14 Best Places to Visit in Ho Chi Minh City (2026 Travel Guide)
Okay, real talk. I arrived in Ho Chi Minh City thinking I was ready, that I had it figured out. I had a list. I had a plan. I had sensible shoes.
None of that mattered the moment I stepped out of the airport and into the wall of heat and honking motorbikes that is Saigon’s hello.
Ho Chi Minh City, or HCMC, or Saigon, depending on who you ask, is not a city you do. It’s a city that does you. It’s loud and layered and wildly contradictory, and if you let it, it will completely rearrange how you think about history, street food, and crossing roads.
Here are the places I ended up, the ones that stopped me mid-step, mid-bite, or mid-thought. I’ve also added a few that I almost skipped (and nearly regretted).
14 Places to Visit in Ho Chi Minh City
War Remnants Museum
During our time in HCMC, this was our first stop. It was heavy, and I wish we had started with something easy. 😅
The War Remnants Museum is not comfortable. It is not supposed to be. It holds the memory of the Vietnam War from the Vietnamese perspective (photographs, artifacts, accounts), and it does so with a directness that catches you off guard even when you think you’re prepared.
We spent almost two hours inside. I came out quieter than I went in. I think that’s the point.
Honest note: The photography exhibits in particular are genuinely distressing. Go when you have time to sit with it afterward, maybe a coffee somewhere, before rejoining the busy world outside. That is what we did.
Details:
- Opening Hours: 7:30 AM–5:30 PM
- Admission Fee: 50,000 VND (You can buy your ticket in advance here.)
Notre Dame Cathedral of Saigon
Built by the French in the late 1800s using materials shipped from Marseille (so very colonial, yes), the Notre Dame Cathedral of Saigon sits at the top of Đồng Khởi Street like a red-brick anchor in the middle of the city’s chaos.
The interior has been under renovation in recent years, so you may not be able to go inside, like we did 🥲. But even from the square out front, surrounded by pigeons and traffic and a surprisingly calm energy for a city this size, it’s striking.
It’s one of those spots where you stop walking and just look up for a bit.
Tip: Visit in the early morning when the light hits the red bricks at an angle. Afternoon foot traffic can make it feel more rushed.
Ho Chi Minh City Book Street
I wasn’t expecting to love this one as much as I did.
Đường Sách, Book Street, is a pedestrian lane lined with bookshops, cafes, and small stalls selling everything from Vietnamese novels to art prints to language workbooks. It’s designed to be lovely, and it succeeds.
Even if you can’t read Vietnamese, there’s something genuinely peaceful about being in a place built around the idea that books matter. Coffee here, people-watching, maybe picking up a souvenir you’ll actually use.
I honestly enjoyed the postcards and cute stuff they are selling there. So it is worth a visit. This is just near the Notre Dame Cathedral of Saigon, so you can hardly skip this.
Saigon Central Post Office
Designed by Gustave Eiffel (yes, that Eiffel) and opened in 1891, the Central Post Office is one of those buildings that makes you forget for a second that you’re supposed to be somewhere else.
It’s still a functioning post office. The vaulted iron ceiling, the old painted maps of southern Vietnam and Saigon on the walls, the portrait of Ho Chi Minh at the far end, it’s all still there, being actively used by people sending letters and parcels.
My regret is not going inside and not buying a postcard and mailing it from here. I was devastated to say the least.
Tip: It’s directly next to Notre Dame Cathedral, so you can do both in one stop, an easy morning pairing.
Independence Palace
Also called the Reunification Palace, this is where the Vietnam War effectively ended on April 30, 1975, when a North Vietnamese tank crashed through the gates.
The building has been preserved almost exactly as it was. The president’s office, the war rooms, the underground bunkers with vintage communications equipment still in place, walking through it feels less like a museum visit and more like stumbling through a time capsule.
The basement bunkers are wild. Cold War anxiety made physical.
Note: English audio guides are available for rent and genuinely add a lot. The building is large, and context matters here.
Ben Tanh Market
Touristy? Yes. Worth going? Also, yes, just go in knowing what it is.
Ben Thanh is loud, dense, and packed with vendors selling everything from spices and street food to silk scarves and lacquerware. The food section is genuinely good: bánh mì, phở, fresh fruit, and Vietnamese iced coffee thick with condensed milk (but honestly, I never tried eating there).
Bargaining is expected. Start lower than feels comfortable. The vendors are excellent at their jobs and will outlast you. We bought a few souvenirs here since our accommodation is near this market.
We even found one stall with a Filipino owner, and it was such a nice treat when he let us bargain for some ref magnets.
Shop: 698 – Mabuhay Sai Gon
Real talk: Prices here are higher than the local markets.
Saigon Opera House
Built by the French in 1897, the Saigon Opera House, officially the Municipal Theatre of Ho Chi Minh City, is a gorgeous piece of architecture that most people walk past without going in.
If you catch a performance, great. If you just want to see the building, stand in front of it at night when it’s lit up. It sits at the end of Đồng Khởi Street with a kind of quiet grandeur that feels completely at odds with the motorbike-heavy city surrounding it.
One of those spots where you go, “okay, yes, this was once Saigon,” and it all clicks a little.
We got to see this multiple times, during the day and at night, and both times, it still looks beautiful.
Statue of Ho Chi Minh
In front of the People’s Committee Building, itself a beautifully ornate piece of French colonial architecture, stands a statue of Hồ Chí Minh holding a child, looking out over the city that bears his name.
It’s a short stop, but it’s a significant one. The square around it is a popular gathering spot in the evenings, with families, couples, and tourists all mixing under the glow of the surrounding buildings.
Tip: The People’s Committee Building behind it is stunning at night. Come after dark for the full effect.
Tân Định Catholic Church
The pink church. And if you know me, my favorite color is pink, so I have to visit this church!
Officially the Church of Tân Định, this is one of the most photographed spots in HCMC, a Catholic church painted entirely in flamingo pink, with a pale blue and white interior that is somehow even more surprising than the outside.
It’s in District 3, slightly outside the main tourist corridor, which means the walk there takes you through actual neighborhoods. Past street food carts, motorbike repair shops, and kids playing outside apartment buildings.
That walk is part of the reason to go.
Note: It’s an active church. Dress modestly (shoulders and knees covered) and be respectful during mass times. However, during our visit, we weren’t allowed to go inside, not sure why though.
Photo tip: There is a cafe just across the church called Cộng Coffee, and you can take a good photo of the church while having a good Vietnamese coffee. It might get crowded too since it kinda went viral on TikTok, so…good luck!
Cafe Apartments
This one requires a little explanation, because it’s not a café, exactly. It’s a nine-story apartment building on Nguyễn Huệ Boulevard that has been taken over, floor by floor, by independent cafés, boutiques, and small businesses.
You take a rickety elevator up (pay 3,000 VND), wander between floors, pick a café with a balcony view you like, and settle in for a while. Some floors have a view of the street below. Some play lo-fi music. Some have cats.
It’s a bit chaotic to navigate at first. That’s the fun of it.
Honest take: Coffee quality varies wildly by unit. Wander a floor or two before you sit down. Worth trying:
- % Arabica
- Po Cafe
Museum of Ho Chi Minh City
Housed in a beautiful 19th-century building that served various purposes over the years, including as a base for the Communist Party during the lead-up to reunification, this museum covers the full arc of Saigon’s history, from ancient Khmer settlements to the modern city.
Less intense than the War Remnants Museum, more chronological, and often much less crowded. The building itself is reason enough to visit, a gorgeous yellow colonial structure surrounded by gardens.
When we went there, there were a lot of wedding photoshoots. I think because of the vibe, it looks classy.
Be careful: There are a few common scams targeting tourists, especially people offering coconuts at ridiculously overpriced rates. Another common one is the shoe-cleaning scam, where someone cleans your shoes without being asked and then demands payment. I noticed quite a few of these scams in this area, so it’s best to stay alert.
Three more I’d add to the list
Bui Vien Walking Street
HCMC’s famous backpacker street. Loud. Neon-lit. Overflowing with plastic stools, cold Tiger beer, and people from approximately every country on earth.
I’m not usually a bar-street person. But there’s something genuinely alive about Bui Vien on a Friday night that I couldn’t appreciate. You don’t have to drink. Just walk through it once. It’s a thing.
Go after 9 pm when it’s properly pedestrianized and the energy peaks.
Jade Emperor Pagoda
Built in 1909 by Cantonese immigrants, the Jade Emperor Pagoda is one of the most atmospheric temples I’ve been in, with incense smoke thick in the air, intricate woodcarvings of mythological figures lining every surface, and a small turtle pond out back that locals believe brings luck.
It’s quiet in a way that surprises you for a city this loud.
Even if you’re not spiritually inclined, it’s a remarkable piece of living cultural heritage — people actively come here to pray, not just to be photographed.
Note: Remove your shoes before entering the inner sanctuaries. Dress respectfully.
I am honestly sad that we missed visiting this one, so please add this to your list!
Saigon Skydeck (Bitexco Tower)
On the 49th floor of the Bitexco Financial Tower, the building with the helipad that juts out like a flying saucer, the Saigon Skydeck gives you a 360° view of the city that makes everything suddenly, briefly legible.
All those streets you got lost on. The river. The districts are spread out in every direction. The tangle of it all.
It costs money, and you’ll be surrounded by tourists. But standing up there with the city laid out below you, it’s one of those moments where you think “oh. So that’s where I was.”
- Opening Hours: 9:30 AM–9:30 PM
- Admission Fee: 240,000 VND (You can buy your ticket in advance here.)
“You won’t know you’ll miss Saigon until you’re already gone, somewhere mid-flight, staring at nothing, suddenly craving the noise, the heat, and one more cup of cà phê sữa đá, and the last bite of bánh mì you didn’t know you needed.”
Written with love (and mild heat exhaustion) by Roneth
The practical stuff, because it matters
Saigon is easy to love and slightly tricky to navigate. Here’s everything I wish someone had told me before I arrived.
Best time to visit: November to April (dry season). May to October is the rainy season — short afternoon downpours are common but rarely ruin a day. We went during October, and it was sunny, so I guess that was still a perfect season to visit.
Apps to download: Grab (rides), Google Maps (offline maps save you in dead zones), Google Translate with Vietnamese downloaded for offline use.
Safety: HCMC is generally very safe for tourists. However, there are occational scams as I mentioned above.
Getting a SIM card
Pick one up at the airport the moment you land. Viettel and Vietnamobile are the most reliable. A tourist SIM with 4G data runs about 50,000–100,000 VND (roughly $2–4 USD) for 7–30 days. You’ll need your passport. Do not skip this, you need it for ride apps and maps from the second you step outside.
Getting around
Grab (Southeast Asia’s Uber) is your best friend. Use it for GrabCar or GrabBike, it’s cheap, metered, and removes all the bargaining stress. Metered taxis (Vinasun and Mai Linh are trustworthy brands) are also fine. Avoid unmarked cabs. For short hops between nearby sights, walking is doable in the early morning before the heat peaks.
Klook.comMoney & payments
Cash is king in HCMC. ATMs are everywhere. Look for BIDV, Vietcombank, or Techcombank for lower fees. Always carry small bills (10,000–50,000 VND) for street food and market stalls. Most restaurants and hotels accept cards; markets and street vendors almost never do. Current rate: roughly 25,000 VND = $1 USD.
Crossing the street
This is not a joke section. Saigon traffic looks like chaos, but it operates on a loose social contract: walk slowly and steadily. Don’t stop suddenly. Don’t run. Motorbikes will flow around you if you move predictably. Make eye contact with drivers when possible. Once you get it, it’s almost meditative. Almost.
What to wear
Light, breathable fabrics, linen, cotton, anything that won’t trap heat. Bring a light scarf or shawl for temple and church visits (shoulders and knees covered is the rule). Comfortable walking shoes, not sandals, for full-day exploring. The heat is real: carry a small water bottle and top it up constantly.
Eating & drinking
Street food is safe and outstanding; look for stalls with high turnover and locals eating there. Must-tries: bánh mì, phở, bún bò Huế, cơm tấm (broken rice), and obviously cà phê sữa đá (iced Vietnamese coffee). Drink bottled or filtered water only. Ice in restaurants is generally fine; ice from street carts, use your judgment.
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My Travel Faves!
🌎 Safetywing: For travel insurance
✈️ Google Flights: For finding flight deals
🏨 Booking.com: For searching hotels
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☀️ Klook: For tours and activities
📷 Canon G7X Mark II: My travel camera
🧳 Luggage: My favorite luggage
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