2 or 3 days in Ho Chi Minh City

A short trip to Ho Chi Minh city, Saigon is a great idea to experience more about Vietnamese people. If you have 2 or 3 days in Ho Chi Minh City, here are best places you should not miss in your itinerary.

1. Best places to visit in Ho Chi Minh City:

Ben Thanh market

This largest marketplace in the city is the symbol of the city, offering a great atmosphere that is absolutely authentically Vietnamese of the city.

There’s no entrance fee, and the market is opened all day. It is most crowded and busy at night, so don’t forget to bring your camera with you to capture the excited daily local life. Address: Le Loi street, District 1, HCM city.

Reunification Palace

This famous place is where South Saigon once stands. The palace reminds many past tourists of Versailles in Paris, with similar royal interior deco. The entrance fee is 40.000 VND and it is opened from 7:30 to 16:00 everyday.

Address: 135 Nam Ki Khoi Nghia, District 1, HCM city.

War Remnants Museum

This is one of the most famous and important history museums of the city, where house war trophies and photographs documenting the War’s atrocities. It is opened from 7:30 to 18:00 everyday with 15.000 VND entrance fee.

Address: 26 Vo Van Tan, District 3, HCM city.

The Notre Dame

The ancient cathedral located in a very peaceful picturesque corner in the downtown of Ho Chi Minh City. It’s a place where not only followers keep praying under candle lights in front of the cathedral everyday but tourists and local people also come there to discover the true soul of the city. You probably won’t need to allow much longer than one or two hours to visit this site.

Address: No 1 Cong Xa Paris, Ben Nghe, District 1 HCM city.

Cu Chi Tunnel Complex

Cu Chi Tunnel Complex cannot be missed if you spend more than 2 days in Ho Chi Minh City. It has become a must-do in your Ho Chi Minh tour. Here you will have the opportunity to finally understand why Vietnam won the battle, surviving underground with just salt and cassava. Cu Chi Tunnel Complex tells a fascinating and legendary tale of courage of Vietnamese soldiers, despite all the struggles they have to endure in such a long time. By spending 2-3 hours to visit Cu Chi By you have totally transformed your ordinary visit to Ho Chi Minh City to an intellectual yet remarkable trip.

Address: Cu Chi Tunnel Complex is in Phu My Hung town, 70km to the Northwest of Ho Chi Minh city.

Cho Lon (Large Market)

This is a very large area including district 5, district 10 and district 11. It’s an interesting place to see classical Chinese architecture reminiscent of years gone by with plenty of Chinese restaurants. Visiting Cho Lon and enjoy the authentic Chinese atmosphere that has existed here for hundreds of year.

Suoi Tien or Dam Sen park

If you are staying in Ho Chi Minh for 2-3 days with your family and children, visit Suoi Tien or Dam Sen theme park. They can easily take up your whole day just by walking around the park and refreshing yourself in a large area with fresh air and natural surroundings.

Suoi Tien is in district 9, 19km from the centre of the city, and Dam Sen Park is in Hoa Binh street, district 11, Ho Chi Minh city.

2. Ho Chi Minh City’s cuisine

Ho Chi Minh city offers an amazing array of food for tourists and visitors. Enjoying your Ho Chi Minh tour with different kinds of food and drinks, you will discover the complexity of flavours that can come from the use of fresh, simple ingredients.

Com tam

Com tam (broken rice) is one of the most famous and delicious dishes in Ho Chi Minh that can be found in every corner of the streets. Com Tam Ba Ghien is the most famous restaurant serving this dish.

Address: 84 Đặng Văn Ngữ, P. 10, Phú Nhuận District.

Open hours: 6 am – 10 pm daily

Oc (snails)

Steamed in tamarind sauce, fried or boiled in coconut water, snails are the favourite dish of many Vietnamese and tourists. They are especially loved after-hours snacks of most Saigonese and tourists. Being a very famous street food, snails can be found almost everywhere in Ho Chi Minh city. Try it in Oc Dao restaurant and you fall in love with this interesting food.

Address: 212B/C79 Nguyen Trãi, P: Nguyen Cu Trinh, District 1.

Open hours: 4 pm – 10 pm daily

Goi cuon (spring rolls)

Spring rolls in Ho Chi Minh city is no doubt on the top list of most delicious food. It is a popular appetizer commonly made with slices of pork belly, shrimp, cold vermicelli noodles, and veggies such as lettuce, mint and chives. Goi cuon can be found everywhere, from the streets to famous restaurants. Don’t forget to have it for dinner.

Banh xeo (cripsy pancakes)

Turmeric powder, not eggs, lend this iconic southern dish its yellow color. Banh xeo is named for the sizzling sound its batter makes on the skillet. Undoubtedly the most well known restaurant in all of Saigon for devouring hot and huge banh xeo is Banh Xeo 46A restaurant

Address: 46 Đinh Công Tráng, Tan Dinh, District 1, Ho Chi Minh City

Open hours: 9 am – 9 pm daily

Banh trang tron (rice paper mixture)

This rice paper mixture is a famous street food invention in Ho Chi Minh city. It’s basically strips of rice paper served salad-style with ingredients like quail eggs, julienned green mango and calamansi juice. It’s one of the most favourite snack of all generation in Ho Chi Minh city.

There are many places selling Banh trang tron in HCMC. You can try it in Mr Vien place, 38 Nguyen Thuong Hien street, District 3, HCMC.

Bun bo Hue (Hue’s beef noodles)

Consider bun bo Hue, a noodle soup that originated in the former imperial capital. It’s made of vermicelli, generous slices of beef shank and a broth in which lemongrass and shrimp paste are the star players. Add some basil leaves, banana flower and diced green onion to bring some freshness to the piquancy of this classic central Vietnamese dish. Come to 110 Ly Chinh Thang, District 3, Ho Chi Minh city and serve yourself one of the best noodles in town.

Iced coffee

Talking about Ho Chi Minh city, we can not miss Vietnamese cofffee. It’s one of the most popular drinks that is favored by so many generation of local Vietnamese and foreigners. Enjoying a cup of iced coffee and chatting with locals in street vendors are the things that you must-try in HCMC. It will definitely be memorable moments of your Ho Chi Minh tour.