How many days do you need in Ho Chi Minh City?
Three days. That is the length of the itinerary we built for Ho Chi Minh City.
Here is what each day holds. Every stop below carries its time, and every gap says how to get to the next stop, with the walk or drive time wherever both stops are mapped.
Ho Chi Minh City · 3 days Vietnam
Best time: December to April is the dry season and the most reliable time to visit.
Colonial District 1Day 1
⛪9:00 AMNotre-Dame Cathedral and Central Post Office
The twin French-colonial landmarks face each other; the working post office next door still has its grand vaulted, Eiffel-era iron hall.
🚶 ~7 min · 🚗 ~1 min · 0.3 mi
🏰12:00 PMIndependence Palace
The preserved 1960s Reunification Palace, its war rooms and rooftop helipad left as they were the day the war ended in 1975.
🚶 ~16 min · 🚗 ~2 min · 0.6 mi
🌆6:00 PMNguyen Hue Walking Street
The broad pedestrian boulevard running to the old People's Committee building, liveliest after dark with families and street performers.
War history and marketsDay 2
🖼️9:00 AMWar Remnants Museum
An unflinching, essential museum on the Vietnam War; arrive at opening to get ahead of the tour buses.
🚶 ~18 min · 🚗 ~2 min · 0.6 mi
🍽️12:30 PMBen Thanh Market
The landmark central market for souvenirs and a fast, cheap lunch of com tam or a bowl of pho at the food stalls inside.
🚶 ~12 min · 🚗 ~2 min · 0.4 mi
🏰6:00 PMBitexco Financial Tower
Ride up the helipad-topped tower for a dusk view, or simply watch it light up over the Saigon River waterfront.
Cho Lon (Chinatown)Day 3
⛩️9:00 AMThien Hau Temple
The incense-hung temple to the sea goddess Mazu, with huge coils of smoke hanging from the ceiling of the main hall.
🚶 ~14 min · 🚗 ~2 min · 0.5 mi
🍽️12:00 PMBinh Tay Market
The colonnaded central market of Cho Lon, a wholesale maze best explored for its food court and Chinese-Vietnamese snacks.
🚗 ~14 min · 4.1 mi
📍5:30 PMJade Emperor Pagoda
A dim, atmospheric 1909 Taoist temple full of carved wooden deities, back toward the center in District 1.
This is how Petrel lays out a trip. Upload your own confirmations and it builds this for your dates: flights and hotels included, with live flight status and the travel time between stops.
This is one of 126 free itineraries. Open it, change anything you want, and it becomes your trip.