The Most Specific Ho Chi Minh Travel Guide 2023

Ho Chi Minh travel guide is where synthetic all the important things to do and famous places to visit in Ho Chi Minh – a big city in Vietnam. If you have a golden chance to come to Ho Chi Minh City, this post will guide you. 

There are a lot of big cities in Vietnam that can’t be missed, such as Hanoi, Nha Trang, Da Lat, and Ho Chi Minh,… However, Ho Chi Minh is a big difference in people, traffic, and culture compared to others. Let’s check it out!

ABOUT HO CHI MINH CITY

Ho Chi Minh City, sometimes known as Saigon, is a big city in Vietnam and is one of the most popular places. This is the largest and most populated city in the nation. 

In contrast to its historical reputation as the “Pearl of the Far East,” Saigon today draws visitors not for its breathtaking natural scenery but rather for its vibrant culture, where a never-ending list of things to do will win your heart.

Ho Chi Minh City At Night

This huge metropolis stands out among so many other cities. Despite its many quickly changing features, it nonetheless retains a hint of French culture in its architecture and way of life. Ho Chi Minh City is unquestionably a must-visit city on your explorations because it serves as a transit hub, a place of worship, and a hub for leisure.

If you are a first-time traveler to Sai Gon, we believe you need our Saigon travel guide. We will help you from A to Z information in this Ho Chi Minh travel guide. Let’s check now!

Ho Chi Minh Travel Guide – The Best Time To Visit 

Saigon has two seasons: dry (December to April) and wet (May to November). With an annual average temperature of around 28°C (82°F), the city always remains warm. December to March is the ideal time to travel to Ho Chi Minh City. The humidity is at its lowest, the skies are clear, and the temperatures are mild.

DRY SEASON: This season is from December to April. The finest time of year to visit Saigon is now. This time is the end of the year. There are a lot of holidays to be celebrated like Christmas and New Year. So December through January is a joyful time to travel to the city.

WET SEASON: May through November mark Saigon’s wet season. Tropical storms are more frequent, and humidity is at its maximum. Unless you enjoy rainy and muggy conditions, it’s better to travel during the dry season. 

In the Ho Chi Minh travel guide, we will give you some information about the weather. Check out these climate graphs to learn more about the weather in Ho Chi Minh City.

Annual Rainfall Chart

Average Temperature Chart

Ho Chi Minh Travel Guide – The Best Hotels To Stay

To accommodate the needs of the tourism sector, Sai Gon now has a wide variety of lodging options. No matter your trip goals or budget, you will always be satisfied.

Ho Chi Minh City boasts a large selection of 5-star hotels for opulent vacations, a top list of homestays, guesthouses, and Airbnb for a low-budget journey. Don’t worry, the Ho Chi Minh travel guide will help you. Here are a few suggestions for accommodations in Ho Chi Minh.

Top 5-star Hotels in Ho Chi Minh City

• Nikko Saigon Hotel – 235 Nguyen Van Cu, District 1, Ho Chi Minh City
• Sofitel Saigon Plaza Hotel – 17A. Le Duan, Ben Nghe, District 1, Ho Chi Minh City
• La Vela Saigon Hotel – 280 Nam Ky Khoi Nghia Street, Ward 8, District 3, Ho Chi Minh City

>>> More: Hotel with a wonderful view in District 1 Saigon

Top 4-star Hotels in Ho Chi Minh City

• Fusion Suites Saigon – 3-5 Suong Nguyen Anh, District 1, Ho Chi Minh City
• Villa Song Saigon – 197/2 Nguyen Van Huong, District 2, Ho Chi Minh City
• Liberty Central Saigon Citypoint Hotel – 59 Pasteur, Ben Nghe, District 1, Ho Chi Minh City

Top 3-star Hotels in Ho Chi Minh City

• Sunrise Central Hotel – 137 Ly Tu Trong, Ben Thanh Ward, District 1, Ho Chi Minh City
• Queen Ann Saigon Hotel – 88 Bui Thi Xuan, Pham Ngu Lao Ward, District 1, Ho Chi Minh City
• A&Em Saigon Hotel – 46-48 Hai Ba Trung, Ben Nghe, District 1

Top 2-star Hotels in Ho Chi Minh City

• Ha Trang Hotel – 90 Le Lai, Ben Thanh Ward, District 1, Ho Chi Minh City
• Ava 2 Hotel – 126 De Tham, District 1, Ho Chi Minh City 
• Phuc Khanh Hotel – 9 Yersin, Cau Ong Lanh Ward, District 1, Ho Chi Minh City 

The Best Homestays in Ho Chi Minh City

• Town House Saigon – 50E Bui Thi Xuan, District 1 – 373/45 Pham Ngu Lao, District 1 – 23 Dang Thi Nhu, District 1, Ho Chi Minh City
• The Laban – 23 Bui Thi Xuan, Pham Ngu Lao Ward, District 1, Ho Chi Minh City
• The Common Room Project – 80/8 Nguyen Trai, District 5, Ho Chi Minh City

>>> More: Homestay in the heart of Saigon

Ho Chi Minh Travel Guide – Top Places To Go Sightseeing

1. Jade Emperor Pagoda

The first place we show you that is Jade Emperor Pagoda in this Ho Chi Minh travel guide. One of Ho Chi Minh City’s most significant Taoist temples is the Jade Emperor Pagoda. There are many statues of different gods, Buddhist statues, and of course those of the titular Jade Emperor to be found in the temple.

Jade Emperor Pagoda

There is a little turtle-filled basin next to the main structure, and inside are a variety of rooms, shrines, and altars. The entire temple complex is remarkably calm and serene despite the enormous volume of visitors.

There is no entrance fee and the pagoda is accessible daily from 7 am to 6 pm. Nonetheless, you’re more than free to leave a small donation.

2. Nguyen Hue Walking Street

For Saigoneers, Nguyen Hue Walking Street is a must-visit location. You may get a taste of how the inhabitants spend their evenings by taking a stroll down this street. People are frequently seen taking pictures, practicing skating, performing water music, and more.

Nguyen Hue Walking Street

The entrance to this location is free, however, if you’re riding a bike or a motorcycle, you’ll need to pay 10.000 VND (0.4 USD) for a parking ticket. We believe that Nguyen Hue Walking Street is one of the best places to visit in Ho Chi Minh.

3. Notre-Dame Cathedral

One of the last remaining French colonial cultural sites is the Notre-Dame Cathedral. It’s interesting to note that all of the materials for the cathedral’s construction came from France, and it appears that only Christians were hired to work on the project.

Every day, couples walking hand in hand come to this holy place for their wedding photos in the expectation that Supreme Beings will guard their union.

Notre-Dame Cathedral

However, Notre-Dame Cathedral has been repaired due to extensive deterioration brought on by time and weather. But it is still worthwhile to visit because of the neighborhood and other streets, like Han Thuyen Street and Pasteur Street. Note this wonderful place and be ready for your Ho Chi Minh travel trip now!

4. Saigon Central Post Office

The next place in the Ho Chi Minh travel guide is Saigon Central Post Office. Directly across from the Notre-Dame Cathedral, you will see the Central Post Office, another renowned structure. Like many other structures, this one is maintained in the French colonial style. Gustave Eiffel created the design, who also created the Eiffel Tower.

Saigon Central Post Office

Although the Central Post Office is now a popular tourist destination, you can still use it to mail some letters to your loved ones back home. There are some gift shops inside for visitors, and the interior is exquisitely designed.

The Central Post Office is open Monday through Friday from 7 am to 7 pm. During the weekends, it closes at 6:00 pm. Of course, there is no charge to enter the structure.

5. Ben Thanh Market

Ben Thanh Market is a big and ancient market in Ho Chi Minh City. It is famous for its quantity of commodities and regional produce. Since this market is indoors, you may avoid the Saigon heat while still having a real shopping experience.

Ben Thanh Market

Coming here, you can explore the market and the food court as well as the meat and fish section. You will undoubtedly notice the vivacious atmosphere in action. At night, rows of stores selling textiles, apparel, and leather goods are opened in lines. Here is the place to go if you want to buy travel mementos for friends or family.

6. Turtle Lake

Turtle Lake is not only a sizable roundabout in the heart of Ho Chi Minh City but is also a lake with a special design. This place is particularly well-liked by people in the evening. There are many street vendors here with delectable Vietnamese cuisine. And you can see people congregate by Turtle Lake to dine, converse, play games, and more.

Turtle Lake

Visiting here, you can deeply understand Vietnamese people as well as the culture in Vietnam. Let’s note down your Ho Chi Minh travel guide right away!

7. Landmark 81

Landmark 81 is the highest building in Vietnam and the second-highest in Southeast Asia. In the name, you can easily know what its means. The building has 81 floors with a lot of entertainment air, such as a shopping mall, park area, and cinemas,… You can come to the park to chat, picnic, fly a kite or view the sunset. You also enjoy coffee in Starbucks, Highlands, and Phuc Long.

Landmark 81

8. Cu Chi Tunnels

The Cu Chi Tunnels, which are outside of Saigon, are a historical relics from the Vietnam War and the Indochina War. The entire tunnel is an underground metropolis with all the amenities needed, including kitchens, meeting rooms, hospitals, and hundreds of kilometers of connected road tunnels. Only one crawling human can fit in the lowest stratum, which is only 0.8 meters high and 10 meters below the surface.

Cu Chi Tunnels

Now that the tunnel has been extended for traveling purposes, you can enter it and envision spending days or months there. You can take bus No.13, directly to Cu Chi Bus Station from District 1 which costs just 7,000 VND. From there, take the No.63 bus to get to the Cu Chi Tunnels. This is a wonderful place in this Ho Chi Minh travel guide to help you learn more about Vietnam.

9. War Remnants Museum

The next place we show in the Ho Chi Minh travel guide is War Remnants Museum. If you would like to learn a bit about the dark yet glorious Vietnam wars, come to the War Remnants Museum. With more than 20.000 items, including documents, photographs, and weapons, it is said that this is a living chronicle of the US-South Vietnam War.

War Remnants Museum

There are three floors: the ticket booth and contribution room are located on the bottom floor, and the other two floors are where displays are. It shows all of the weaponry and heartbreaking images of the war. We are sure that this place will be in your Ho Chi Minh travel guide.

10. Independence Palace

Another famous place in the Ho Chi Minh travel guide 2023 is Independence Palace. Nowadays, the Reunification Palace, also known as Independence Palace, is not only a museum but still hosts government meetings and events. 

One of the most popular tourist destinations in Ho Chi Minh City is this palace. On the inside, you may view a variety of rooms that still have their original chairs and tables, control rooms, etc. in the basement.

Independence Palace

The ticket is 65,000 VND per adult. Daily hours for the Reunification Palace are 7:30 am to 11:00 am and 1:00 pm to 4:00 pm.

Ho Chi Minh Travel Guide – Top Things To Do 

1. Enjoying Morning Coffee 

Enjoying morning coffee is one of the things to do in Ho Chi Minh. Instead of going to a large and famous cafe like Highlands, or Starbucks, why you don’t enjoy a cup of coffee in a roadside cafe? Saigoner still calls it Ca Phe Bet. This is a favorite place of many young people because of the cheap price and comfortable space. When tasting coffee, you also view a peaceful scene of a new day.

Ca Phe Bet

We are sure this is the must-try thing in the Ho Chi Minh travel guide.

2. Enjoying A Chill Night

We believe that the Ho Chi Minh travel guide will be useful for you. If you want to cheer at night with friends but have no ideas, Bui Vien Walking Street is the best place. This is a place of night city because of its bustle. 

Bui Vien Walking Street

3. Talking English with Students

Many students can also be found at Ho Chi Minh City Hall’s September 23 Park, which is close to the Ben Thanh Market. After college, they come here to practice speaking English and interact with tourists. So if you’re taking a late-afternoon stroll around the park, don’t be shocked if several Vietnamese students approach you and inquire about your background.

Talking English with Students

Also, it’s a fantastic method for you to get to know some locals and discover more about their culture. In the Ho Chi Minh travel guide, talking English with students is an interesting thing to do. 

4. Visiting Neighboring Places

If you have no places to visit in Ho Chi Minh City anymore, how about a neighboring places trip? In this Ho Chi Minh travel guide, we must show you two neighboring places.

• Can Gio Island: a cool place to relax and is one of Vietnam’s better islands with the Can Gio Mangrove Biosphere Reserve, it’s about a two-hour drive.

Can Gio Island

• Vung Tau: some beautiful beaches like Dua Beach, Front Beach, Back Beach, and Phuoc Hai Beach,… It’s about a two-hour drive by car.

Vung Tau Beach

>> More: Sai Gon – Vung Tau tour guide

5. Taking A Food Tour

In Ho Chi Minh City, you will easily see lots of small chairs on street corners, where people sit down to eat or drink something. However, mostly you will only see locals at those places and not many tourists. We are sure it’s so cheap and delicious for your first time. You can start your Saigon City tour any time of the day. 

A Food Tour in Saigon

Ho Chi Minh Travel Guide – Top Famous Foods To Try

1. Street food 

Saigon offers a variety of street food. The top is Banh Trang Tron. Rice paper strips, herbs, dried meat, shrimp, and quail eggs are all included in a bag called Banh Trang Tron. That might seem like an odd pairing, but trust us when we say it just might become your new all-time favorite street food.

Banh Trang Tron

When having a Ho Chi Minh travel, street foods are the things that can’t be missed. Ca Vien Chien and Coc Oi Mia Ghim are two more examples. This is some delicious street food we show in this Ho Chi Minh travel guide.

2. Goi Cuon

Fresh spring rolls, or Goi Cuon, are a delightful and nutritious snack. Vegetables, a few rice noodles to ensure the intake of carbohydrates, and a piece of pork or shrimp are all included in each roll. Simply that straightforward, but when combined with soybean paste and broken peanut sauce, it will produce the most energizing snacks.

Goi Cuon

3. Bo Kho

Vietnamese people constantly find a way to incorporate Bo Kho – a classic party dish, into their regular diets. This is a Vietnamese-style beef stew in which the beef is simmered in a thick soup that has been spiced and flavored with coconut milk. Rice noodles, egg noodles, and Banh Mi (baguette) are frequently served with Bo Kho.

Bo Kho

You will undoubtedly fall in love with the vibrant and delicious soup along with the tender beef cubes. Bo Kho is nice food in this Ho Chi Minh travel guide that we must show.

4. Bun Dau Mam Tom

Bun Dau Mam Tom is a food we show in this Ho Chi Minh travel guide. For many individuals, this is sort of an extreme culinary experience. A tiny tray of boiling pork, deep-fried cubed tofu, fried “Nem” (Pork Cake or Nem Ran), and various toppings of your choice make up Bun Dau Mam Tom. 

Bun Dau Mam Tom

The dish’s main attraction is the Mam Tom dipping sauce, a fermented shrimp sauce. Although it has a powerful fragrance, if you combine it with kumquat juice, some sugar, and fresh chile, the flavors of all the other components will come through.

5. Bun Mam

By the use of fermented fish, this meal highlights Southern cooking. Grilled pork, eggplant, shrimp, and squid are all ingredients in a bowl of Bun Mam. This will offer a true taste of Saigon’s regional food. A portion of food can’t be missed in the Ho Chi Minh travel guide.

Bun Mam

6. Banh Xeo

A crispy pancake known as Banh Xeo is consumed by wrapping it in a rice paper sheet with some green herbs and dipping it in a sweet-sour fish sauce. 

Banh Xeo

The South’s Banh Xeo (Banh Xeo Nam Bo) is thinner, larger, and less oily, whereas the Central’s Banh Xeo (Banh Xeo Mien Trung) is smaller, crispier, and oilier.

7. Com Tam

Steamed broken rice is the base of a classic Com Tam Saigon, which is topped with grilled pork ribs, egg cake, sunny-side-up eggs, and shredded pig skin. 

Com Tam

To keep the dish balanced, cucumber, tomato, and pickled carrots are also often included. A tiny cup of fish sauce with garlic and chile is offered beside the rice to round out the flavor. Add Com Tam to your list of the must-try food right now!

8. Hu Tieu

Original Hu Tieu is a Mekong Delta noodle soup. Hu Tieu noodles are smaller and a little bit tougher than Pho noodles. The ingredients for Hu Tieu soup are veggies and pork bones. “Hu Tieu Nam Vang” is a Hu Tieu adaptation that includes sliced pork, minced pork, shrimp, quail eggs, and delectable soup.

Hu Tieu

Hu Tieu is a favorite food of a lot of people. So we are sure that Hu Tieu will be wonderful food that the Ho Chi Minh travel guide show you.

9. Banh Mi

The most likely savory food to be attempted in Saigon is Banh Mi because it is ideal for takeout while you are busy seeing the city. A banh mi is essentially a baguette with a variety of fillings inside, such as char siu, pickled veggies, and Vietnamese pig sausage. It is practical, affordable, and delicious.

Banh Mi

Ho Chi Minh Travel Guide – Notes When Visiting 

Ho Chi Minh City is the busiest and most populous city in the country. Besides having so many places and foods to explore, there are still many issues that you need to be aware of. So to have a perfect Ho Chi Minh city travel trip, let’s follow these notes: 

Traffic in Ho Chi Minh City

• The first issue is about the time to travel. The Tet holiday falls anytime between the end of January and the beginning of February. During that time, many businesses will be closed and lodging will be at its most expensive.
• The second is the money exchange issue. It is advised that you go to the banks, or the money changers and gold shops near Ben Thanh Market, Bui Vien Walking Street, for the best exchange rates.
• Last but not least, the roads in Saigon are extremely busy, with many vehicles. So please pay attention to stay safe when going or crossing the road.

>>> More: The latest tour Saigon 2023

Dideden hopes this travel guide can be useful for you. Have you chosen the best places and foods for your trip yet? If yes, pack your bags and come to Ho Chi Minh City right away! If you have any further questions, refer to our Ho Chi Minh travel guide now!

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