Rainy day · Ho Chi Minh City · Vietnam
7 things to do in Ho Chi Minh City when it rains
Indoor sights that make a wet day feel planned rather than lost.
Updated By the AMZBooking editorial team
Photo: Lerdsuwa, CC BY-SA 3.0
Quick answer
Start with War Remnants Museum, Bến Thành Market and Saigon Central Post Office. Together the 7 picks below take roughly 8–9 hours across 3 areas; 2 are free. July is usually the wettest month, with about 22 rainy days.
Key facts
- Places in this guide
- 7
- Free entry
- 2
- Time to see them all
- 8–9 hours
- Areas
- District 3, District 1 (Đồng Khởi) and Bình Thạnh
Ho Chi Minh City on a rainy day
Museum · District 3
1.War Remnants Museum
Start on the top floor with the photojournalism galleries, and allow time to recover afterwards; some images are very distressing.
- Time needed
- 2 hours
- Cost
- Low cost
- Iconic
- History
- Rainy day
Market · District 1 (Đồng Khởi)
2.Bến Thành Market
Bargain with a smile and compare prices; eat at the food stalls inside rather than the restaurants around the edge.
- Time needed
- 1 hour
- Cost
- Free
- Iconic
- Shopping
- Food
- Free
- Rainy day
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Architecture · District 1 (Đồng Khởi)
3.Saigon Central Post Office
Send a postcard from the counters; then walk into the adjoining Book Street.
- Time needed
- 30 minutes
- Cost
- Free
- Free
- Architecture
- History
- Photo spot
- Rainy day
Architecture · District 1 (Đồng Khởi)
4.Saigon Opera House
Seeing a performance is the only way inside; check the programme and book a day or two ahead.
- Time needed
- 1–1.5 hours for a show
- Cost
- Mid-priced
- Architecture
- After dark
- Couples
- Rainy day
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Gallery · District 1 (Đồng Khởi)
5.Ho Chi Minh City Museum of Fine Arts
Visit during the midday heat; it is quiet and makes a good break from the market.
- Time needed
- 1–1.5 hours
- Cost
- Low cost
- Art
- Architecture
- Rainy day
- Off the beaten path
Museum · District 1 (Đồng Khởi)
6.Ho Chi Minh City Museum
Even if you skip the exhibits, walk round the outside and the gardens for the architecture.
- Time needed
- 1 hour
- Cost
- Low cost
- History
- Architecture
- Rainy day
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Viewpoint · Bình Thạnh
7.Landmark 81 SkyView
Go late in the afternoon to see the city in daylight and after dark on one ticket.
- Time needed
- 1.5 hours
- Cost
- Mid-priced
- Views
- After dark
- Rainy day
- Photo spot
Grouped by area
| Area | Places | Time needed |
|---|---|---|
| District 3 | War Remnants Museum | 2 hours |
| District 1 (Đồng Khởi) | Bến Thành Market, Saigon Central Post Office, Saigon Opera House, Ho Chi Minh City Museum of Fine Arts and Ho Chi Minh City Museum | 1 hour + 30 minutes + 1–1.5 hours for a show + 1–1.5 hours + 1 hour |
| Bình Thạnh | Landmark 81 SkyView | 1.5 hours |
Booking and timing
Of these 7, 2 free, 3 low cost, 2 mid-priced. None needs booking far in advance. The longest visit is War Remnants Museum; group the rest by area to save travel time.
How to fit them into 3 half-days
Grouped by area and kept to about four hours each, so you walk more than you ride.
- Half-day 1 (District 3 and District 1 (Đồng Khởi)): War Remnants Museum → Bến Thành Market → Saigon Central Post Office, at least 4 hours.
- Half-day 2 (District 1 (Đồng Khởi)): Saigon Opera House → Ho Chi Minh City Museum of Fine Arts → Ho Chi Minh City Museum, at least 3 hours.
- Half-day 3 (Bình Thạnh): Landmark 81 SkyView, at least 2 hours.
The wettest months
- July: highs of 32°C (90°F), about 22 rainy days, moderate crowds. Wet and humid, with some all-day rain; low hotel prices and green Mekong Delta landscapes.
- August: highs of 32°C (90°F), about 21 rainy days, quiet crowds. Regular downpours and occasional street flooding at high tide; carry a poncho.
- September: highs of 31°C (88°F), about 21 rainy days, quiet crowds. Among the wettest months; Chợ Lớn's lantern street lights up before the Mid-Autumn Festival.
The neighbourhoods they are in
- District 1 (Đồng Khởi) — Colonial landmarks, international hotels, malls and rooftop bars by the river
- Phạm Ngũ Lão and Bùi Viện — Backpacker quarter of hostels, travel agents and a loud bar street
- District 3 — Leafy residential streets, cafés in old villas and the pink Tân Định Church
More of Ho Chi Minh City
All things to do in Ho Chi Minh City · Where to stay · When to go.
Questions travellers ask
+Where should I start in Ho Chi Minh City?
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.
+Which of these are free in Ho Chi Minh City?
Bến Thành Market and Saigon Central Post Office.