What should I do if I have only one day in Ho Chi Minh City? It is perhaps one of the first questions asked by people who are going visit cities and provinces in Vietnam, including the vibrant Ho Chi Minh and have limited time in this city. They usually wonder if it is enough to see and explore the city? Which plan is the best for me? Which are the best things to do? Let me share with you some information and recommend a good One day itinerary in Ho Chi Minh City to you.
Table of Contents
One-day itinerary in Ho Chi Minh City – Option 1 for tourists travelling on their own
In the morning, you will take a taxi or motorbike ride from your hotel to Saigon Central Post Office. It is recommended to book a hotel or guest house in the city center, in the backpacker area, Nguyen Hue Street, Bui Thi Xuan Street, near Ben Thanh Market,… After that, you will walk a few steps to see the beautiful architecture of Saigon Notre Dame Cathedral and go around the nice garden with a statue. You will spend a maximum 1 hour at these two iconic sights of Saigon. It takes 5 – 10 minutes to walk from the cathedral to Independence Palace which is known as the mark of the end of the Vietnam War and has unique architecture. Then, you will walk for about 10 minutes to reach the War Remnants Museum where you can spend more than 1 hour learning more about the Vietnam War through thousands of artifacts, films, documents, photos,… Ben Thanh Market is only 1 km from the museum so you can walk or go by taxi. You will spend a half day to see all of the must-see tourist attractions in District 1.
My recommendation is that you can have lunch at food stalls in Ben Thanh Market. Hue mixed cakes, broken rice, and noodle soups are recommended. Prices vary but aren’t expensive, a portion of noodle soup usually costs less than $5 USD.
You can spend the afternoon exploring Saigon China Town, hidden places in the city, or Cu Chi Tunnels. For the legendary complex of Cu Chi Tunnels, I would like to recommend you book a group half-day tour starting at 13:00 – 14:00 and costing about $20 USD/pax to save your money and time. It is more expensive to book a private car or taxi to go to Cu Chi from the city center. A private tour to Cu Chi Tunnels is more expensive and it is not comfortable to go to the tunnels by public bus.
You can take a taxi to Cho Lon – China Town in Saigon, then walk around to explore the area. Do not forget to stop at Thien Hau Pagoda where they worship the Sea Lady Goddess and you can admire the delicate architecture. In case you would like to visit hidden parts of the city in back alleys and far districts, you can book a Saigon Unseen motorbike tour.
You can choose a local restaurant to have dinner. Pho noodle soup, Vietnamese sandwich, Rice roll stuffed with pork, Vietnamese pancake, Crab soup cake, Rice noodle and grilled pork salad,… are great local dishes. If you are a food lover and excited about the specialty dishes of Saigon, a Ho Chi Minh City food tour is a great choice. Local guides know good and secret places to eat delicious foods. Moreover, you can eat from 5 – 15 local dishes on a 3.5 – 5 hour tour.
In summary, your one-day itinerary is as follows:
- Must-see tourist attractions in District 1 in the morning
- Saigon China Town (or Cu Chi Tunnels) in the afternoon
- Saigon food tour in the evening
One-day itinerary in Ho Chi Minh City – Option 2
- Must-see tourist attractions in District 1 in the morning
- Saigon China Town (or Cu Chi Tunnels) in the afternoon
- Water puppet show and dinner on cruise by cyclo
One-day itinerary in Ho Chi Minh City – Option 3
- Cu Chi Tunnels and Mekong Delta full-day tour
- Saigon nightlife tour (sightseeing & street food)
One-day itinerary in Ho Chi Minh City – Option 4
- Saigon sightseeing and street food tour by motorbike (in the morning)
- Cu Chi Tunnels (in the afternoon)
- A O Show tour and cyclo ride or Dinner on cruise and cyclo tour
Please contact Tracy Do & Bill Bui at +84938314386 (Whatsapp/iMessage/Viber/SMS) for detailed information about Ho Chi Minh City tour and the best price for your group
One-day itinerary in Ho Chi Minh City – Saigon food tour by night
What to do at night in Ho Chi Minh City?
After exploring Ho Chi Minh during the day, you should not miss seeing the city after sunset. Whether you go around on your own or book a Saigon night tour, you will not regret being out for enjoy the city. Here is the list of great things to do in Saigon at night:
- Ben Thanh night market: in the city center, abundant clothes, food, coffee, tea, and souvenirs for tourists
- Local night markets: less tourists, real local life
- Bui Vien walking street: bars, pubs, restaurants and street food stalls
- Nguyen Hue walking street: lotus fountain, luxurious and expensive buildings and hotels, fine-dining restaurants, many local people walking around
- Street food tour
- Saigon after dark tour (or Saigon sightseeing and food tour by night)
- Dinner on cruise
- Water puppet show at Golden Dragon Theater
- A O Show at Saigon Opera House
- Notre Dame Cathedral and Saigon Central Post Office
- Saigon jeep tour by night or Saigon motorbike night tour
- Rooftop bars
- Coffee shops with live music
What to do in Ho Chi Minh City in the daytime?
You will learn more about the history, customs, architecture, and regional cuisine of Ho Chi Minh City by visiting. For this reason, a lot of travelers coming to Vietnam shouldn’t skip the country’s largest and liveliest metropolis. The following is a list of the most memorable locations and activities in this city:
Bui Vien Walking Street: Located conveniently in the city center and the well-known Saigon backpacker area, Bui Vien is Ho Chi Minh City’s first pedestrian street. This place is worth visiting because of its bars and pubs, live music cafes, attractive dancers, restaurants, street food vendors, hotels, and guest houses. The streets are usually packed with foreigners and Vietnamese people who would like to have fun, meet their friends, and make new friends at night. On weekdays, there are over 5,400 pedestrians here, while on weekends, there are over 7,100. Bui Vien Walking Street is an excellent option if you want to relax and immerse yourself in the vibrant city.
War Remnants Museum: This is Vietnam’s most well-known and important historical museum with 20,000 educational items, records, images, videos,… about the Vietnam War. You can spend a few hours walking around the rooms and exploring everything relating to Vietnam’s history and recent wars.
Ben Thanh Market: Due to its rich history, stunning architecture, and vibrant market culture, this place has become the iconic sight of Saigon and a must-see tourist attraction in this city. You may witness how various things are bought and sold by visiting one of Vietnam’s largest and oldest markets. I would like to suggest that you purchase tea, coffee beans or roasted coffee, dried goods (dried squids, dried fish, and dried fruits), handicrafts, textiles, clothing, and so on. Street foods are worth sampling thanks to great taste and reasonable prices.
Independence Palace: Designed by the famous Vietnamese architect Ngo Viet Thu, begun in 1962, and completed in 1966, this palace is known as one of the most famous architectural works with luxurious furniture in Ho Chi Minh City. You can see the harmonious combination of modern Western and classical Eastern styles when visiting the palace. The gates of the palace were crashed by a North Vietnamese Army tank on 30 April 1975 marked the end of the Vietnam War, Independence Palace was the site of the Fall of Saigon and has become a place for travelers to visit.
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.
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. Why is it called water puppetry? The water plays an important part and acts as the stage for wooden puppets, hides puppeteers and puppet strings. The shows usually take place in the evening at Golden Dragon Theater so they usually book tours combining cyclo rides to the theater, and dinners on a cruise (or motorbike food trip).
Pagodas, mosques and temples: Ho Chi Minh City has lots of sacred places and great choices for you to learn more about religions, gods and goddesses, and ways of worshipping. Jade Emperor Pagoda, Vietnam Quoc Tu Pagoda, Vinh Nghiem Pagoda, Thien Hau Temple, Saigon Central Mosque,… are famous religious sites in Saigon.
Saigon China Town (Cho Lon): This vibrant and culturally rich neighborhood has lots of things for you to see and is a great area to learn more about the unique lifestyle of China-Vietnamese people in Ho Chi Minh City. Most of the must-visit tourist attractions are located in District 1 while Cho Lon spreads over Districts 5, 6, 10, and 11.
Cu Chi Tunnels: The 250-km-long underground network was the base of the Vietcong in Indochina War and Vietnam War. It is a great place to get closer to Vietnamese history and get lost in green jungles for functional rooms, tunnels’ doors, smokeless stoves, various traps,…
Please contact Tracy Do & Bill Bui at +84938314386 (Whatsapp/iMessage/Viber/SMS) for detailed information about Ho Chi Minh City tour and the best price for your group
One-day itinerary in Ho Chi Minh City – Saigon China Town
What to eat in Ho Chi Minh City?
Morning: Vietnamese bread (convenience, fast food), noodle soups such as Pho, Clear rice noodle soup, Hue beef noodle soup (healthiness, hot, warm food), Broken rice (specialty dish of Saigon)
Lunch
Rice plate or Com dia (special and most popular Vietnamese food for lunch, noodle soups
Dinner
Vietnamese pancake (great taste, unique and interesting way of eating), Grilled beef in wild betel (exotic food in Saigon), Broken rice
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Summary of One-day itinerary in Ho Chi Minh City – Is it enough to explore Saigon and enjoy it to the fullest in one day?
You can see lots of great things including must-visit tourist attractions in Saigon in one day. In addition, you can also learn more about the nightlife in the non-sleeping city, and learn more about the traditions and culture of Vietnam through the water puppet show. Hundreds of places are available for you to enjoy Saigon at night. Generally, you can see the city in one day but it is in a hurry.
It will be great if you have 2 – 3 days in Ho Chi Minh City. You can see hidden places, sample more exotic local dishes, go to Mekong Delta region, go shopping,…
