How We Got Here

We made it to Ho Chi Minh by bus. This will be the dependent on where you’re coming from of course – we came from Mui Ne. It was a bit of a journey, the bus was a sleeper one so we expected a fairly chilled experience as we’d done a few of these before but after an emergency stop to fix a flat tyre, we weren’t sure how it would be but the rest of the journey was stress free. Basically for any journey you do on public transport in Vietnam, be prepared for things to go wrong. Allow yourselves a little extra time and go prepared with snacks, water and Netflix downloads! If you’re coming from Mui Ne, you might also want travel sickness tablets. The roads were so windy and the coach driver did not take the corners gently.

If you’re coming from further afield, or Ho Chi Minh is your first stop, you might find yourself flying in. If so I’d recommend using Grab to get to your accommodation. 

Where We Stayed

We stayed in Hotel Cou Cou Homestead. We booked it fairly late (the night before) so we had a slightly more limited choice of accommodation on Hostel World. I’d maybe try and book a bit earlier if you can! The actual hostel was cute though. In a quiet street, it was in a small but tall building so there were lots of steps to climb,  and they had private and dorm rooms too. We had a first night in a private room before we were moved into a dorm. The beds were comfy and the staff were really nice. Showers were clean and it was all good. The facilities outside of this were limited but it was perfect for what we needed. If you’re looking for somewhere with a a communal area to relax, I wouldn’t recommend here but other than that it was a good spot. 

Where to Eat

So not quite where to eat, but for drinks and snacks definitely go to Ca Phé. The most incredible iced coconut coffee! 

Otherwise for food, it was a little mixed in Ho Chi Minh. We had some good food and we had some terrible food. The most disappointing was Nam Giao. It had been recommended and had really good reviews. It was possibly the worst food we had in Vietnam. Nothing tasted right and it wasn’t because it was a small local restaurant, as most of the places we had eaten were small and local – if anything this one was more upmarket. We were friends at this point and all 4 of our struggled to eat anything and as it was our last night together, we were so gutted! 

Bahn Mi Huynh Hoa – a great spot for a Bahn Mi. The baguettes were huge, so go here hungry. 

Jolliebee – A Philippino company that offers various spicy chicken, spaghetti noodles with sausages and lots of rice. We’ve had a Jolliebee in the UK, so we had to try the international version! It was a good dinner when you fancy something quick. 

McDonalds – Yes, before you comment, we had a maccies. We had one in nearly every country we visited! It’s a taste of home and also a chance to try something unique to the country you’re visiting. 

How To Get Around

The city has walkable areas, we definitely walked a lot through the main streets and I’d recommend walking where you can as you’ll see much more of the city. However, Grab was readily available and was handy when it just got too hot! 

To get to the Cu Chi Tunnels, we booked a tour and it included a coach transfer. Sometimes it’s cheaper to organise your own transport to places, but for the tunnels and the length of the time it took to get there, I’d recommend booking a tour. 

War Remnants Museum 

An essential visit in Ho Chi Minh. If you’ve only got one day in the city, the museum would be the thing to do. We visited a lot of museums in Vietnam but this one was by far the best. The best English translations, so many important artefacts and exhibitions. It was a very heavy experience – you might need some tissues, but it is SO important to visit. We also thought that it was one of the least biased museums we visited in Vietnam. It was very honest, with accountability taken and very factual. Please, don’t miss this. 

Tickets only cost 40,000 VND and the museum is open from 7:30am – 12:00 & 13:30 – 17:00. 

Saigon Central Post Office

Love sending a postcard? I certainly do! This was such a highlight in Ho Chi Minh for me. The post office is such a beautiful building and after opening in 1891 it’s had a prominent place in the city. Inside the post office, the high ceilings and walls are decorated in intricate hand drawn maps and paintings. You don’t need to buy a postcard in advance, instead, buy one from the shops inside the post office or there are lots of sellers outside with handmade cards. I bought two and send them home to my parents. It was so lovely to send them home a little piece of me! As I said in my 5 Top Things to do in Vietnam blog, I wish I’d sent one home to me, it would have been such a nice souvenir to look back on. 

Independence Palace

Take a stroll down to the Palace which is hugely significant as it was the site of the Fall of Saigon. Interestingly, the current building is a replica of the original palace as it was damaged badly by two Viet Cong jets. The palace is open to visitors between 8:30 – 16:30, and tickets for adults cost 40,000 VND. Just to note, official meetings are still held here, so the palace can be closed unexpectedly. 

Bui View Street

This famous walking street is best visited at night for the buzzing atmosphere and cheap beers, it’s a true icon of Ho Chi Minh’s nightlife. The streets will be packed every night with tourists and locals. It’s a pretty intense experience so mentally prepare yourself! The locals who work in the bars will do their best to get you into their place, so be prepared for a bit of bargaining for a good drinks deal. 

Pink Cathedral

So we didn’t go into the cathedral, it was near closing time and we had maxed our budget for the day. I have to say, whilst i assuming it was beautiful inside, the reason for our visit was to see the outside which is obviously, pink! It is such a beautiful building. Worth tagging on to an exploring day, we visited after we had gone to the post office. 

Markets 

The city has so many markets which are worth an explore. You can find the best souvenirs, clothes (lots of replicas), shoes (again SO many good replicas) and more. Great place to try some street food – look where the locals are, and snag yourself some bargains. All of the markets are well signposted and easily located via google maps. 

Cu Chi Tunnels 

These tunnels are such a huge part of Vietnam’s history and give you the chance to experience what life was like during the Vietnam war. The site includes a chance to walk (or crawl, really) through 100’s of kilometre long under ground tunnels that linked multiple military bases together, where soldiers spent hours deep underground with limited oxygen. Whilst you’re at the site, you’ll also visit the museum filled with remnants of bombs, weapons, soldiers belongings and watch demonstrations of gruesome booby traps that the Vietnamese soldiers built. You can even shoot an AK47! 

Hans Hint’s

Ho Chi Minh cannot be missed on your Vietnam tour but if you’re limited for time, I’d really recommend the War Remnants museum and the Cu Chi Tunnels. These were some of the best ‘tourist’ activities we did in the whole of Vietnam. As I said, the museum was SO informative and interesting, likewise were the tunnels. 

Also, as the city can be very hot and pretty busy – it’s best to get out early so you can explore before it gets too warm. The city is split into districts, the best one for tourists is District One. I’d recommend looking for accommodation in this area. And it might be worth booking somewhere with a pool to cool off too.