Ho Chi Minh City Attractions / Tour

[slgcruise]

Hi

 

My wife and I will be visiting Ho Chi Minh City for the first time in Feb, via Phu My Port

 

What attractions would previous visitors recommend are a must see ?

 

Also, if we choose to do our own thing, can you get taxi's to and from the port ?

 

Thank You

[Bpos]

6 hours ago, slgcruise said:

Hi

 

My wife and I will be visiting Ho Chi Minh City for the first time in Feb, via Phu My Port

 

What attractions would previous visitors recommend are a must see ?

 

Also, if we choose to do our own thing, can you get taxi's to and from the port ?

 

Thank You

 

All you need to do is scroll down the topics on this forum and you will find plenty of threads that will assist you to research your trip and provide the answers you seek

[Milhouse]

We've been to HCMC twice on land trips and we're in early planning for another trip in 2021.  YMMV but for me, I don't know if there's anything considered a must see.  Here are some ideas from our trips though:

We're not really interested in the war related sites.  For us, we have a list of food/dishes and places we want to try them at and tracking these places down is one of our key activities.  Architecturally, we liked dropping by the Opera House, Notre Dame Cathedral, and the central Post Office.  We like visiting the markets.  Ben Thanh Market is the central touristy one in district 1 with a night market around it at night.   Binh Tay Market has a more local flavour but is located in district 5.  

I'm not sure if you'll have time to do any evening activities but we really enjoy visiting walking street along Bui Vien, visiting Turtle Lake, checking out the views from a rooftop bar, etc.

Beyond the city, they are a number of easy daytrips (eg to the Mekong Delta, etc).

 

[unrealHeather]

When was in HCMC we used Ethnic Travel Vietnam as our tour company.  http://ethnictravel.com.vn/

A few things I would recommend
1) Trip Advisor is usually spot on with recommendations.  https://www.tripadvisor.com.sg/Attractions-g293925-Activities-Ho_Chi_Minh_City.html
2) Chi Chu Tunnels 
3) War Remembrance Museum
4) Independence Palace
5) Central Post Office

6)Water Puppet Show
7) Shop for an oil painting in backpacker's district.  

If you can stay overnight in the Mekong delta there is a market at sunrise that is lovely to experience on the water.  I believe you need tickets for the Opera to go inside the house, but my kids were allowed inside not me because we didn't have tickets.  It's lovely in there.

[slgcruise]

Thank you all for your very helpful tips. 

[Expat Cruise]

Your port is over a hour and a half away from HCMC. You really should book a tour to see the city. You can self tour but the costs for transportation to and from  HCMC will be more than a good independent tour.  You will not find taxi, any phones, shops or anything at the port. It is a cargo terminal which is 8 KM away from the small town near it. 

 

You really need to set up transportation before getting to the port.  Many cruise lines offer a free shuttle to the local town.  You cannot even walk out of the port they provide a shuttle from the ship to the gate.  

 

We have done Phu My Port four times in the last two years. Highly recommend booking a tour through Pham Tours, it is only $60 per person, includes guide, and driver, lunch and the places you will want to see.  Dung Pham has always provided great tours for us.  Here is a link to his site  http://phamtours.com.  Our last trip in March our CC Roll Calol group had over 50 guests with his company everyone was happy.

[John Bull]

On 1/10/2020 at 9:20 AM, unrealHeather said:

A few things I would recommend
1) Trip Advisor is usually spot on with recommendations.  https://www.tripadvisor.com.sg/Attractions-g293925-Activities-Ho_Chi_Minh_City.html
2) Chi Chu Tunnels 
3) War Remembrance Museum
4) Independence Palace
5) Central Post Office

6)Water Puppet Show
7) Shop for an oil painting in backpacker's district.  

If you can stay overnight in the Mekong delta there is a market at sunrise that is lovely to experience on the water.  I believe you need tickets for the Opera to go inside the house, but my kids were allowed inside not me because we didn't have tickets.  It's lovely in there.

 

Good suggestions from Heather.

 

Central Post Office (the building is a sight in itself) houses a currency exchange with sensible rates. And Notre Dame (modelled on Paris) is right opposite.

War Remembrance museum is also known as War Remnants Museum.

Independence Palace? I wonder if Heather means Re-Unification Hall?

Add Ben Thanh market and Ho Chi Minh Museum.

It's walkable between all the above.

Ships' "HCMC on your own" transfers (charged, not the "free shuttle to the local town" mentioned by the ex-pat) will drop & pick up somewhere in that area (used to be - might still be - at Rex Hotel) You'll want to compare cost against a pre-booked private transfer but a taxi hailed at the port, if available, might well cost a lot more.

 

The Golden Dragon water puppet theatre is a short taxi ride from that area (liveried & metered taxis are cheap but check if the driver speaks English (or get its name/address written down in Vietnamese script) and check he accepts US dollars if you don't have the local shrapnel.

We went there on-spec. The only empty seats were in the front row - we thought we's lucked-in, but if you've ever been to Seaworld...... . But great fun

 

Cu Chi tunnels are about an hour up-river from  Saigon.(not the same direction as  Phu My port) so you'd have little time in Saigon itself if this is a one-day port-of-call. Lots of operators offering cheap van (minibus) transfers there from Saigon but some years ago we got together a group of eight and booked a speedboat. It cost no more per head than the van transfers. A truly brilliant day, but was very very difficult to arrange over the internet due to language difficulties etc.  Vietnam is now much more switched-on to tourism, and I think that's now available to buy as seat-in-boat. Dig around the web, - if it's available and at sensible cost, go for it.

 

If this is a two-day stop, fix up a hotel in Saigon. Avoids doubling the journey from Phu My, and gives you an evening in the city.  

 

And take an intensive six-month instruction course on how to cross the road in Saigon 

Or simply follow the basic principles.....

- try to cross with a load of other people

- be at the down-stream end of the group.

- keep watching the traffic but don't make eye-contact with the moped riders

- walk across at a fairly slow but even pace 

- do not deviate to avoid the mopeds - you have to trust them to deviate

- this advice doesn't work with taxis. Trust me, I know 

 

Here's a video from one of the survivors  

 

 

 JB 

 

Edited January 16, 2020 by John Bull

[deec]

It s very unnerving....best to find a group of locals and follow them closely across

my husband got  gently "bumped" by a scooter crossing from a busy market but it was his fault he hesitated!  He was fine thankfully!  Amazing seeing a family of 4 on one scooter!