Showing you brilliant hidden gems of the real Saigon which most of the tourists missed is the aim of this tour. You may have joined a Sightseeing Tour and visited most tourist attractions in Ho Chi Minh city. But not all about Saigon, there is a hidden city inside the Saigon you see on crowded main roads. On our Private Saigon Unseen & Food Tour by Motorbike you will have a chance to explore this unique part of Saigon where there are many things to do. It is a huge network of back alleys, twisting behind and between the borough’s buildings. Back alleys are home to major Saigon people who live in narrow houses and have a unique lifestyle. Do not be stuck in District 1 like other tourists but see less-wandered 8 districts to see hard gems that most of them don’t know about and couldn’t be found on any guide book. A big plus of this tour is eating on the way. Some of the best foods that Saigon must to offer will be served and they definitely make the tour perfect.
Highlights
9 districts, 12 authentic markets, 2 special streets, 2 mysterious buildings, 3 food stops, 4 specialty foods
Hidden parts
- Venerable Thich Quang Duc Monument
- Nguyen Thien Thuat apartment buildings since 1960s
- Cambodian market
- Ho Thi Ky – Saigon’s biggest flower market
- Fruit and vegetable market
- Motorbike accessories market
- Lantern market, fabric market
- Pet market
- Medicine market
- Fashion street, book street, painting street
- Ghost building
- Stilt houses in slum areas on channels
- Ten Thousands Buddha Temple
- Saigon Cao Dai Temple
- Instead of 2 temples, you can choose to visit:
- Floating market with life on boats
- Tiny humble island separated from the city’s other parts – former mafia hotspot
Bonus attractions
- Binh Tay market
- Thien Hau temple
- Cha Tam church
Foods
- 4 stops, 5 specialty foods, learn how to cook foods
- Vietnamese bread or Savory sticky rice
- Grilled banana with coconut milk
- Girdle cake
- Vietnamese Pancake
- Rice noodles with fried roll
Drinks
- Visit a hidden 80-year cafe in an alley & learn how to make a cup of unique Vot coffee & relax while tasting a drink there.
Tour information
Price $34 USD $40 -10% off
- Child from 3 to 5 years (sit on the same motorbike with one adult): 50% off
- Child from 6 to 8 years: 25% off
Start time At your wish, 8:00 AM recommeded
Duration 4 hours
Payment method
- Pay in advance or at the end of the tour in USD or VND cash. We accept
Inclusion
- Travel insurance, high-quality helmet
- Free hotel pickup and drop off in District 1, 3, 4, 5, 10. Extra fee $3 USD if out of listed districts.
- Bottle of mineral water
- English speaking guide
- Motorbike, fuel, rain poncho (if needed)
- Foods & special Vietnamese coffee
- Pictures from your tour (emailed later)
- Free cancellation
Call/SMS/Viber/Whatsapp us at +8493 831 43 86 to book the Saigon Unseen & Food Tour by Motorbike and get our quick response as well as confirmation if you get bored of filling the booking form and waiting for our response.
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Memories of Tour
Itinerary
Our talented guide with the motorbike picks you up at your hotel (or any location requested by you) to start the Saigon Unseen & Food Tour by Motorbike. After a short riding instruction and program introduction, we hop on the motorbike. The guide makes sure you are ok on the motorbike before weaving around the main streets and narrow alleyways to see the city. The first stop is Venerable Thich Quang Duc Monument where we will tell you less-known history and story about the monk and his unburned heart. Head to District 3 and a Nguyen Thien Thuat apartment buildings which were built in the 1960s and have been home to lots of Saigon people. There you can see the real Saigon local life.
Before reaching the coffee shop, we stop at one of Saigon’s Top 3 Banh mi shops, see how they make a great Vietnamese sandwich with crispy crust and amazing fillings, buy one and eat it while sipping a drink at the coffee shop like locals. Although Vietnamese sandwiches can be eaten at many places in the country, Banh mi in Saigon is very special and worth trying.Then we drive to a small street food stall which is over 20 years old to learn how they wrap and grill one of top Saigon street foods – Grilled banana & sticky rice in banana leaves with coconut milk.
It is a big chance to stop at Cheo Leo cafe – an 80-year coffee shop hidden in an alley and famous for its distinct “Vot” coffee where you sit around a table, take a rest, enjoy the drink, and chat leisurely with the guide as a friend like locals. You also learn how to make a cup of “Vot” coffee and interact with the nice owner of the coffee shop.
Then we head to District 10 and stop at Ho Thi Ky flower market – a huge wholesale flower market and Cambodian market hidden in alleyways of Ho Thi Ky Street. There you have a chance to see thousands of colorful flowers, fresh vegetables, live animals, and many strange things. Come to a Banh trang stall to buy and eat a crispy Vietnamese girdle cake with banana or sesame.
After wandering the hustle and bustle markets, we zip through District 5, 6, 11 to explore Cho Lon (or China Town) which is home to most of the Chinese people in Ho Chi Minh City. Then we drive around to see Binh Tay Market, Thien Hau Temple, hidden parts including fashion street, painting street, medicine street, electronic market, fabric market, lantern market, fruit market, bird market gives you an insider view of the hidden city which is missed on normal city tours by car/bus.
We stop to eat again 🙂 at an over 20-year-old restaurant known as Top 5 Places to eat Vietnamese pancake in Saigon. The guide shows you how the cook makes thin, large, and crispy pancakes skillfully, how to wrap the cake in vegetables and eat. There we also enjoy Rice noodles with grilled pork/fried roll – a specialty food of the city.
You have 2 options to choose: option 1 – temples and option 2 – floating market.
If you choose option 1, we will drive through narrow alleyways to reach Ten Thousand Buddha Pagoda. Buddha statues are everywhere on the wall, in each petal of a big lotus with countless petals. The next stop is the less-known Saigon Cao Dai Temple where you learn more about the unique architecture and religion in Vietnam. We also see Hoa Binh Market which is one of the oldest markets in the city and still remains the beautiful architecture after dozens of years.
Then we drive along Saigon channels and show you stilt houses and slum area, the scene shows a sharp contrast between rich and poor live in the city.
If you choose option 2, Saigon floating market where vendors and their families live, cook, eat, sleep, even take care of dogs, grow chickens right on the boats. We continue the journey and drive through a tiny humble island district separated from the city’s other parts by channels and rivers. This area is the former mafia hotspot run by Nam Cam notorious crime boss.
Lastly, the guide returns you to your hotel. It is time to say goodbye, tour ends but memories last forever.
You are welcomed to customize the tour program (INCLUDING TOUR ROUTE AND FOODS) at your wish because this is a private tour. Let us know your idea when you book the tour or on the tour. You can also request a female or male guide for your tour.