Ho Chi Minh City

From Đồng Khởi to Nguyễn Huệ

Đồng Khởi Street is an easy place to start a walk downtown. The twin-spired Notre-Dame Cathedral (Nhà thờ Đức Bà) sits at its head, with the Central Post Office (Bưu điện Trung tâm Sài Gòn) directly opposite. Every material used to build the cathedral was shipped in from France. The cathedral has been under major restoration since July 2017. Two gilded crosses only went back on top of the spire in March 2026, and completion is targeted for late 2027, on the condition that the funding comes through. Construction barriers may still ring the building, so if you'd like to go inside, check locally whether the interior is open first. One block over, the Nguyễn Huệ walking street runs from City Hall to Bạch Đằng Wharf on the Saigon River. It's busiest around sundown. Halfway along, the worn apartment block at 42 Nguyễn Huệ has shops crammed onto every floor, and half the fun is going up and down, opening one door after another.

Independence Palace, the morning of April 30, 1975

Independence Palace (Dinh Độc Lập) stands on the site of Norodom Palace, which the French began building in 1868. Work on the new building started in July 1962, and it was inaugurated in October 1966. South Vietnam's president lived and worked here. The architect, Ngô Viết Thụ, was the first Vietnamese to win the Prix de Rome in architecture. The stone screen wrapped around the second floor is modeled on bamboo segments, and the floor plan takes the shape of the character 吉, for good fortune. At 10:45 a.m. on April 30, 1975, Tank 843 broke through a side gate, and Tank 390 then rammed the main gate and drove straight into the courtyard. Today you can walk through red-carpeted halls and meeting rooms, then down to the old command center and war rooms in the basement. It's open daily from 7 a.m. to 6 p.m., and adult tickets cost 80,000 VND. Afterward, rest with a cà phê sữa đá, iced coffee with condensed milk, at one of the cafes around the park out front.

War Remnants Museum

Not far from the palace, the War Remnants Museum (Bảo tàng Chứng tích Chiến tranh) packs a three-story building with artifacts and photographs. Decommissioned planes, tanks, bombs and helicopters stand in the courtyard. Inside, alongside the Pulitzer Prize-winning photo "The Terror of War," many images show the war at its most brutal. If you're bringing kids, it's good to know that before you go in.

Broken rice in the morning, snails at night

Ask anyone in Ho Chi Minh City what they eat for breakfast and the answer is usually cơm tấm. It's one of the few dishes that was born in this city. In the old days, broken rice grains weren't fit for sale, so farmers saved them to eat themselves. Even Tấm, the heroine of the Vietnamese Cinderella story, takes her name from these broken grains. A plate of cơm tấm comes topped with a honey-glazed grilled pork chop and a fried egg, with plenty of sweet nước mắm poured over. At midday, try a hearty bowl of hủ tiếu Nam Vang from a street cart, or a bánh mì filled with char siu and homemade pâté. Nam Vang is the Vietnamese name for Phnom Penh, in Cambodia. When the sun goes down, Vĩnh Khánh Street wakes up. By around 6 p.m., it's full of people sitting over beers. The snails (ốc) run to as many as 20 kinds, and the cooking styles vary just as much: stir-fried with butter and garlic, grilled with salt and chili, or simmered in coconut milk.

A morning park, an afternoon in Chợ Lớn

Every morning at Tao Đàn Park (Công viên Tao Đàn), people gather under the trees to exercise, chat and kick a shuttlecock around. There's a small Buddhist temple in the park, too. In the afternoon, head over to Chợ Lớn, the Chinese quarter. It's a neighborhood made for exploring on foot. After browsing Bình Tây Market (Chợ Bình Tây), a vast wholesale market, stop by Thiên Hậu Temple (Chùa Bà Thiên Hậu), dedicated to the goddess of the sea. There's something worth a closer look in every corner.

A day at the Củ Chi Tunnels

If you can spare a day, head out to the Củ Chi Tunnels (Địa đạo Củ Chi) on the city's northwestern fringe. During the Vietnam War, the Viet Cong used this network, more than 250 km long in total, to move around while evading American and South Vietnamese forces. There are two visitor entrances, Bến Đình and Bến Dược, and you can actually go down into the tunnels. Getting dirty is part of the experience, so wear clothes you don't mind messing up.

Suggested itinerary: 4 days, 3 nights

Day 1 — Arrive at Tân Sơn Nhất → check in → Nguyễn Huệ walking street at sundown → browse the shops at 42 Nguyễn Huệ Day 2 — Cơm tấm for breakfast → the cathedral's exterior (under restoration) and the Central Post Office → Independence Palace → cà phê sữa đá at a park cafe → War Remnants Museum → snail dinner on Vĩnh Khánh Street Day 3 — Củ Chi Tunnels → bánh xèo and bánh mì at the food stalls at the back of Bến Thành Market (Chợ Bến Thành) → evening motorbike tour, when the street vendors are out in force Day 4 — Morning at Tao Đàn Park → Bình Tây Market and Thiên Hậu Temple in Chợ Lớn → airport

What to eat

• Cơm tấm (broken rice with grilled pork chop)
• Bánh mì (baguette with char siu and pâté)
• Hủ tiếu Nam Vang (Phnom Penh-style rice noodles)
• Ốc (snail dishes on Vĩnh Khánh Street)

Handy tips

• Korean, Japanese and some other passport holders can stay up to 45 days visa-free. If you're visiting as a tourist on a Korean passport, you'll also need an onward ticket. Staying longer, or not visa-exempt? Get the 90-day multiple-entry e-visa.
• Tân Sơn Nhất International Airport is only about 7 km from the center. Taxi fares vary by company, so booking a car through a ride-hailing app takes most of the worry out of getting overcharged.
• The 2025 administrative reform merged Bình Dương and Bà Rịa–Vũng Tàu into Ho Chi Minh City and removed the district tier below the city. New addresses drop names like "District 1," but guidebooks and shop addresses still use the old ones, so check your hotel's location as a pin in your map app.