3 days in Ho Chi Minh City

Day by day

1. Day 1: War Remnants Museum and Independence Palace

   War Remnants Museum, Independence Palace and Notre-Dame Cathedral Basilica of Saigon, then Nguyễn Huệ walking street in the evening.

   1. Morning

      War Remnants Museum

      The city's most visited museum documents the Vietnam War from the Vietnamese perspective, with photographs by war correspondents, galleries on the effects of Agent Orange and a reconstruction of island prison cells.

   2. Late morning

      Independence Palace

      Head straight for the basement first, which shows the war-time telecommunications rooms, before the tour groups arrive.

   3. Lunch

      Lunch: Broken rice

      Street stalls and specialist cơm tấm restaurants in every district, with the smoke of charcoal grills marking the best ones.

   4. Afternoon

      Notre-Dame Cathedral Basilica of Saigon

      The twin-spired red-brick cathedral was built by the French between 1863 and 1880 with materials shipped from France, and a statue of the Virgin Mary stands in the square in front.

   5. Evening

      Nguyễn Huệ walking street

      Come after sunset when it is cooler, and take the lift (for a small fee) or stairs up the café apartment block for a view of the boulevard.

2. Day 2: Bến Thành Market and Saigon Central Post Office

   Bến Thành Market, Saigon Central Post Office and Saigon Opera House, then Landmark 81 SkyView in the evening.

   1. Morning

      Bến Thành Market

      Bargain with a smile and compare prices; eat at the food stalls inside rather than the restaurants around the edge.

   2. Late morning

      Saigon Central Post Office

      Across the square from the cathedral, this working post office from the 1890s has a vaulted iron-framed hall, painted maps of colonial Saigon and Cochinchina, and a large portrait of Ho Chi Minh.

   3. Lunch

      Lunch: Bánh mì

      Street carts and famous bakeries across Districts 1 and 3; queues at the best-known ones move quickly.

   4. Afternoon

      Saigon Opera House

      Seeing a performance is the only way inside; check the programme and book a day or two ahead.

   5. Evening

      Landmark 81 SkyView

      Go late in the afternoon to see the city in daylight and after dark on one ticket.

3. Day 3: Jade Emperor Pagoda and Chợ Lớn temples and Bình Tây Market

   Jade Emperor Pagoda, Chợ Lớn temples and Bình Tây Market and Ho Chi Minh City Museum of Fine Arts, then Vĩnh Khánh food street in the evening.

   1. Morning

      Jade Emperor Pagoda

      Built in 1909 by the city's Cantonese community, this Taoist and Buddhist temple is dark with incense smoke and crowded with carved and painted figures of deities and the Jade Emperor himself.

   2. Late morning

      Chợ Lớn temples and Bình Tây Market

      Go in the morning when the market is busiest, and finish with a bowl of noodles or dim sum in the side streets.

   3. Lunch

      Lunch: Southern phở

      Long-running phở shops in Districts 1 and 3, busiest at breakfast.

   4. Afternoon

      Ho Chi Minh City Museum of Fine Arts

      A yellow colonial mansion near Bến Thành Market, built for a wealthy Chinese merchant family, holds Vietnamese lacquer paintings, Cham sculpture and war-era propaganda art.

   5. Evening

      Vĩnh Khánh food street

      Order a few dishes to share, point at what neighbouring tables are eating, and check prices on the menu before ordering.

If it rains

• Swap in Ho Chi Minh City Museum (District 1 (Đồng Khởi)): Even if you skip the exhibits, walk round the outside and the gardens for the architecture.

Where to stay for this itinerary

With 3 nights, District 1 (Đồng Khởi) keeps most of this route within easy reach. For a calmer or cheaper base, Phạm Ngũ Lão and Bùi Viện ($) suits budget, nightlife and solo travellers. Compare every area.

Pace and daylight

The sights in this plan add up to roughly 16–18 hours of visiting over 3 days, before meals and getting between them. Daylight runs from about 11.5 hours in December to 12.8 hours in June.

More or fewer days

• One day in Ho Chi Minh City
• 2 days in Ho Chi Minh City
• 4 days in Ho Chi Minh City
• 5 days in Ho Chi Minh City
• 7 days in Ho Chi Minh City

Questions travellers ask