
Southern Vietnam · Day tour
Ho Chi Minh City Discovery
The whole city in a day: the Independence Palace and the War Remnants Museum in the morning, Cholon's market and temples in the afternoon, the river at the end.
- Length
- Full day
- Approx. 8:00 AM – 5:30 PM
- Pick-up
- Ho Chi Minh City
- From your hotel
- Guide
- English-speaking
- Group or private
What you see
The day in short
Everything below is covered by the programme. The order can move with the traffic and the weather; the list does not.
Where it goes: Ho Chi Minh City
Highlights
- The Independence Palace, kept as it was at the end of the war, down to the maps on the basement walls
- Saigon Central Post Office and the Notre-Dame Cathedral of Saigon, back to back on the same square
- The Jade Emperor Pagoda, dark with incense smoke, and the War Remnants Museum
- Binh Tay Market and Thien Hau Temple in Cholon, the city's Chinese quarter
- Bach Dang Wharf and the Saigon River at the end of the afternoon
Hour by hour
The running order
Approx. 8:00 AM – 5:30 PM. These are the timings operations work to; your guide confirms the pick-up the evening before.
Want it privately?08:00 AM
Hotel pick-up in District 1 and straight into the city.
Morning
The Independence Palace, then the Saigon Central Post Office and Notre-Dame Cathedral of Saigon.
Midday
The War Remnants Museum, then lunch at a local restaurant.
Afternoon
Binh Tay Market and Thien Hau Temple in Cholon, then on to Bach Dang Wharf for the river.
05:30 PM
Back to your hotel.
What's included
- Hotel pick-up and drop-off in District 1
- English-speaking tour guide
- All entrance fees
- Lunch as listed in the programme
- A 500 ml bottle of water per person
What's not
- Personal expenses
- VAT
Before you book
- The order of the stops can change with weather, traffic or opening hours. The full programme is still covered.
- Tell us about allergies or dietary needs when you book and the restaurants on the route are briefed.
The route
- 1Independence Palace
- 2Saigon Central Post Office
- 3War Remnants Museum
- 4Binh Tay Market
- 5Bach Dang Wharf
Map is schematic and not to scale for travel times.
Our own camera roll
From this day
Good to know
Questions
Where does pick-up happen?
From your hotel in District 1. Give us your hotel name and address when you book and we will confirm a time the evening before.
Is the War Remnants Museum difficult?
It is direct about the war and some of the photography is hard to look at. Your guide will tell you what is in each room so you can choose what to see, and there is a courtyard to step out into.
Can this run as a private tour?
Yes. Every excursion here can run privately with your own guide and vehicle instead of joining a group. Tell us how many of you there are and we will quote it.
Can we combine this with other days?
Yes — most guests string two or three of these together, or add them either side of a multi-day journey. Send us your dates and we will lay them out in a sensible order.

Book the Ho Chi Minh City Discovery
Give us your dates, your hotel and how many of you there are. We confirm availability the same day and pick you up from the door.