It is easier to plan a trip for a solo traveler or a couple than a family trip to Ho Chi Minh City. Saigon has lots of tourist attractions, educational places, great places for kids and you have many chances to explore and enjoy the city to its fullest. In order to help you to plan your perfect trip in Ho Chi Minh, I would like to share with you useful, must know and less-known information as below.
Table of Contents
Step by step to plan your family trip to Ho Chi Minh City
- Research things to do, tourist attractions, must-see places, less-known places, especially educational places, historical sights,…
- Find popular tours in Ho Chi Minh City and Saigon tours for family
- Decide to book a packaged tour in Ho Chi Minh from a tour agency or day trips from different tour companies
- Contact local tour agencies for information and prices
- Decide how many days to stay in Ho Chi Minh City
- Book tours directly with tour agencies or on websites such as Viator, Get Your Guide, KLook, KKday, AirBnb,…
- Choose hotels that meet your expectations and fit within your budget
How to plan a family trip to Ho Chi Minh City? Independence Palace
Top things to do in Ho Chi Minh City
I know that families with children love to visit educational places so I have tried my best to figure out which tourist attractions and less-known places are good for the whole family and children.
War Remnants Museum: It has been said that the War Remnants Museum is the most famous and must-visit historical museum in Vietnam. You may have heard about the Vietnam War and would like to explore the heroic past of Vietnam. You can spend from a few hours to a few days to see 20,000 informative artifacts, documents, photos, films,… in the museum. This unique museum is a great site and source for learning about history, the Vietnam War, peace and war, the cost of war, and the resilient spirit of Vietnamese people.
Ben Thanh Market: You must visit this iconic sight of the city because of its long history, beautiful architecture, and market culture. You can visit one of the biggest and oldest markets in Vietnam, and see how they buy and sell many items. I would like to recommend you to buy dried foods (dried squids, dried fishes, dried fruits), coffee beans or roasted coffee, tea, handicrafts, fabrics, clothes,… Your children will learn more about the market culture, haggling techniques, and many strange products in this long-standing market.
Independence Palace: Designed by the famous Vietnamese architect Ngo Viet Thu, this palace has very beautiful architecture and a green garden. In addition, it has been known as the “Vietnamese Berlin Fall” and the evidence of the fall of the Republic of Vietnam in the South. On 30 April 1975, 2 Northern Vietnamese Army (Vietcong) tanks crashed down the Independence Palace’s walls. Let’s come there with a talented local guide and listen to many interesting stories. Your children will learn about war history, Vietnam’s history, Western and Eastern architecture.
Saigon Notre Dame Cathedral, Saigon Central Post Office, Saigon Opera House: These 3 buildings are perhaps the most beautiful French architectural works in the city. They are iconic sites of Ho Chi Minh City and have many beautiful French architectural features.
Water puppet show at Golden Dragon Theater: You can only watch the unique and special water puppet show in Hanoi and Ho Chi Minh City. The shows usually take place in the evening so they usually book tours combining cyclo rides to the theater, and dinners on a cruise (or motorbike food trip). Learning about the traditional arts of different countries by watching special shows when traveling is the best way to open your children’s minds.
Pagodas, mosques and temples: Ho Chi Minh City has lots of sacred places and great choices for your family to learn more about religions, gods and goddesses, and ways of worshipping. Jade Emperor Pagoda, Thien Hau Temple, Vinh Nghiem Pagoda, Vietnam Quoc Tu Pagoda, Saigon Central Mosque,…
Saigon China Town (Cho Lon): The influx of Chinese into Vietnam began in the early 16th century and they founded some China Towns in the country. Coming to the biggest China Town in Vietnam, you can see many big and small markets, shops, restaurants, and Chinese signboards everywhere. Most of the must-visit tourist attractions are located in District 1 while Cho Lon spreads over Districts 5, 6, 10, and 11. Your family will explore the multicultural area of Cho Lon, being on Chinese herbal medicine street, chemical market, vegetable and fruit market, decoration item market, and lantern market,…
Cu Chi Tunnels: You must experience being in the underground city which has a length of approximately 250 km and was the base of Vietcong in recent wars. This tourist attraction is about 70 km from the city center and you can join a cooking class on the way. Your children will enjoy walking in the green jungle, sampling tapioca – the most popular food of Vietcong soldiers and villagers in the war, crawling in dark and narrow tunnels, and learning about the surprising multilayer structures of the underground city.
Bui Vien Walking Street: This is the first walking street in Ho Chi Minh City and has a great location in the famous backpacker area of Saigon. Thanks to a large number of bars and pubs, live music, sexy dancers, restaurants, street food stalls, coffee shops, hotels, and guest houses, especially the crowd of foreigners and Vietnamese people at night, this place is worth visiting. This pedestrian has more than 5,400 people on weekdays and 7,100 people on weekends. If you would like to chill, make new friends, enjoy some music, and have fun in a hustle and bustle area, Bui Vien Walking Street is a great choice. If your children are teenagers, you can come there with them. If they are still small, you should not take them to this crowded and noisy walking street.
Please contact Tracy Do & Bill Bui at +84938314386 (Whatsapp/iMessage/Viber/SMS) for detailed information about Ho Chi Minh City tours and the best prices for your group
How to plan a family trip to Ho Chi Minh City? Cu Chi Tunnels
Why are less-known places worth visiting?
Local markets are one of the most authentic experiences for your family thanks to the unique market culture of Ho Chi Minh City, real local life, strange things,… You will see how experienced local buyers get the best deals from local sellers. For your information, Vietnamese people usually go to local markets every morning to buy fresh products and necessary supplies. You can also see meat hung on metal racks and arranged on tables for selling, live chicken, ducks, fishes and seafood. Local markets are fun and interesting enough, should not be missed on your trip with your family members.
Secret weapon bunker inside Do Phu coffee shop is a good place to try to get down the secret bunker through a very small door on the floor. Small children can go through the “hole”, be amazed and surprised when seeing a large number of weapons including guns, mines, and bullets.
Ho Thi Ky wholesale flower market is a great way to wander around, see different beautiful and sweet-smelling flowers, and learn how local people work and buy flowers. The prices of flowers are reasonable and you can buy some flowers to gift your wife.
Nguyen Thiet Thuat street and its alley, an old complex of apartment buildings named after the Vietnamese revolutionary leader Nguyen Thien Thuat are great places to learn more about local life
Ten of Buddha Pagoda (Van Phat Pagoda) with countless Buddha statues is located in a small alley in District 5 is a good place to calm yourselves and learn how they worship and operate at this sacred place.
Slums along two banks of rivers in Saigon are great places to teach your children about the poor and the rich, the contrast of the luxurious Saigon in the city center and the poor areas in far districts.
District 4 – the island district and former home to criminals lead by Nam Cam crime boss has become a good area for local people to live.
How to plan a family trip to Ho Chi Minh City? Ho Thi Ky wholesale flower market
Popular tours for families traveling to Ho Chi Minh City
- Ho Chi Minh City tour full day by car: War Remnants Museum, Ben Thanh Market, Saigon Central Post Office, Notre Dame Cathedral, Independence Palace, Ngoc Hoang Pagoda in District 1, Saigon China Town, Thien Hau Pagoda
- Ho Chi Minh City unseen tour half day: local markets, Do Phu coffee shop, Ho Thi Ky wholesale flower market, Nguyen Thiet Thuat apartment buildings, Ten of Buddha Pagoda, special markets and streets,…
- Saigon cyclo sightseeing tour or 2-hour cyclo ride (very interesting and worth-trying experience for your children and parents)
- Dinner on cruise and water puppet show by cyclo/motorbike/car
- A O Show tour/ticket
- Cu Chi Tunnels tour half day/ Cu Chi Tunnels and Ho Chi Minh City tour full day/ Cu Chi Tunnels and Mekong Delta tour full day/ Cu Chi Tunnels tour and cooking class full day
- Saigon cooking class half day
- Saigon motorbike tour (food/mix of food and sight/sight/after dark/craft beer/unseen)
- Saigon jeep tour (sight/sight and food/food)
- Ho Chi Minh City food tour (morning/afternoon/evening)
- Saigon history tour (Cu Chi Tunnels, War Remnants Museum, Secret weapon bunker, Independence Palace, Thich Quang Duc Memorial)
- Saigon shopping tour
How to plan a family trip to Ho Chi Minh City? How about cruising narrow channels by sampan?
How many days are enough to travel Saigon?
I think that one day is not enough to explore the city to its fullest. 2 – 3 days in Ho Chi Minh City is the best choice if you travel to Southern Vietnam (or North to South Vietnam) on your trip. If you have more time, you can spend time visiting less-known places and learn more about hidden Saigon. Coming to Ho Chi Minh, you can eat, go shopping, calm yourself at places of worship, admire beautiful architectural structures, learn more about history and war,…
The ultimate guide to Itineraries in Ho Chi Minh City
Two-day Itineraries in Ho Chi Minh City
Private tours or group tours, packaged tours or not?
I always recommend families join private tours for comfort, convenience, privacy, and saving time. Especially, you should book private tours with flexible routes, start times, and end times if you travel with your children and/or parents. For example, group morning Cu Chi Tunnels tours usually start at 7:30 – 8:00 AM, your children need more time in the morning to sleep, get dressed, and keep themselves clean, so you may ask them to start your private tours at 8:30 – 9:30 AM. If one of the family members is tired, you can tell them to end tours more early.
Contacting one travel agency for the whole trip in Ho Chi Minh City makes your trip stressless and helps to save your valuable time. Some tourists would like to book different tours from different tour agencies for some reason.
Please contact Tracy Do & Bill Bui at +84938314386 (Whatsapp/iMessage/Viber/SMS) for detailed information about Ho Chi Minh City tours and the best prices for your group
Travel to Ho Chi Minh City and take a trip to Mekong Delta where to see how to process coconut meat?
Is it safe to travel to Ho Chi Minh City with my family?
In recent days, Ho Chi Minh City is rather safe and you should know how to avoid danger while traveling. There are some tips to protect your family on the trip to Saigon:
- Do not go out at night without a local guide or a local friend
- Use anti-theft travel belt bags, and anti-theft phone/camera travel accessories (bag, case, tether,…)
- Use cross-body bags and backpackers
- Book motorbike tours from trusted travel agencies to avoid accidents
- Eat street foods with local guides on tours designed by reliable tour agencies to avoid food poisoning
