tWO DAYS IN HO CHI MINH: THINGS TO DO
Two Days In Ho Chi Minh: Things To Do
Table of Contents
Two Days In Ho Chi Minh
Day 1:
Central Post Office
The architectural design of the post office is beautiful. This yellow building designed by famous French architect, Gustave Eiffel, sits across the Notre Dame Basilica. Here you can send postcards back home or purchase souvenirs from the boutique stores. Inside you’ll find old wooden telephone booths and a beautiful rooftop.
Nothre-Dame Basilica
Just across the Central Post office is the smaller version of the original Notre Dame building in Paris. It’s a beautiful building, and the area surrounding it has very European-like facilities because there is a French influence dating back to its history. We enjoyed walking around this part of the city in District 1 of Ho Chi Minh.
War Remnants Museum
Here you can learn more about the Vietnam War. A trip to the museum will allow you to see the American aircraft and collection tanks left behind during the war. The entrance is only 40,000 VND (less than 2 USD).
Bui Vien Walking Street
Taka Plaza
We ended up here by chance, but we were bombarded by all the delicious-looking plates being served. The food and goods market is an air-conditioned building with many food stands similar to fast-foods. The number of choices can be overwhelming, but the food is worth it. We had some great meals and deserts here and even found a bookstore and other shops inside.
Saigon Park
Just outside the indoor food market is a park where we enjoyed walking both evenings we were in Ho Chi Minh. Few tourist and mainly locals spend their time exercising, playing, and hanging out. We found the park to be peaceful despite the chaos surrounding it in the busy streets of District 1. It is a great place to sit back and relax just before going back to your hotel to sleep.
Day 2:
If you are only in Ho Chi Ming for two days, you will only have time for one long tour. The two most recommended are the Cu Chi Tunnels and the Mekong Delta. As much as we wanted to go to the Mekong Delta, we opted for the shorter tour to Cu Chi Tunnels. It took most of our day. However, people rave about the Mekong Delta. So if you have an extra day, you can add it to your itinerary.
Cu Chi Tunnels
Mekong Delta
The Mekong Delta River flows through a few countries in Asia, but there are popular river cruises in Vietnam. While riding a boat, you can purchase items from smaller boat vendors selling fruit, souvenirs, delicious food, and more. It sounds pretty fun, so we’re hoping to do this next time!
Ben Thanh Market
This market is fun to explore. You’ll find many souvenirs and items to shop for, such as accessories, clothing, food, and more. Use your haggling skills to get a lower rate. After the Cu Chi Tunnels, the tour bus made a stop at Ben Than Market before going back to District 1. It’s great because it’s a free ride there. However, getting there yourself isn’t hard.
Bangkok's China Town
Relax by the Rach Ben Nghe River
After getting lost in the busy streets of District 5, we wandered back to our hotel and wound up by the river. You’ll mostly see families sitting by the benches and men fishing. We grabbed a bench and relaxed to the view of the city lights.
Experiences To Have In Ho Chi Minh
Street Food
Drink Vietnamese Coffee
For those who love sweet coffee like us, it’s hard to find throughout Asia. However, in Ho Chi Minh there are coffee shops on every corner. The iced coffee served can be strong, but it has a sweet taste because they give you condensed milk. YUM!
Get Lost In The City
Just walk around! One day we just kept walking and didn’t even know what district we were in. But it was fun because we ended up in areas where only local people hang out, and we got to see another side of the city.
Watch The Motorbikes
- texting and calling with one hand while driving with the other
- transportation of a 5-foot refrigerator
- balancing a food platter with one hand
- driving one-handed while holding a huge item behind them
- an accident (both women were fine)
- people nearly getting run over, including us
Buy From Street Vendors
If We Had One Or Two Extra Days:
- Independence Palace/Reunification Place
- Mekong Delta
- Food Tour
- Rooftop Bar to view the city
Where To Stay In Ho Chi Minh
- Budget: My Home Guesthouse
- Mid-range: Greenwood Villa
- Affordable Luxury: Silverland Yen Hotel
If you prefer, you can get 40 USD free on your first booking with Airbnb apartment using this Airbnb referral.
How To Get Around Ho Chi Minh
How To Stay Connected
Staying connected is cheap in Vietnam. To buy a SIM card, it’s best to go to an official store where you must show your passport to register since Vietnam has regulations. Some shops will sell you SIM cards without needing a passport, but it won’t be registered, and you risk having the card blocked. The Gioididon is an official and legit store where you can do this. They are easy to find around the city. Just look for the big yellow buildings.
What to Pack
Travel Booking Resources
Book Your Flight:
To find cheap flights, check Skyscanner and Google Flights. These search engines check airlines to find you the best deals. The more flexibility you have, the better flight deals available.
Book Your Accommodation:
Booking.com is my favorite booking site for hotels but it also shows great deals on hostels and apartments. Plus, when you reach Genius Level, you get special discounts, included breakfasts, and upgrades on some hotel rooms. Hostelworld is specifically for budget travelers who enjoy hostels. This is the best place for finding great options.
Don’t Forget Travel Insurance and Visa Applications:
Travel insurance will protect you against theft, injury, illness, and cancellations. Sometimes unexpected things happen during a trip and protections will keep you covered. Two great options are: Safety Wing and World Nomads. Also, iVisa can help you get a visa if you need one.
Book Tours:
Sometimes the best way to see a place is through tours. I recommend checking out Get Your Guide for some fun and unique adventures wherever you go.
Check out my other travel resources to help you book your trip!
Disclaimer: Some of the links on this page are affiliate links. This means that if you click on a link and purchase a product, I may receive a commission at no extra cost to you. Please note I only recommend products and brands that I personally use or have used and believe in.
It sounds like you had a great time exploring! Street food is definitely one of my favourite things about Asian cities – loads of the food tastes SO much better than it looks so you just have to try.
The driving sounds a lot like here in Italy, by the way!!
The street food has been the best so far in Vietnam! I didn’t know Italy had crazy driving but I’m hoping to see it too!
As someone who loves food, your descriptions of the markets and street food on offer in Ho Chi Minh city really made me want to hop on a plane. I also year to visit the Mekong Delta and take it all in. Great post!
The food is the best! Hope you get to visit Vietnam soon and try it all. Their Pho soup is delicious!
I have fantastic memories of HCMC. We spent a little longer than 2 days so got to see a lot of the city as well as trips to Vung Tau, the floating markets and the Mekong Delta. I agree the food is one of the top reasons for a visit to Vietnam. I love it!
Wish we had done the Mekong Delta! Glad you got to experience it and yes, the food is so delicious!
Also have to agree with shona and you that Vietnamese food is amazing. I had a week in Ho Chi Minh City and loved it, would definitely recommend heading there to people and I’ll send them to your post for loads of ideas. Can’t believe how much you fit into 2 days!
Isn’t it so tasty!? We have been loving the food! Thank you! Haha, if you only knew how many steps we were taking each day. We walked everywhere non-stop!
Oh, I like the look of that! Food, monuments, the Mekong delta close… what’s not to like!
#WeekendWanderlust
It definitely has lots of great things about it!
This one reminded me on my current memories from Bangkok. I loved the street food, the culture, the motorbikes, the hospitality. So I would definitely love to visit hcmc, it seems like a place that I would enjoy and love. Thanks for sharing
Similar to Bangkok! Although we enjoyed Ho Chi Minh even more. 🙂
Of all the countries that my daughter has been to – and that’s way more than I had been at her age – she claims Vietnam as first in her heart. The food looks amazing – and the city looks quite chaotic. I’d love to go!
Ah! I can see why! We’ve only been here two weeks and we have a feeling it’ll be one of our favorite Asian countries! Hope you go soon!
First of all, this is an impressive guide! Second, those tunnels are amazing! Did everyone have to slip though one of those small holes in order to visit? Thanks for linking up with #TheWeeklyPostcard!
Thanks! Glad you enjoyed it. Those tunnels were definitely great to see. We learned so much and the Vietnamese were so smart with the system! Not everyone had to go in. They advised people to stay above if they’re claustrophobic. Only one couple did. We aren’t claustrophobic, but one of the tunnels took a few minutes to get through and the space was tight, so we were ready to get out of it!!!
Ho Chi Minh looks like a very vibrant city. I’d ideally like to go and teach there in a few years time, so its good to get an idea of what its like. I’d love to visit the museum, I find history fascinating!
It really is vibrant. I think this would be the perfect place for you to teach. We’re loving this country a lot and perhaps it’ll be one of our favorite Asian countries. Hope you go soon!
That’s quite the squeeze into those tunnels, but it would be so interesting to walk around under the city. Vietnamese coffee is probably my favourite kind of coffee, so I imagine I would be pretty wired if I ever visited. Hopefully some delicious street food would even me out.
They were pretty tight in some spots and we were ready to get out haha! We’re with you on the coffee. We are enjoying it a lot and love that they add condensed milk to it 🙂
Great itinerary – I really enjoyed HCMC and would love to go back and spend some more time exploring its streets – Cu Chi Tunnels and the Mekong Delta were definitely worth the day trips to see them. You guys have managed a lot in your time there!
The tunnels were definitely great. Hope to make it to the Mekong Delta next time.
Although it sounds a bit sombre, I really loved learning about the war when I was in HCMC. Crawling the Cu Chi Tunnels gave me a newfound respect for what the solders had to go through, while the War Remnants museum was fascination–particularly the gallery of propaganda art. Although I also loved the rest of the city too haha
Yes! I have so much respect for what they went through in the tunnels. The ability to build them and live in them with little technology and or equipment is just impressive. Haha, the city was great. We thought we wouldn’t like it since it’s such a big city, but we actually enjoyed it a lot.
That street food looks amazeballs – not that everything else doesn’t 🙂 Also love how practical and comprehensive your guide is. Thanks for sharing!!
YES!! It’s amazeballs haha! I need to learn how to cook it all for when we go back home. Thanks for reading. 🙂
HCMC is a very cool city! I would find it hard to fit in everything in 48 hours though. We went to Hanoi and ended up spending 11 months there!
We thought it would be hard too but we just spent our day walking around and got to see quite a bit. Hanoi is next for us! I’m sure it’s good since you stayed there so long. 🙂
Wow, looks like you had a great time in Ho Chi Minh! Vietnam is high on my list. I’m really interested in exploring the Cu Chi Tunnels even though they are a little eerie. Thanks for sharing 🙂
Yes, do visit. It’s such a crazy but fun city to explore. The tunnels were one of our favorite stops, I’m sure you’ll enjoy them. 🙂
Vietnam is soo beautiful! I only spent time in the North (Hanoi, Ha Long Bay and Hoi An) so next time I go, I hope to spend some time in the north and check out Ho Chi Minh city! I’ll make sure to bookmark this!
The north is next for us and we’re so excited about it! You’ll have to check out Ho Chi Minh one day. It’s a crazy but fun city.
Those tunnels look really scary! Not sure I could have visited let alone hid down there during the war! Street food is definitely amazing though!
They were quite tight to walk in, we can’t imagine living in them either! But ah yes, the street food is delicious!
Mmmm…that Pho Ga looks awesome. So does the coffee, although I do find it super sweet. Looks like you guys had a great visit! Can’t wait to spend some time exploring HCMC. Thanks so much for sharing your visit with us on #TheWeeklyPostcard and #WeekendWanderlust
We love eating Pho Ga and the coffee. We are sweet coffee drinkers so it’s been perfect for us here in Vietnam. 🙂 Hope you visit HCMC soon!
Thank you! We will be in HCMC in a week or so and this has given us some good ideas. We’re in Hue at the moment, and didn’t think the food could get any better. If you get to Hue try the night market by the river under the bridge, and eat at Hahns Restaurant. In Hanoi just eat Bun Cha day and night.
Nice! When we would read posts about Vietnam some people recommended skipping it, but the truth is we really enjoyed the city. Hopefully you do too. We thought the food and the motorbike craziness was actually a positive. Thanks for the tips! We’ll be in Hanoi in two days, we’ll try the Bun Cha. Sadly we have to skip Hue because we want to make it to the north areas. Enjoy Vietnam! Happy travels.