thanh Market in District 1, this market mainly serves the local population with its extensive range of fresh fruits, vegetables, poultry, meat and seafood from regions across Vietnam.
Duration: 1 hour
Stop At: War Remnants Museum, 28 Vo Van Tan Ward 6, District 3, Ho Chi Minh City 700000 Vietnam
The War Remnants Museum in Ho Chi Minh City first opened to the public in 1975. Once known as the ‘Museum of American War Crimes’, it’s a shocking reminder of the long and brutal Vietnam War. Graphic photographs and American military equipment are on display. There’s a helicopter with rocket launchers, a tank, a fighter plane, a single-seater attack aircraft. You can also see a conventional bomb that weighs at 6,800kg. American troops had used these weapons against the Vietnamese between 1945 and 1975.
Duration: 1 hour 30 minutes
Stop At: Ben Thanh Market, Le Loi, Ben Thanh Ward, District 1, Ho Chi Minh City 700000 Vietnam
Ben Thanh Market in Ho Chi Minh City’s District 1 is a great place to buy local handicrafts, branded goods, Vietnamese art and other souvenirs. Here, you’ll find eating stalls inside the market where you can get a taste of hawker-style Vietnamese cuisine or simply cool off with a cold drink when the bargaining becomes too much.
The market is big, difficult to navigate at times and certainly best avoided during the hottest part of the day but all the same its well worth a look. When night falls, restaurants around the perimeter of the market open their doors creating a vibrant street side scene filling the air with the scents of wok-fried noodles, barbecued fish and meats. One of Saigon’s oldest landmarks, Ben Thanh offers a great atmosphere that is absolutely authentically Vietnamese.
Duration: 1 hour
