5 best things to do in Ho Chi Minh City: You’ll love it

It’s difficult to know exactly what are the best things to do in Ho Chi Minh City, as it is bursting with incredible food, culture, people and history. If you’re on a limited time frame and budget like I was, it can be even trickier.

I had just three nights and two full days here and so I had to be strategic with my planning, optimising my time. If you’ve read my other posts, you’ll know this isn’t very me and I tend to take more of a ‘wing it’ approach. Nonetheless, it can be done! With all this in mind, these are my personal best things to do in Ho Chi Minh City.

Ho Chi Minh City Cu Chi tunnels

Completely breathtaking, for those who don’t know the Ho Chi Minh City Cu Chi tunnels are a series of underground tunnels about two hours north of the main city. Locals used to live in these intricate underground systems to escape the chemicals such as agent orange that Americans spread by air during the Vietnam war.

We chose to do a tour of the Cu Chi tunnels, a great way to learn as much as possible about the sad history of this area. You’ll be guided through the forest, taught about the different survival methods and traps created by hands, as well as get an opportunity to go down into the tunnels themselves.

You’ll also get to sample bamboo shoots, which is what the people predominantly ate during war times. There’s even a shooting range where you can shoot a real AK47, as well as a lovely little gift shop.

This excursion was at the top of my Vietnam bucket list and I can confirm, that it did not disappoint. Costing around £15 which included transport, this is an absolute must for anyone wanting to know the best things to do in Ho Chi Minh City.

War Remnants museum

Linking perfectly into the Cu Chi tunnels, another attraction that easily makes the best things to do in Ho Chi Minh City list. Dive deeper into Vietnam’s history without breaking the bank. Entry to the museum was 40,000d (29,000 = £1) and the audio guide headset was 80,000d. For the equivalent of about £4, this is an insanely good price.

Learn about the political tension that led to the Vietnam war, the different beliefs between North and South Vietnam, how America interfered and sunk more money than they ever have in their history, and the aftermath that is still affecting this beautiful country to this day.

However make sure you give yourself time to see all of the different rooms before it closes, something we did not do.

Apartment cafe block

A fun little stop when walking or scooting around the city, this is a lovely thing to do in Ho Chi Minh City. You’ll be greeted with a colourful exterior adorned with different cafe and restaurant names, a great Instagram spot.

Upon going inside there’s the option of taking the stairs or the lift to explore the nine floors of eateries. We opted for the stairs and explored each floor as we went, and I will say we slightly regretted this. It’s an extremely hot and sweaty building particularly the higher you get. My advice would be to get the lift to the top, then work your way down exploring as you go.

With this aside though, we had a lot of fun poking our heads into different places that were vibrant and full of life. We tried an egg coffee at Good Day before venturing back out. This is a lovely thing to do in Ho Chi Minh City that doesn’t break the bank, as there’s no obligation to actually buy anything. Want to just go grab a picture? No problem at all.

Bui Vien Street

Looking for a good night out? This is THE street to hit in Ho Chi Minh. Most major cities across Asia tend to have a similar strip, usually known as walking street like in Bangkok. Ho Chi Minh is no different.

Blaring music, strobe lights of all colours, street vendors selling jellyfish meat, fire eaters, snakes…it’s all here. It’s quite an overwhelming experience if I’m being honest, so stay clear if you’re wanting a quiet one. But, I’d still recommend at least a walk through for the experience.

Zip about on a scooter

This is undoubtedly one of the best things to do in Ho Chi Minh City. The sights you see whilst sitting on the back of a scooter are next to none. It’s a feast for the senses and something not to be missed.

I would recommend using Grab for your scooter needs, opposed to hiring your own. The roads are manic and definitely not for Westerners. I’d recommend getting a Grab where a 15 minute scooter ride equates to about 20,000d (60p).