20 Ways to Save Money in Ho Chi Minh City: Ho Chi Minh City has not only expensive tourist activities, fine dining restaurants, luxury stores, touristy markets, VIP tours but a large number of affordable things to do. Everyone is not rich, all travelers are not full of money. Here is how to travel Ho Chi Minh City – the biggest and most dynamic city in Vietnam if you are on a budget.
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20 Ways to Save Money in Ho Chi Minh City
Would you like to book tours in Ho Chi Minh City? Please contact Tracy Do & Bill Bui at +84938314386 (Whatsapp/iMessage/Viber/SMS) for detailed information and the best price for your group.
Visit budget-friendly tourist attractions
There are dozens of tourist attractions in Ho Chi Minh City, so you should set the right priorities for your trip. Free must-see tourist attractions should be the first visiting places. Most markets, pagodas, mosques, post offices, cathedrals and churches, walking streets, parks,… are free. Museums such as War Remnants Museum, Historic Museum, Independence Palace, Botanical Garden and Zoo cost about 40,000 VND. More over, they are located in the city center so you can easily reach there by walking, taxi, hop on hop off bus.
The combo of entrance ticket to Dam Sen Park and outdoor games, zoo, massage, aquarium costs 280,000 VND. The entrance fee to Saigon Skydeck is 200,000 VND, the entrance fee to Landmark 81 Saigon Skyview is 810,000 VND. You should consider going to these places.
Read more about Top 50 free and budget-friendly things to do in Ho Chi Minh City
Choose locations near the center and consider visiting far tourist attractions due to moving expenses
As mentioned, most travelers choose to stay in District 1 – the center of Ho Chi Minh City with many top tourist attractions and tourist facilities. At first, you should visit tourist attractions in the center before going to far districts such as District 5,6,10,11,7. Especially, Cu Chi Tunnels is one of the must-see tourist attractions in Cu Chi District which is about 70 km from District 1. The entrance fee to the tunnels is 120,000 VND and the private car to the tunnels costs about 1,500,000 VND. You can book a group tour if there are a few people in your group to save money. Can Gio District where there are Vam Sat Ecopark, Bat Swamp, Crocodile Farm, Monkey Island is worth visiting but it is about 40 km from the city center and it takes 1.5 hours to reach there from District 1. Tours to Can Gio are a little more expensive but nature lovers and travelers who would like to escape the hustle and bustle city and enjoy the fresh air can consider booking.
Find everything you need in Saigon Backpacker Area
Saigon Backpacker Area is located in Pham Ngu Lao Ward, District 1, Ho Chi Minh City, bordered by 4 streets including Pham Ngu Lao, Bui Vien, De Tham, and Do Quang Dau Streets. You can find budget hotels, restaurants, services, tours, tickets, bars, pubs, street food stalls, barber shops, tattoo studios, hair salons, spas, tailors, souvenir shops, clothing stores,…
Read more about Ho Chi Minh Backpacker Area Guide and Bui Vien Street – the ultimate guide for newcomers
Enjoy your meals at budget restaurants and street food stalls
In Ho Chi Minh City, the cheapest clear rice noodle soup costs 20,000 VND, poor people usually eat instant noodles and bread. However, travelers must eat healthy meals to stay healthy and enjoy traditional Vietnamese dishes and Saigon street food to learn more about the culture and cuisine of the country and the city. It is recommended to skip fine dining and expensive restaurants or eat big meals. You should eat just enough to fill you up, healthy comfort food are good choices. In the city, there are lots of casual restaurants and street food stalls serving affordable food.
From the list of Michelin Guide Vietnam, you can choose Bib Gourmand restaurants which offer great food at reasonable prices. You should read reviews about eateries before going there or choose to eat at crowded places.
Read more about:
- List of Restaurants in Michelin Guide Vietnam (Hanoi & Ho Chi Minh)
- The Ultimate Guide to Cheap Eats in Ho Chi Minh City
20 Ways to Save Money in Ho Chi Minh City
Choose cheaper food
In Vietnam, beef is more expensive than pork, industrial chicken is the cheapest meat. Cows are not farmed popularly in Vietnam and a large amounts of beef are imported from the U.S., Australia, Japan,… Caught and farmed snails and seafood are more and more expensive due to the high demand. Pork rib, pork loin and pork belly are more expensive than pork leg, pork shoulder, and pork blade. So Beef noodle soup is basically more expensive than Clear rice noodle soup with pork. Grilled pork rib is more expensive than Braised pork shoulder. Crab soup cake (Crab thick rice noodle soup) is more expensive than Pork soup cake.
Banh mi (Vietnamese sandwich) is perhaps the most affordable food in Saigon. It is nutritious and delicious enough for you to fill your stomach and satisfy your taste. Steamed rice plate (Cơm dĩa) consisting of steamed rice, one or a few side dishes, fresh or stir-fried vegetables, and sauces is a good choice.
If you are not familiar with eating rice noodle soups, steamed rice, Banh mi like locals, you can choose to eat European, American, Japanese, Korean, Chinese, Indian dishes. Mc’s Donald, The Pizza Company, Loteria are popular international restaurant chains in Ho Chi Minh. Prices at these restaurants are a little more expensive than budget Vietnamese food.
If you would like to eat various food, Saigon Night Food Tour including seafood and snail dishes, offering more local dishes or Street Food Tour with local students at a better cost is a good choice.
Eat at local markets and on food streets
Actually, touristy areas as well as District 1 are full of restaurants are specialized in serving food to tourists and the middle class. You can visit other districts such as District 4,5,6,10,11 for learning more about the hidden Saigon and eat like locals. In my opinion, prices in other districts, at local markets and on food streets are lower than prices in District 1. If you do not have enough time to visit other districts, you can come to Ben Thanh Market which is one of the top tourist attractions and near many other must-see tourist attractions to eat amazing food.
- Top 5 Dishes at Ben Thanh Market
- Top 10 Saigon Food Streets
- What to eat at Ho Thi Ky Night Food Market?
- Nguyen Thuong Hien Food Street Ho Chi Minh City
- A Saigon night street food tour in Vinh Khanh food street
- Eating at Nguyen Thien Thuat apartment complex
- Eating at Ngo Gia Tu apartment complex in Ho Chi Minh City
20 Ways to Save Money in Ho Chi Minh City
Spend about 100,000 VND ($4 USD) for your meal
A food which can fill your stomach costs from 20,000 VND. The average price of a meal in Saigon is 50,000 VND. You can eat a Banh mi, Rice noodle soup (Pho, Beef noodle soup, Clear rice noodle soup), Grilled pork rice noodle salad, Broken rice, Kebab rice noodles, pizza, hamburger, pasta, dim sum,…
Buy souvenirs at the right places
Small and lightweight souvenirs are recommended, some good choices are mini conical hats, Ao Dai fabrics, T-shirt, small lacquer paintings, post cards, 3D popup cards, coffee, tea, dried fruits, dried seafood, candies, fashion accessories and decoration items made from seagrass, water hyacinth, bamboo, coconut. Ben Thanh Market, An Dong Market, Binh Tay Market, Tan Dinh Market, souvenir shops at War Remnants Museum, Saigon Central Post Office are good places to buy souvenirs and food gifts.
Book reasonably priced tours
There is no lack of VIP and luxury tours and service for wealthy travelers: Speedboat Cu Chi Tunnels tour, Mekong Delta tour by limousine, Vespa Saigon food tour, Dinner on cruise,… There are also many choices for travelers on a budget, group tours, tours with local students, hop on hop off bus tours are the most popular.
- Cu Chi Tunnels Tour Small Group (Morning or Afternoon)
- Mekong Delta Tour Full Day Small Group
- Ho Chi Minh City Hop on Hop off Bus
- Street Food Tour with local student
- Private Saigon Unseen Tour by Motorbike
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Book group tours instead of private tours if you are a solo traveler
They can offer you private tours which are more flexible and comfortable. Certainly, private tours are good and great choices for big groups. To save money, solo travelers or couple travelers should join high quality group tours. In Ho Chi Minh City, you should not choose large group tours on which there are about 40 tourists. A small group tour or a luxury group tour is better than a large group tour.
Book a Saigon food tour to enjoy 10 dishes instead of getting around and eating yourself
The advantages of food tour in Ho Chi Minh City can be grouped as carefully researched eateries, exotic must-eat and less-known street food, going with local guides who are also foodies, many food served on a 3.5 – 5 hour tour. Travelers who do not know about Ho Chi Minh clearly can not get around the city and eat amazing food in a few hours. If they go on their own, the costs are higher. A food tour costs from $20 USD to $120 USD, prices vary because of different means of transportation, menus, durations, tour guides,… Saigon Street Food Tour with local student is a good choice for travelers on a budget. The average price of Saigon food tour is $45 USD.
20 Ways to Save Money in Ho Chi Minh City
Book a Saigon unseen tour to explore far district
It is challengeable for travelers to visit other districts than District 1 on their own. Public bus is not a good way for foreigners to get around the city because the staff speak limited English. It is not a good choice to rent a motorbike because the traffic is crazy. You can explore the “second” city which is not luxurious and wealthy. There is no skyscraper and modern buildings in old districts. In summary, you should book a Saigon unseen tour with local guide to enjoy the city at its best, reach hidden places, learn more about the real local life.
Book a private transfer or car rental with driver instead of booking a guided tour
A private transfer from the city center to Cu Chi Tunnels is a better choice for budget travelers. There is no need a tour guide to go with you from your hotel to the tunnels, then take you around Ben Dinh site or Ben Duoc site. You can buy the entrance ticket and explore the tunnels by yourself. It is recommended to read about this tourist attraction before the visit.
Read more about The Ultimate Cu Chi Tunnels Guide
Book a hop on hop off bus instead of a group Saigon sightseeing tour if you would like to travel on your own pace
A full day hop on hop off bus tour on which you can get on and get off at bus stops near top tourist attractions is a great way to travel Ho Chi Minh City in a safe, cheap, and convenient way. You do not need to follow a tour guide and other tourists on a group tour. There is free GPS audio guide service in many languages, Wifi, water, and many other services.
Book tours with local agents instead of booking a packaged tour in your country
Based on my experience, you can save some money if you book Ho Chi Minh City tours with trusted local agents directly. It is easy to find their contacts and read reviews on companies’ websites, Google Maps, and TripAdvisor.
Apply promo codes, coupon codes, vouchers when booking tours on OTAs
You should not miss applying promo codes, coupon codes, vouchers when booking tours and buying tickets on GetYourGuide, Klook, Viator, Airbnb,… Coupons are used to boost their businesses and qualities of services are unchanged.
Walk around the city instead of traveling by bus, car, motorbike
Central Post Office, Notre Dame Cathedral, Saigon Zoo, History Museum of Ho Chi Minh City, Independence Palace, War Remnants Museum are close together and you can walk to visit one by one. It is a waste of time and money if young and healthy travelers book a private car for a half day or a full day to visit them. If you travel with old adults or children, you should not care about money. In this case, a private car transfer or a guided tour in the city center is a better choice.
20 Ways to Save Money in Ho Chi Minh City
Explore the city center on your own
As mentioned above, most must-visit tourist attractions in Ho Chi Minh City are located in District 1 and close together. At these places, there are instructions and information in English, the staff also speak English well. You can also read information and watch videos about tourist attractions before your trip to Saigon in order to have enough knowledge and travel in confidence.
Do not bring too much cash
The more cash you bring, the more money you can spend. In addition, you can avoid being lost too much if you are pickpocketed or your things are snatched by thieves.
Bring Vietnamese Dong and low denomination notes
In Vietnam, vendors, shops, tour companies do not take payments in foreign currencies. Sometimes, you can ask them to accept U.S. dollars because you do not have Vietnamese Dong. However, it is recommended to pay in Vietnamese Dong thanks to many benefits. For example, a bowl of Pho noodle soup costs 40,000 VND, but you pay $2 USD which is equal to 50,000 VND.
Do not drink alcoholic beverages too much
A Saigon beer costs from 12,000 VND (~0.5 USD), the price can be 30,000 VND at expensive restaurants, bars, and pubs. Some alcoholic beverages costs a few millions Vietnamese Dong. If you are a budget travelers, you can sit at a bar or pub on Bui Vien Street, order one or a few beers, and have fun like locals and other travelers. At a restaurant, you can drink some beers so your bill is not too high. You should not waste your money on alcohol.
20 Ways to Save Money in Ho Chi Minh City
Go shopping at local markets instead of touristy markets and shopping centers
Being the biggest and most dynamic city in Vietnam, Ho Chi Minh City has many large shopping malls where you can buy cosmetics, fashion items from international and domestic brands, dried food, and others. However, prices at local markets are usually cheaper and products are diverse. An Dong Market, Binh Tay Market, Tan Dinh Market are great places to go shopping on a budget. You can book a shopping tour with an experienced local tour guide to go shopping hidden local markets.
Bargain at markets for the best deals
You do not miss a great chance to reduce the payments for items at local markets in Ho Chi Minh City. Bargaining is a big part of the selling and buying culture in Vietnam, Saigon is no different. If you go with your friend or local tour guide, he/she can help you to bargain. If you go shopping by yourself, you should not buy or bargain right after reaching markets. Walking around, observing, learning, guessing the values of your favorite items, and see how much other buyers pay for the items. You should think twice about haggling in the city, you should be prepared to ask for big discounts (from 40% to 50%). The final price should be closer to 65 – 75% of the asking price.
Stay in budget hotels
Wealthy travelers choose to stay at luxury 5-star hotels in the city but they are a waste of money and not good choices for budget travelers. A room costing about 500,000 VND is clean, comfortable, well equipped with amenities, and safe to stay. If you have two people who share the room, you can save more money.
