Itinerary · Ho Chi Minh City · Vietnam
One day in Ho Chi Minh City
A day-by-day plan grouped by neighbourhood, so you spend your time seeing Ho Chi Minh City, not crossing it.
Updated By the AMZBooking editorial team
Photo: Lerdsuwa, CC BY-SA 3.0
Quick answer
One day is a taster: the plan below covers the essentials, but most visitors want 4. Day 1: War Remnants Museum and Independence Palace. Base yourself in District 1 (Đồng Khởi).
Key facts
- Days
- 1
- Sights covered
- 5
- Day trips
- None
- Best base
- District 1 (Đồng Khởi)
- Book ahead
- Nothing essential
Day by day
Day 1: War Remnants Museum and Independence Palace
War Remnants Museum, Independence Palace, Notre-Dame Cathedral Basilica of Saigon and Bến Thành Market, then Nguyễn Huệ walking street in the evening.
Morning
War Remnants Museum
Start on the top floor with the photojournalism galleries, and allow time to recover afterwards; some images are very distressing. Allow 2 hours.
Late morning
Independence Palace
Head straight for the basement first, which shows the war-time telecommunications rooms, before the tour groups arrive. Allow 1.5 hours.
Lunch
Lunch: Broken rice
Street stalls and specialist cơm tấm restaurants in every district, with the smoke of charcoal grills marking the best ones.
Afternoon
Notre-Dame Cathedral Basilica of Saigon
Check whether the interior is open during your visit; the square and façade are the main draw either way. Allow 20 minutes.
Late afternoon
Bến Thành Market
Bargain with a smile and compare prices; eat at the food stalls inside rather than the restaurants around the edge. Allow 1 hour.
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.
If it rains
- Swap in Saigon Central Post Office (District 1 (Đồng Khởi)): Send a postcard from the counters; then walk into the adjoining Book Street.
- Swap in Saigon Opera House (District 1 (Đồng Khởi)): Seeing a performance is the only way inside; check the programme and book a day or two ahead.
- Swap in Ho Chi Minh City Museum of Fine Arts (District 1 (Đồng Khởi)): Visit during the midday heat; it is quiet and makes a good break from the market.
Where to stay for this itinerary
$$$ · Best for first-timers, luxury, shopping and families
District 1 (Đồng Khởi)
Colonial landmarks, international hotels, malls and rooftop bars by the river
Pace and daylight
The sights in this plan add up to roughly 6–6 hours of visiting over one day, before meals and getting between them. Daylight runs from about 11.5 hours in December to 12.8 hours in June.
Getting between stops: Ride-hailing. Grab, Be and Xanh SM offer cars and motorbike taxis with fixed in-app fares; motorbike rides are the fastest way through traffic for short trips.
More or fewer days
Questions travellers ask
+Is one day enough in Ho Chi Minh City?
One day is a taster: the plan below covers the essentials, but most visitors want 4. How many days Ho Chi Minh City needs.