Ho Chi Minh City Trip Overview
Our Ho Chi Minh Most Historical Spots & War Museum Tour will give you a full day of history and education regarding Vietnam as you visit various historical spots in Ho Chi Minh City. If you want to experience another side of Vietnam and learn more about this beautiful country then this is the perfect tour for you.
The morning will start with a private pickup directly from your hotel by one of our friendly, English speaking guides. From there your tour will begin as you start your drive in one of our comfortable, spacious and air-conditioned vehicles.
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Tour Schedule
9:00 AM – Pick up at your hotel (exact time may vary depending on your location)
9:20 AM – Visit the War Remnants Museum
11:30 AM – Lunch Time!
1:00 PM – Visit The Venerable Thich Quang Duc Monument
1:30 PM – Get spiritual at Wat Chantaransay – Khmer pagoda
2:30 PM – Visit Fito Medicine Museum
3:30 PM – Return back to your hotel
4:30 PM – Arrive back at your hotel (exact time may vary depending on your location)
Additional Info
Duration: 6 to 7 hours
Starts: Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam
Trip Category: Cultural & Theme Tours >> Cultural Tours
Explore Ho Chi Minh City Promoted Experiences
What to Expect When Visiting Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam, Vietnam
Our Ho Chi Minh Most Historical Spots & War Museum Tour will give you a full day of history and education regarding Vietnam as you visit various historical spots in Ho Chi Minh City. If you want to experience another side of Vietnam and learn more about this beautiful country then this is the perfect tour for you.
The morning will start with a private pickup directly from your hotel by one of our friendly, English speaking guides. From there your tour will begin as you start your drive in one of our comfortable, spacious and air-conditioned vehicles.
====
Tour Schedule
9:00 AM – Pick up at your hotel (exact time may vary depending on your location)
9:20 AM – Visit the War Remnants Museum
11:30 AM – Lunch Time!
1:00 PM – Visit The Venerable Thich Quang Duc Monument
1:30 PM – Get spiritual at Wat Chantaransay – Khmer pagoda
2:30 PM – Visit Fito Medicine Museum
3:30 PM – Return back to your hotel
4:30 PM – Arrive back at your hotel (exact time may vary depending on your location)
Itinerary
This is a typical itinerary for this product
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.
The most talked-about exhibits at the War Remnants Museum are the ‘tiger cages’. The South Vietnamese government kept their political prisoners in these confinements. Locals believe the cages imprisoned up to 14 people at a time. The museum also has a guillotine brought in by the French government. Both the French and South Vietnamese used it to execute their prisoners until 1960.
Also featured are grisly photos of victims that had suffered ‘Agent Orange’. As many as 4.8 million people were exposed to strong pesticide and chemical spray. The Vietnamese Ministry of Foreign Affairs believed 500,000 children were born with birth defects.
Duration: 2 minutes
Stop At: The Venerable Thich Quang Duc Monument, Corner of Cach Mang Thang Tam & Nguyen Dinh Chieu Street, Ho Chi Minh City 70000 Vietnam
This peaceful memorial park is dedicated to Thich Quang Duc, the Buddhist monk who self-immolated in protest at this intersection not far from the Presidential Palace (today’s Reunification Palace) in 1963. The memorial was inaugurated in 2010, displaying Thich Quang Duc wreathed in flames before a bas-relief.
Duration: 20 minutes
Stop At: Wat Chantaransay – Khmer pagoda, 164/235 Trần Quốc Thảo, Phường 14, Quận 3, Thành phố Hồ Chí Minh, Vietnam
The Chantarangsay Pagoda is a religious and cultural haven for the Khmer people in the south of Vietnam. The pagoda also houses monks from Theravada sect, the most ancient branch of Buddhism.
Duration: 45 minutes
Stop At: FITO Museum, 41 Hoang Du Khuong Ward 12, District 10, Ho Chi Minh City 700000 Vietnam
A unique blend of traditional and modern architecture, the museum includes one ground floor and five upper floors that are home to 18 exhibition rooms.
You may see a delicately carved wooden pictures with different captions that illustrate different types of traditional medicine. This was a place where over a 50 skillful engravers have worked hard to complete these carved pictures for nearly 3 years.
The architecture of this museum shows the typical features of traditional architecture in different regions of Vietnam. It reflects many features of the Northern house in the basin of Red River, of the Hue style and some of the Cham ethnic minority group styles. In the Cham tower are exhibited some Linga – a ritual sculptures which represent a power, a diligence and a vital force in the Cham religion.
This museum is equipped with modern audio-visual technology, which regularly shows “A Century of Health Care Experiences” – a documentary film about the history of Traditional Vietnamese Medicine.
Duration: 1 hour
Pass By: Turtle Lake, Vo Van Tan and Tran Cao Van Streets, District 3, Ho Chi Minh City 70000 Vietnam
Turtle Lake roundabout is located at the crossroads of Vo Van Tan, Pham Ngoc Thach, Tran Cao Van Streets. The street surrounding the lake is named Cong Truong Quoc Te and the lake is officially named Cong Truong Quoc Te roundabout. It is located in the city center, 800 m from the Independence Palace, 400 m from Notre Dame Cathedral and 2 km from Ben Thanh Market.
Pass By: The Secret Weapons Cellar, 287/70 Nguyen Dinh Chieu District 3, Ho Chi Minh City 700000 Vietnam
Once a hiding place for nearly two tons of Saigon Commandos weapons during the spring offensive and 1968 uprising, the Nguyen Dinh Chieu Street little house was declared a National Monument of Culture in 1988.
The bunker is located in a house on Nguyen Dinh Chieu Road, District 3, HCMC, and was used to hide the arsenal of Sai Gon Commandos. Among them are about 2 tons of weapons, which were prepared for the Tet Offensive (January 1968).
Previously, this house was bought by Tran Van Lai (Lai Lai – May Hong Que) and he secretly trained there. At that time, to avoid suspicion, he used the excuse to repair the toilets. He took his wife and children to Go Vap (another district of Ho Chi Minh City), stayed alone in the house and spent the nights building his bunker.
Pass By: Tan Dinh Church, 289 Hai Ba Trung, Ward 8, District 3 Ward 8, District 3, Ho Chi Minh City 70000 Vietnam
Tan Dinh Church Saigon is a Romanian-style church in Ho Chi Minh City, where you can see intricate Gothic and Renaissance elements that have managed to survive Vietnam’s turbulent periods. Built in 1876 and spanning 60 metres in height, it’s widely regarded as the second biggest church in Ho Chi Minh City, after Notre Dame Cathedral. Nearby the gate are two massive bell towers, while the bright pink church is fitted with three beautifully-decorated Italian marble altars.
In 1877, Father Donatien Éveillard invited the Sisters of Saint-Paul de Chartres to set up an orphanage and boarding school beside the church, which had housed over 300 youths in the span of three years. A publishing house is then added to the cathedral grounds, where disadvantaged children were educated for the publishing trade. To honour his contributions to the local community, he was buried beneath the nave of Tan Dinh Church following his death in 1883.
Pass By: Bitexco Financial Tower, 36 Ho Tung Mau Ben Nghe Ward, District 1, Ho Chi Minh City 700000 Vietnam
Ho Chi Minh City’s Bitexco Financial Tower & Sky Deck stands 262 metres high at the centre of the city’s business district and offers visitors an unparalleled city view from its Sky Deck.
Designed by renowned American Architect Carlos Zapata, this 68-storey tower houses offices, shops, restaurants, and a helipad. CNNGo recently ranked the building fifth in their listing of the world’s 20 most iconic skyscrapers.
Pass By: A O Show – Lune Production, 7 Cong Truong Lam Son District 1, Ho Chi Minh City 700000 Vietnam
À Ố Show is one of Vietnamese Bamboo Circus performances.
Pass By: Dong Khoi Street, District 1, Ho Chi Minh City 700000 Vietnam
Home to many French colonial buildings, Dong Khoi Street has witnessed many changes in Ho Chi Minh City. During the French occupation, it was the centre of glamour and was called Rue Catinat.
It became Tu Do or Freedom Street during the Vietnam War. When the Communists took over Saigon in the late 1970s, the name changed again to Dong Khoi, which means Total Revolution.
Pass By: Saigon Opera House (Ho Chi Minh Municipal Theater), 07 Lam Son Square Street District 1, Ho Chi Minh City 700000 Vietnam
The Saigon Opera House in Ho Chi Minh is an elegant colonial building at the intersection of Le Loi and Dong Khoi Street in District 1, very close to the famous Notre Dame Cathedral and the classic Central Post Office. The restored three-storey 800-seat Opera House was built in 1897 and is used for staging not only opera but also a wide range of performing arts including ballet, musical concerts, Vietnamese traditional dance and plays. Performances are advertised around the building and information can be found in the state-operated tourist information centre close by.
Pass By: 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.
Pass By: The Independence Palace, 106 Nguyen Du District 1, Ho Chi Minh City 700000 Vietnam
Reunification Palace was the base of Vietnamese General Ngo Dinh Diem until his death in 1963. It made its name in global history in 1975. A tank belonging to the North Vietnamese Army crashed through its main gate, ending the Vietnam War. Today, it’s a must-visit for tourists in Ho Chi Minh City.
The palace is like a time capsule frozen in 1975. You can see two of the original tanks used in the capture of the palace parked in the grounds. Reunification Palace was the home and workplace of the French Governor of Cochin-China. It has lush gardens, secret rooms, antique furniture, and a command bunker. It’s still in use to host important occasions in Ho Chi Minh, including APEC summits.
Pass By: Fine Arts Museum, 97A D Pho Duc Chinh, Ho Chi Minh City 70000 Vietnam
Reunification Palace was the base of Vietnamese General Ngo Dinh Diem until his death in 1963. It made its name in global history in 1975. A tank belonging to the North Vietnamese Army crashed through its main gate, ending the Vietnam War. Today, it’s a must-visit for tourists in Ho Chi Minh City.
The palace is like a time capsule frozen in 1975. You can see two of the original tanks used in the capture of the palace parked in the grounds. Reunification Palace was the home and workplace of the French Governor of Cochin-China. It has lush gardens, secret rooms, antique furniture, and a command bunker. It’s still in use to host important occasions in Ho Chi Minh, including APEC summits.
Pass By: Museum of Ho Chi Minh City, 1 Nguyen Tat Thanh, District 4, Ho Chi Minh City 700000 Vietnam
This is a fascinating museum on the Botanic Gardens’ grounds tracing the evolution of first human civilization in southeast Asia to the present, including religious, art, and political history.
Pass By: Central Post Office, 125 Hai Ba Trung, District 1, Ho Chi Minh City 70000 Vietnam
The Saigon Central Post Office was constructed from 1886-1891 and depicts classic elements of Gothic, Renaissance and French colonial design. While some mistakenly credit Gustave Eiffel, the famed designer of the Eiffel Tower in Paris, it was actually designed by French architect Alfred Foulhoux.
Pass By: Ho Chi Minh Squares, Nguyen Hue Walking Street, District 1, Ho Chi Minh City 70000 Vietnam
Ho Chi Minh Square can be found in the middle of District 1, right in the city centre, and is surrounded by beautiful French colonial style buildings. On this square you will find a statue of Uncle Ho, which was placed to honour the 100th birthday of Ho Chi Minh City People’s Committee (City Hall).
The City Hall is a popular place for tourists to take pictures and is especially beautiful around dusk, when many of the landmarks are lit by soft lighting. On the left flank of the square you find the five-star Rex Hotel which is also designed by French architects and was home to International journalists during the Vietnam War. A state of the art shopping mall with all international brands, a food court and some luxury hotel rooms can be found on the right side (also French colonial architecture).
Pass By: Landmark 81 SkyView, 720A Dien Bien Phu Floor 79, 80, 81, Ward 22, Binh Thanh District, Ho Chi Minh City 700000 Vietnam
Landmark 81 is a super-tall skyscraper in Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam. The investor and primary developer for the project is Vinhomes, a Vietnamese corporation that is also the country’s largest real-estate company.
Pass By: Golden Dragon Water Puppet Theater, 55B Nguyen Thi Minh Khai District 1, Ho Chi Minh City 700000 Vietnam
Water puppetry is a tradition that dates back as far as the 11th century when it originated in the villages of the Red River Delta area of northern Vietnam. Today’s Vietnamese water puppetry is a unique variation on the ancient Asian puppet tradition. The puppets are made out of wood and then lacquered
Pass By: Cu Chi Tunnels, Phu Hiep TL15 Phu Hiep, Ho Chi Minh City 700000 Vietnam
The tunnels of Củ Chi are an immense network of connecting tunnels located in the Củ Chi District of Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam, and are part of a much larger network of tunnels that underlie much of the country. The Củ Chi tunnels were the location of several military campaigns during the Vietnam War, and were the Viet Cong’s base of operations for the Tết Offensive in 1968.
Pass By: Saigon Notre Dame Cathedral, 01 Cong xa Paris Ben Nghe Ward, District 1, Ho Chi Minh City 700000 Vietnam
Notre-Dame Cathedral Basilica of Saigon, officially Cathedral Basilica of Our Lady of The Immaculate Conception is a cathedral located in the downtown of Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam. Established by French colonists who initially named it the Church of Saigon, the cathedral was constructed between 1863 and 1880. The name Notre-Dame Cathedral has been used since 1959. It has two bell towers, reaching a height of 58 meters.
Pass By: People’s Committee Building, 86 Le Thanh Ton Street, Ben Nghe Ward, District 1, Ho Chi Minh City 70000 Vietnam
Ho Chi Minh City Hall or Saigon City Hall or Hôtel de Ville de Saïgon was built in 1902–1908 in a French colonial style for the then city of Saigon. It was renamed after 1975 as Ho Chi Minh City People’s Committee. Although this elegant colonial building is not open to the public, Saigon City Hall is popular for its great photo opportunities.
Pass By: Ba Thien Hau Temple, 710 Nguyen Trai Cho Lon, District 5, Ho Chi Minh City Vietnam
The Thien Hau Temple, officially the Ba Thien Hau Pagoda, is a Chinese-style temple of the Chinese sea goddess Mazu on Nguyễn Trãi Street in the Cho Lon of District 5 in Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam.
Pass By: Museum of Ho Chi Minh City, 1 Nguyen Tat Thanh, District 4, Ho Chi Minh City 700000 Vietnam
Ho Chi Minh City Museum of Fine Arts is the major art museum of HCM City, Vietnam, and second in the country only to the Vietnam National Museum of Fine Arts in Hanoi. The museum covers three three-floor buildings which house a collection featuring Vietnamese art works in sculpture, oil, silk painting and lacquer painting, as well as traditional styles including woodcut paintings in the Hàng Trống, Đông Hồ, and Kim Hoàng styles, as well as Vietnamese ceramics and a collection of ancient Buddhist art.
Pass By: Tan Dinh Church, 289 Hai Ba Trung, Ward 8, District 3 Ward 8, District 3, Ho Chi Minh City 70000 Vietnam
Tân Định church is a Roman Catholic church in Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam. Its formal name is the Church of the Sacred Heart of Jesus. Even though it’s in District 3, the parish shares its name with neighbouring District 1’s Tân Định Ward. It was built during the French colonial period in the 1870s and completed on 16 December 1876, when Vietnam was part of French Indochina.
Pass By: Fito Museum – Museums of Traditional Vietnamese Medicine & Pharmacy, 26 Bis/1 Khu Pho Trung Vinh Phu Ward, Thuan An Vietnam
Traditional medicine & pharmacy museum
Pass By: Ho Chi Minh City’s Book Street, Duong Nguyen Van Binh, Ben Nghe, Quan 1, Ho Chi Minh City Vietnam
Ho Chi Minh City Book Street is a book street located at Nguyen Van Binh Street, District 1, Ho Chi Minh City.
Pass By: Nguyen Dinh Chieu Walking Street, Nguyen Dinh Chieu, Hue 530000 Vietnam
A beautiful walking street.
Pass By: South-Vietnamese Women Museum, 202 Vo Thi Sau Ward 7, District 3, Ho Chi Minh City Vietnam
Cultural museum honoring Vietnam’s women
