Things to do · Ho Chi Minh City · Vietnam
18 best things to do in Ho Chi Minh City
18 sights and experiences ranked for a first visit, with honest notes on time, cost and crowds.
Updated By the AMZBooking editorial team
Photo: Balon Greyjoy, CC0
Quick answer
The essential sights in Ho Chi Minh City are War Remnants Museum, Independence Palace and Notre-Dame Cathedral Basilica of Saigon. Of the 18 picks below, 9 are free, 7 work on a rainy day and 5 suit children. Allow about 4 days to see the highlights without rushing.
Key facts
- Top sight
- War Remnants Museum
- Free sights
- 9
- Good on a rainy day
- War Remnants Museum
- Time to see the highlights
- 4 days
At a glance
| Sight | Area | Time needed | Cost |
|---|---|---|---|
| War Remnants Museum | District 3 | 2 hours | Low cost |
| Independence Palace | District 1 (Đồng Khởi) | 1.5 hours | Low cost |
| Notre-Dame Cathedral Basilica of Saigon | District 1 (Đồng Khởi) | 20 minutes | Free |
| Bến Thành Market | District 1 (Đồng Khởi) | 1 hour | Free |
| Saigon Central Post Office | District 1 (Đồng Khởi) | 30 minutes | Free |
| Nguyễn Huệ walking street | District 1 (Đồng Khởi) | 1 hour | Free |
| Saigon Opera House | District 1 (Đồng Khởi) | 1–1.5 hours for a show | Mid-priced |
| Jade Emperor Pagoda | Đa Kao | 45 minutes | Free |
| Chợ Lớn temples and Bình Tây Market | Chợ Lớn (District 5) | Half a day | Free |
| Ho Chi Minh City Museum of Fine Arts | District 1 (Đồng Khởi) | 1–1.5 hours | Low cost |
| Ho Chi Minh City Museum | District 1 (Đồng Khởi) | 1 hour | Low cost |
| Landmark 81 SkyView | Bình Thạnh | 1.5 hours | Mid-priced |
| Saigon Zoo and Botanical Gardens | District 1 (Đồng Khởi) | 2–3 hours | Low cost |
| Tao Đàn Park | District 1 (Đồng Khởi) | 1 hour | Free |
| Book Street | District 1 (Đồng Khởi) | 30 minutes | Free |
| Vĩnh Khánh food street | District 4 | 2 hours | Low cost |
| Mariamman Hindu Temple | District 1 (Đồng Khởi) | 20 minutes | Free |
| Saigon River by waterbus | District 1 (Đồng Khởi) | 1–2 hours return | Low cost |
The 18 best things to do
Museum · District 3
1.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. American tanks, aircraft and artillery stand in the courtyard.
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
Palace · District 1 (Đồng Khởi)
2.Independence Palace
The modernist presidential palace of South Vietnam, completed in 1966, was where a North Vietnamese tank broke through the gates on 30 April 1975, ending the war. Its 1960s reception rooms, rooftop helipad and basement command bunker with maps and radios are preserved much as they were.
Head straight for the basement first, which shows the war-time telecommunications rooms, before the tour groups arrive.
- Time needed
- 1.5 hours
- Cost
- Low cost
- Iconic
- History
- Architecture
- Kids
Religious site · District 1 (Đồng Khởi)
3.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. It has been under a long restoration since 2017, with scaffolding and limited access at times.
Check whether the interior is open during your visit; the square and façade are the main draw either way.
- Time needed
- 20 minutes
- Cost
- Free
- Iconic
- Architecture
- Free
Market · District 1 (Đồng Khởi)
4.Bến Thành Market
The covered market with its clock tower, opened in 1914, sells fabrics, coffee, lacquerware, dried fruit and souvenirs, with a food section of noodle and rice stalls. It is touristy but still a landmark, with the main Metro Line 1 station beneath the square outside.
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)
5.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. Old wooden phone booths now house ATMs and souvenir counters.
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
Street · District 1 (Đồng Khởi)
6.Nguyễn Huệ walking street
A broad pedestrian boulevard running from the yellow colonial City Hall, with a Ho Chi Minh statue in front, down to the Saigon River. In the evenings families, skateboarders and street performers fill it, and the old apartment block at number 42 is now stacked with small cafés and shops.
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.
- Time needed
- 1 hour
- Cost
- Free
- Free
- After dark
- Kids
- Photo spot
Architecture · District 1 (Đồng Khởi)
7.Saigon Opera House
The Municipal Theatre, opened in 1900 at the top of Đồng Khởi street, is a flamboyant French colonial building that now stages concerts, ballet and the long-running AO Show, a bamboo acrobatics performance inspired by southern village life.
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
Religious site · Đa Kao
8.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. A turtle pond in the courtyard is a focus for offerings.
Visit in the morning, dress modestly and avoid photographing worshippers at close range.
- Time needed
- 45 minutes
- Cost
- Free
- Free
- History
- Architecture
Neighbourhood · Chợ Lớn (District 5)
1.Chợ Lớn temples and Bình Tây Market
The Chinese quarter's highlights include the 18th-century Thiên Hậu Temple, dedicated to the goddess of the sea and hung with giant incense coils, several ornate clan assembly halls, and Bình Tây Market, a wholesale market built around a central courtyard. Streets nearby specialise in traditional herbal medicine.
Go in the morning when the market is busiest, and finish with a bowl of noodles or dim sum in the side streets.
- Time needed
- Half a day
- Cost
- Free
- History
- Food
- Shopping
- Free
- Photo spot
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Gallery · District 1 (Đồng Khởi)
2.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. The building's tiled floors, stained glass and old cage lift are attractions in themselves.
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)
3.Ho Chi Minh City Museum
Housed in the neoclassical Gia Long Palace from the 1890s, the museum covers the city's history, crafts and wars. The grand staircase and gardens are popular for wedding and graduation photos.
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
4.Landmark 81 SkyView
Vietnam's tallest building, a 461-metre tower on the Saigon River in Bình Thạnh, has an observation deck on its top floors with views over the river's loops, District 1 and Thủ Thiêm. The tower stands in a riverside park with a mall at its base.
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
Zoo · District 1 (Đồng Khởi)
5.Saigon Zoo and Botanical Gardens
Founded in 1864, one of the oldest zoos in the world combines shaded botanical gardens, animal enclosures, playgrounds and the Museum of Vietnamese History, which covers prehistory to the Nguyễn dynasty and stages short water puppet shows.
Go early in the morning when animals are more active and the gardens are cool.
- Time needed
- 2–3 hours
- Cost
- Low cost
- Kids
- Outdoors
- Nature
- History
Park · District 1 (Đồng Khởi)
6.Tao Đàn Park
A large shaded park where locals practise tai chi, badminton and dance from dawn. In the mornings, bird lovers gather at a café on the park's edge with their songbirds in cages hung from the trees.
Arrive around 6–7am to see the park at its liveliest, then have breakfast nearby.
- Time needed
- 1 hour
- Cost
- Free
- Free
- Outdoors
- Off the beaten path
- Kids
Street · District 1 (Đồng Khởi)
7.Book Street
Nguyễn Văn Bình, a short tree-lined pedestrian street beside the Central Post Office, is lined with bookshops and cafés with outdoor seating, a calm stop between the cathedral and the river.
Pick up an English-language book on Vietnamese history and read it over iced coffee under the trees.
- Time needed
- 30 minutes
- Cost
- Free
- Free
- Shopping
- Off the beaten path
Street · District 4
8.Vĩnh Khánh food street
After dark, this District 4 street fills with plastic tables and grills serving snails, clams, scallops and prawns cooked with garlic, tamarind or salted egg, alongside cold beer. It is one of the city's liveliest local food scenes.
Order a few dishes to share, point at what neighbouring tables are eating, and check prices on the menu before ordering.
- Time needed
- 2 hours
- Cost
- Low cost
- Food
- After dark
- Free
Religious site · District 1 (Đồng Khởi)
9.Mariamman Hindu Temple
A colourful South Indian temple built in the late 19th century by the city's Tamil community, with a tower of painted deities. It is also visited by Vietnamese and Chinese worshippers who believe in the goddess Mariamman's power.
Remove your shoes at the entrance and visit quietly; it is a short walk from Bến Thành Market.
- Time needed
- 20 minutes
- Cost
- Free
- Free
- Off the beaten path
- Architecture
Experience · District 1 (Đồng Khởi)
10.Saigon River by waterbus
Public waterbuses leave from the Bạch Đằng pier at the end of Nguyễn Huệ and run up the Saigon River past Thủ Thiêm, Landmark 81 and Thảo Điền, giving river views of the skyline for a low fare.
Ride in the late afternoon for the skyline at golden hour; check current departure times at the pier.
- Time needed
- 1–2 hours return
- Cost
- Low cost
- Views
- Kids
- Couples
- Outdoors
Pick by interest
| Interest | Best picks |
|---|---|
| Art and museums | War Remnants Museum, Ho Chi Minh City Museum of Fine Arts and Ho Chi Minh City Museum |
| History | War Remnants Museum, Independence Palace, Saigon Central Post Office and Jade Emperor Pagoda |
| Views | Landmark 81 SkyView and Saigon River by waterbus |
| Outdoors and nature | Saigon Zoo and Botanical Gardens, Tao Đàn Park and Saigon River by waterbus |
| Food and markets | Bến Thành Market, Chợ Lớn temples and Bình Tây Market and Vĩnh Khánh food street |
| After dark | Nguyễn Huệ walking street, Saigon Opera House, Landmark 81 SkyView and Vĩnh Khánh food street |
| With children | Independence Palace, Nguyễn Huệ walking street, Saigon Zoo and Botanical Gardens and Tao Đàn Park |
| On a rainy day | War Remnants Museum, Saigon Central Post Office, Bến Thành Market and Saigon Opera House |
Plan the rest of your trip
Questions travellers ask
+What is the number one thing to do 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.
+What can you do for free in Ho Chi Minh City?
Notre-Dame Cathedral Basilica of Saigon, Bến Thành Market, Saigon Central Post Office, Nguyễn Huệ walking street and Jade Emperor Pagoda. More free things to do.
+What is there to do in Ho Chi Minh City when it rains?
Head indoors to War Remnants Museum, Saigon Central Post Office, Bến Thành Market and Saigon Opera House.
+What is there to do in Ho Chi Minh City at night?
Nguyễn Huệ walking street, Saigon Opera House, Landmark 81 SkyView and Vĩnh Khánh food street are best after dark.