Ho Chi Minh City In One Week

Day 1: City Tour

Arrive in Saigon and check in your hotel. You can make a city tour on your own with your first day in Saigon. All you need to do is stopping by a bookstore to buy a map of Ho Chi Minh City. Some recommended places to visit: the Opera House, the Opera House and the Peoples’ Committee Building, the Notre Dame Cathedral, the Reunification Palace, the War Remnants Museum, Ben Thanh Market, Cholon-Chinatown. You can find more information about the city tour at Ho Chi Minh City in 1 day.
Photo: hanoimoi.com.vn - Ho Chi Minh City

Day 2: Cu Chi Tunnel- Dinner buffet in Binh Quoi

Option 1: For less hassle, you can book half a day tour to Cu Chi Tunnel at a travel agency. They provide you tour guide, means of transportation, meals and entrance tickets. At Cu Chi Tunnel, you can experience walking on your knees in a tiny and dark tunnel which is about 2 km (1.24 miles) long. It is the place where people travel back and forth to survive during the war. Then, when coming back the city center, you can take a rest at your hotel. A dinner buffet at Binh Quoi Tourist Resort will end the day well. The buffet starts serving at 5 p.m. They offer a wide range of Vietnamese traditional food satisfying different tastes. Moreover, you can take some photos of Vietnamese countryside landscape in the resort area also. Their decorations and designs make it a peaceful and relaxing area for dining.

Option 2: Can Gio – Ecological tour is suitable for those who love nature and want to be a friend with nature in a day. You can have more information at 5 ideas for a day trip from Ho Chi Minh City.
Photo: tripvn.com - Cu Chi Tunnel

Day 3- Day 4: Mekong Delta

Your trip to the Southern Vietnam can’t be perfect without visiting the Mekong Delta provinces. Booking in advance at travel agency is a great idea, especially in peak seasons like summer.

Day 3: After having breakfast in Ho Chi Minh City, you leave for My Tho City, Tien Giang Province which is about 2 hours of driving from Ho Chi Minh City. Once arriving at My Tho City, you can take a boat ride to the Tortoise Island – Hon Quy where you can have lunch in the green landscape of many plants around. Then, you also have a chance to see the manufacturing process of coconut candies and buy souvenirs made from coconut. You can spend a whole day sitting in the fruit garden, savoring tropical fruits and relax in a peaceful atmosphere. In the evening, you take a boat back, check in a local hotel and rest.

Day 4: Proceed to Can Tho, which is 180 km (112 miles) from Ho Chi Minh City. Upon arrival, you will take a boat trip to visit floating markets (Phong Dien or Cai Rang) – a unique cultural activity of Mekong Delta provinces. A floating market is a market on the river where people use boats for selling and buying activities. Fruits are the most popular. If you are a big fan of fruits, you shouldn’t miss any kind of fruit here because they are all fresh and delicious. Besides, you can also experience Cau Khi, a kind of bridge you can only see in Mekong Delta area. You might get a big surprise when visiting the rice noodle making villages.

Day 5: Head back Ho Chi Minh City.

It may take up to 6 hours to get back the city center. In the evening, you can spend time enjoying the nightlife in Ho Chi Minh City. There are many options for you to consider: go ice-skating at Youth Cultural House, have dinner at Quan An Ngon restaurant or get a drink at street vendors near the Notre Dame Cathedral. You can have a look at “5 ideas to spend your evening in HCMC” for detailed information.

Day 6: Vung Tau beach

Do you like sunshine? Do you like waves? Do you like sandy beaches? Ho Chi Minh City's proximity to the coast is a grand advantage of this 7 million people city. Vung Tau may be just the right option for you. From Ben Thanh market, you can take bus no. 26 to Mien Dong Bus Station where you can get a ticket for a ride to Vung Tau. The ticket is around $5-$6/each. If you are not confident in traveling by bus, you can book a package tour at a travel agency. One way trip takes about 3 hours.

Arriving in Vung Tau, you can swim, sunbathe or play sports on the sandy ground. You can try thrilling water sport games also. Trying seafood right at the beach is a great idea, too. Souvenirs are also available. Don’t forget to bargain to get better deals.
Photo: baodientu.com - Vung Tau beach

Day 7: Parks and shopping malls

After having breakfast, from Ben Thanh market, you can take bus no. 11 to get to Dam Sen Theme Park, one of the largest amusement parks in Vietnam. Again, if you are not confident in traveling by bus, just take a taxi for less hassle. At Dam Sen Park, there are a lot of rides which are suitable for people of all ages. Kids may like the mini roller coaster while the adults like thrilling games. Unlike other parks in Western culture, when you want to take a ride at Dam Sen Park, you are supposed to buy a ticket for it only, no package entrance ticket is available. In the evening, you can go shopping at some recommended malls such as Diamond Plaza, Vincom Center, Parkson, Now Zone shopping mall and Ben Thanh night market. (Read our guide to the Best Shopping Venues in Ho Chi Minh City).