As the largest commercial hub in Vietnam, the alluring cultural jolt inside a clutch of intriguing historical attractions of Ho Chi Minh city surprises international visitors. Are you making your Ho Chi Minh travel plan? Next, are you wondering what is the best things to do in Ho Chi Minh Itinerary 5 days?
We will suggest to you in detail what are the most stunning attractions and things to do in Ho Chi Minh city. Are you eager to discover with us right away?
Weather Characteristics of Ho Chi Minh city
Under the influence of monsoon season, the weather in Vietnam is stretched vertically and is split into three main distinct climate zones: North, Central, and South with many specific weather characteristics, partly affected by the oceanic climate. Ho Chi Minh belongs to Southern Vietnam which is particular to the tropical monsoon climate with two distinct seasons:
- Rainy season from May to November and dry season from December to April
- The average temperature here is 27 degrees Celsius
- High humidity and rainfall.
Best time for Ho Chi Minh Itinerary 5 Days
In general, the best time for Ho Chi Minh Itinerary 5 days in Ho Chi Minh city is the dry season from September and goes all the way to the end of March of the next year. It is an ideal time to witness the lush nature and go sightseeing without sudden rain. Contrary to the dry season, the rainy season from May to October has severe weather, slightly hotter and more humid. Therefore, summer months are not a good idea to travel to Southern Vietnam, but traveling in this period can bring you a wide range of benefits such as few tourists, cheaper prices for all services, accommodation, and so on.
What to do in Your Ho Chi Minh Itinerary
Day 1: Take a trip to visit many historical symbols of Ho Chi Minh city
Address: 28 Vo Van Tan, Ward 6, District 3.
Open hours: 7:30 am – 12:00am and 1:30pm – 5pm, daily
Admission: Nearly 2 USD (40,000 VND per person)
First, let’s add these historical landmarks in your bucket list during the Ho Chi Minh itinerary 5 days. War Remnant Museum is one of the most important historical sites evoking a traumatic past of the American War. From the display of old tanks, planes and war machines to the indoor exhibition of diverse artifacts, you can be completely overwhelmed by the dreadful suffering of Vietnamese people over thousands of decades. Also, you can learn many amazing stories about Vietnamese history through your guide.
Address: 135 Nam Ky Khoi Nghia, Ben Nghe Ward, District 1.
Open hours: 7:30 am – 11:00,1:30 pm – 4:00 pm, daily.
Admission: Nearly 2 USD (40,000 VND per person)
Next, Reunification Palace is also formerly called as Independence Palace built on the site of the former Norodom Palace. Designed by architect Ngo Viet Thu, it was the home and workplace of the President of South Vietnam during the Vietnam War. What’s more, War Remnant Museum has appealed thousands of visitors to visit because of an interesting collection of historical artifacts such as Mercedes Benz 200 W110, Jeep M152A2, and dozens of ancient Chinese pottery pots during the Ming-Qing period, and so on.
Address: 1 Cong Xa Paris, Ben Nghe Ward, District 1, Ho Chi Minh
Meanwhile, having existed since the years of resistance against France, Saigon Notre Dame Cathedral witnesses the changes and developments of Ho Chi Minh City in general and Vietnam in particular. Generally, this magnificent building located in the heart of the city and was established by French colonists. Designed by architect J.Bourard, this cathedral was constructed with a Roman architectural style mixed with a Gothic architectural style between 1863 and 1880.
Address: 2 Cong Xa Paris, Ben Nghe Ward, District 1, Ho Chi Minh (Intersection of Dong Khoi Street and Notre Dame Cathedral)
Open hours: 7:30 am – 7:00 pm
You should go to the Saigon Central Post Office for your Ho Chi Minh, the largest post office in Vietnam constructed when Vietnam was part of French Indochina in the early 20th century. Surprisingly, it is one of the most beautiful examples of Renaissance architecture in Vietnam. To be more precise, it has a neoclassical architectural style designed by the famous architect Gustave Eiffel in harmony with the surrounding area.
Address: 97A Pho Duc Chinh Street, District 1, Ho Chi Minh City
Open hours: 9:00 am – 5:00 pm from Tuesday to Sunday
Admission: Nearly 0.45 USD (10,000 VND per person)
Experiencing the ups and downs of time, Saigon’s Fine Arts Museum still remains the important collection of Vietnamese art inside three splendid colonial-era mansions. Coming to the Museum of Fine Arts, you will be impressed by the harmonious mix between French and Chinese architectural styles. These three grand buildings are constructed by one of the famous Chinese families – Hui Bon Hoa family. Its collection includes contemporary, lacquerware, sculpture and painting.
After a long day, let’s relax with the unique artistic type of Vietnam – Water Puppet, which draws the attention of most visitors in Ho Chi Minh city. If you travel with your family, Golden Dragon Water Puppet Theatre is the perfect option for your family and children, which is one of the renowned traditional entertainment. Existing more than 1000 years, water puppetry provides you a new performance about the folklore of Vietnamese rural villages in general, especially Red River Delta areas. Combine with traditional instruments such as bamboo flutes, two-stringed violins, nowhere also other than Vietnam you can see this unique musical performance like this. This charming musical performance lasts 50 minutes depicting many different interesting stories, which provides you a new presence about the country’s culture.
Day 2: Contemplate in the sacred atmosphere in Vietnamese pagoda system
As a country of Buddhism, Ho Chi Minh city owns its vast pagoda system. Let’s take your one full day to discover this exclusively religious identity of locals.
- Ngoc Hoang Pagoda (Jade Emperor)
Address: 73 Mai Thi Luu Street, District 1, Ho Chi Minh city.
Opening hours: 8:00 am – 4:30 pm from Monday to Sunday
One favorite destination of visitors you can consider is Ngoc Hoang Pagoda (Jade Emperor). In 1892, Jade Emperor Pagoda is built for the purpose of praying for luck in Liu Ming’s family and business. Until 1984, under the control of Vietnamese Buddhist Sangha, it is opened as one of the attractive tourism sites and become the worshipping space of locals. You should try to visit once to admire more than 300 ancient statuses, especially 100 made from cardboard.
Address: 710 Nguyen Trai Street, District 5, Ho Chi Minh city.
Opening hours: 8:00 am – 4:30 pm from Monday to Sunday
Besides, you come to see one of the most ancient temples – Thien Hau Temple. You will be round-eyed with amazement by its traditional curvy roof with many porcelain figures and many artworks. All of these details are recognized as the symbolic Chinese religion. Existing more than 400 years, locals often go to Thien Hau Temple to pray for prosperity and health for their family and children, especially the ones who travel on the sea.
Address: 118 Lac Long Quan Street, Binh Thanh District, District 3, Ho Chi Minh city
Opening hours: 5:00 am – 20:00 pm
Located in Binh Thanh District, Giac Lam Pagoda is protected by the guardians – legendary dragon statues in front. This pagoda includes three main parts: the ceremonial hall, the chanting hall and the refectory. Along with its sprawling establishment of beautiful statues, it surprises you with all the wooden pillars carving Chinese characters. Additionally, you have a chance to watch the white statue of the Goddess of Mercy, 32-meter tall stupa, and so on.
Saigon Zoo and Botanical Garden
Address: 2 Nguyen Binh Khiem Street, Ben Nghe Ward, District 1, Ho Chi Minh city
Opening hours: 7:00 am – 6:30 pm, except for Sunday (5:00 am – 12 pm)
Until now, Saigon Zoo and Botanical Garden is still the remarkable entertainment site in Ho Chi Minh city. If you are a nature lover, this place is perfect with a great variety of wild animals as well as a huge array of flora and fauna. Surprisingly, it has more than 1,830 trees in the botanical gardens dating back over 1000 years. You do not forget to take photos of rare wild animals like lion, tiger, hippo, and so on.
Saigon Public Walking Street
At the end of the day, you should immerse yourself in the bustling pace of living in Walking Street. It is one of the most eventful memories in your Ho Chi Minh Itinerary 5 days. The two most common walking streets in Ho Chi Minh city are Bui Vien street and Nguyen Hue street. At the weekend, Walking Street becomes more bustling than ever by the unique and attractive entertainment activities. Take a seat on one side of a stall, drink one cup of coffee or eat Vietnamese street food, you can have a look at the daily life of locals.
Additionally, you can walk along Walking Street and:
- Watch art performances from the sidewalk to the streets
Join in folk games with locals such as “nhảy dây” (rope skipping), “ô ăn quan” (mandarin square capturing), and so on.
Enjoy the music repertoire coming from the domestic and international music stages.
From Nguyen Hue street, you can easily reach the Saigon Opera House and Dong Khoi shopping street only 100 meters away. Besides this, Notre Dame Cathedral and the Reunification Palace are only a five-minute walk.
Day 3: Have 360-degree views across the city in Bitexco Tower
After that, you will move to another fun adventure in Can Gio Crocodiles & Monkey Island. It is one part of the grand Can Gio Mangrove Biosphere Reserve, which is recognized by UNESCO since 2000. Only nearly 2 hours away from Ben Thanh Market, you will be eager to watch a broad spectrum of funny monkeys living here. Additionally, you also explore the former Rung Sac Guerrilla base, Vam Sat Salt-Marsh Forest Ecological Tourist Center, and so on.
Taking a motorboat ride through the waterways to Rung Sac base (10.87 USD ~ 250,000VND) is one of the remarkable experiences in your Ho Chi Minh itinerary. After the reconstruction, locals add many dummies portray Viet Cong cadres fighting with crocodiles but now they are confined to a crocodile farm. Along with wildlife exhibitions, there is a wide range of displays that relate to the Vietnamese war. At the end of your trip, you have a chance to feed crocodiles only with 20,000 VND (about $0.86 USD) in the preservation area.
Are you wondering what to do in Saigon nightlife? You can chill out your interesting Saigon night with 2 different choices below:
Bitexco Finacial Tower & Sky Deck
Return to Ho Chi Minh city, you should indulge yourself in some light entertainment activities. Getting the dramatic 360-degree views from Bitexco Tower will an unforgettable memory for you. Bitexco Financial Tower & Sky Deck is designed by the famous American Architect Carlos Zapata ranked as one of the top 20 iconic skyscrapers all over the world by CNNGo. From the 50th and 51st floor, you have a panoramic view across the bustling city and the Saigon River.
You can take advantage of one binocular to get a more vivid look, especially at night when the city is glittered by the lights from skyscrapers. After that, you enjoy a romantic dinner or watch specific Vietnamese textiles, locally premium tea in the exhibitions here. Saigon Food Tour with Scooter
There’s no better way to immerse in Ho Chi Minh Itinerary than riding a motorbike. Savor city signatures from banh mi sandwiches, Vietnamese coffee to abnormal cuisines such as sweet soup and barbecued scallops is extremely interesting. Surprisingly, do you know that one of the most attractive things in Vietnam is a great variety of delicious food? To begin with, seating one street-side stall, getting a Vietnamese baguette sandwich, and drinking a cup of Vietnamese iced coffee are the essential Vietnamese experiences you cannot miss. Additionally, there are a great variety of well-known cuisines in Saigon you can try such as Saigon Broken Rice, Nam Vang Rice Noodle, Saigon Spring Rolls, Saigon Mixed Rice Paper, and so on.
Day 4: Expand your trips from Ho Chi Minh city with Cu Chi Tunnels
Just far from Ho Chi Minh city 60 kilometers, let’s come to other destinations during your Ho Chi Minh Itinerary for 5 days. Let’s spend your half-day tour to visit one of the must-see destinations is Cu Chi Tunnel. It is constructed by Vietnamese resistance fighters during the long struggle for independence. What’s more, it was an underground city of over 10,000 people who virtually lived underground for years with living areas, kitchens, storage, weapons factories, field hospitals, command centers. Until now, it remains one of the most impressive examples of how fierce the war used to be.
Day 5: Experience in the rustic village – Binh Quoi Village
In the middle of noisy Ho Chi Minh city, the peaceful Binh Quoi Village takes you new surprises. Greeny and spacious nature, pure lotus ponds, thatched cottages, monkey bridge, and bamboo waterwheels. All of them are the typical characteristics of Mekong Delta areas.
Binh Quoi Village has three major areas: Binh Quoi 1,2,3. Specifically, Binh Quoi 1 is suitable for everyone with a broad spectrum of activities available. If you are sports enthusiasts, let’s come to Binh Quoi 2 to go swimming or playing tennis. What’s impresses you in Binh Quoi 3 is the rustic and idyllic atmosphere to chill out. It is well worth a try to both enjoy distinct Southern cuisine in the rural market settings and listen to live music or cultural performances. You can join some outdoor activities such as go fishing, play folk games.
Generally speaking, a 5-day itinerary cannot help you cover your deep insights into Vietnam. What’s more, if you have a chance to stay in Vietnam longer, we recommend you extend your trips from Ho Chi Minh city.
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