Ho Chi Minh Travel Guide

Overview

Ho Chi Minh is the city of celebrations and one of the top tourist destinations in Vietnam. If you are planning to visit Vietnam, then you should make yourself aware of what to expect from the city before embarking. Vietnam is a small country that is so diverse in cultural activities, a fusion of modern and old that can captivate your holiday plans. To make your tour a pleasant experience, take your Ho Chi Minh Travel Guide from Holiday To Indochina, one of the experienced travel professionals in Vietnam.

Vietnam is sharing its border with China in the north, Cambodia on the southwest, and Laos on the northwest edge. Visiting Ho Chi Minh is an absolute “must do” on your wish list when you plan a tour to Vietnam.  After the war, Saigon christened as Ho Chi Minh City, as a token of respect to famous freedom fighter and founder father of Vietnam, Ho Chi Minh.  

Ho Chi Minh City is the Pearl of the Far East. That is because it was a hub of trade with Hong Kong and Bangkok. It has none of those old sights in store for you to see. Today, you will find the city transformed to a modern, trendy city meeting all expectations of a tourist. You can find a large degree of Chinese and American influence in the city culture. It is not surprising that Ho Chi Minh has been able to draw visitors from all over the world.

How can you reach Ho Chi Minh City?

There are many modes of transports available in Vietnam to take you to Ho Chi Minh City. Holiday To Indochina can take care of your travel arrangement, starting from visa processing to onward ticket arrangements and accommodations.

Passport holders of Britain, Italy, and Germany, France, Belarus, Spain, and India does not require a visa to enter Vietnam. Instead, the tourists from these countries can get a visa on arrival at any of the international airports in Vietnam.  Beyond the stipulated period, the visa needs Immigration Department’s approval.  Depending on your Vietnam travel packages, you can apply for the visa extension, and you can have the visa service on the same day.

Ho Chi Minh City has an international airport, namely Tan Son Nhat International Airport, which is the largest airport in Vietnam and handles about 22 million passengers annually. Alternatively, you can reach the city by steamer.  There are many low-cost airlines, which are operating on a daily basis to Ho Chi Minh City. Similarly, you can also make use of the sea travel if you want some maritime fun.  Consult with Holiday to Indochina to get the best fair deals and tour packages.

Best time to visit

The best time to visit Vietnam would be during the months of April to November as the climate would be pleasant and warm for your Ho Chi Minh tour packages. However, if you want to experience the cold season, the best season will be November to April.  During this season, the weather will be dry cold. The weather usually in this country is pleasant throughout the year. However, Vietnam also experiences excess rainfalls in few months.

Things to do when you are in Ho Chi Minh

When you are on tours in Ho Chi Minh, there are many sightseeing places and sights which are worth to visit and very much enjoyable. Whether you are on honeymoon or family trips, these areas are perfect to suit the needs of any family. You can visit markets, tunnels, cultural tour, museums, palaces, and others to see and admire.

• Floating Markets in Mekong Delta
The Mekong Delta is sprawling over more than 35, 0000 square kilometers. It is the epicenter of vibrant biodiversity activities, contains more than 10,000 biological species. The floating markets are a unique sight. It is a sight to admire and understand as vendors comes rowing towards you in boats and small catamarans. You can just find anything you are looking for whether it is flowers, food, items, and other products.

• Ho Chi Minh Cultural City Tour
When you are new to Ho Chi Minh, you will want to know that the city is home to a vast population of mixed immigrant inhabitants. The culture and food habits can be understood only when you take a proper tour of the city. That should include visiting the Thien Hau Pagoda, Chinese Markets, etc.  Tourists can participate in making lantern making.

• Reunification Palace
The Reunification Palace is one of the most renowned locations in Ho Chi Minh City. It is famous for the end of the war dating back to 1975. The palace has built as per the 1960’s architectural design. Some visitors might not find it appealing. It houses the tank 843 and F5E fighter plane, which had been in use during the Vietnam War.

• Jade Emperor Pagoda
The Jade Emperor Pagoda is a famous temple, built in 1909 for honoring the highest Taoist God. He was also known as the Jade Emperor or King of Heaven. The luxurious design gives a classic look for the temple.  

• Ben Thanh Market
The Ben Thanh market is a shopping paradise to collect travel souvenirs. Besides, you can purchase products like clothing, hardware, food, jewelry, and others. The prices are just fine.

• History Museum
The History museum houses several artifacts showering a glimpse to the evolution of Vietnamese culture. They are dating back from the Bronze Age Dong Son civilization in 2000 BC. The Funan civilization in the 6th century AD and a preserved mummy of a woman who died in the year 1869, few Buddha statues, and valuable relics part of the Angkor Wat in Cambodia.

• Cu Chi Tunnels
The Cu Chi tunnels are in Ho Chi Minh City, which is part of Cu Chi district. The beauties about these tunnels are that they are a vast network of tunnels, which are interconnecting and used extensively for combat actions during the Vietnam War.  These tunnels played a decisive role in winning the war as they helped to move men and ammunitions.  It had living quarters for the fighters.  

Selecting your tour packages:

As a visitor, Vietnam tour packages such as Ho Chi Minh private tours will be a good option, because it can tailor to meet your expectations. Tourist can discuss the preferences with the tour operator in advance and fix the plans. A professional tour operator knows how to plan your tour, uses good local bilingual guides to support your trip, provides you with reasonably priced hotels, offers very comfortable vehicles, and safe online payment methods.

Holiday to Indochina offers chauffeur driven private air-conditioned vehicle, English, French, Spanish, Russian or Italian Speaking tour guides. Further, the tour operator will do hotel accommodation in twin/double sharing/triple room, extra bed, interconnecting room, meals, bottled mineral water during touring days, and entrance fees for the tourist sites, train tickets, boat trips and other activities as stated in the package.

Some of the packages offered by Holiday To Indochina are as follows:

• Best Tour of The South - 8 days:
It is an 8-day, and 7-night package tour starting from Ho Chi Minh City, followed visiting Cu Chi Tunnels, Mekong Delta, and Phu Quoc Island. The focus of the tour package is on southwest region, which is rich with the natural beauty, mesmerizing paddy fields and plantations. The final knock will be the wonder island Phu Quoc, which is a popular international travel destination with pristine beaches.

• Highlights of The South - 6 days:
The 6 days trip covers the Ho Chi Minh City, Mekong Delta, Cu Chi Tunnels and Mui Ne.  The main attraction of the tour is, it includes most important tourist centers. It is one of the perfect tour packages where you will have the opportunity to participate kite surfing, windsurfing, and many exciting beach activities.

• Ho Chi Minh City Tour - Half Day:
It is a miniature package. However, tourists will have the opportunity to visit all the famous locations as that of a full day program with limited exposure at each location.  It is ideal for travelers who do not have enough time to spare.

• Ho Chi Minh City Tour - Full Day:
It is not enough to cover the magnificent city in a day. However, you will have a tight schedule visiting all-important locations, starting from the historic city center, which was the former Rue Catinat, riding through Dong Khoi Street, Old Opera House, City Hall, the Notre Dame Cathedral, Reunification Palace, the Central Post Office, War Remnants Museum and much more.

• Cu Chi Tunnels and City Tour - Full Day
The whole day tunnel tour offers a details visit to Cu Chi Tunnels and visiting Ho Chi Minh City.  The Cu Chi Tunnels had a stellar role in the liberation war, in facilitating the supply of men and ammunition for the Viet Cong guerillas.  The location of the tunnel is 70 KM northwest away from the city.

• Cu Chi Tunnels Tour - Half Day
It is a mini package designed without losing the historical importance of the tour. The tunnel has a length of 200 KM with accommodation, meeting rooms and accommodation for the guerillas.

• Cao Dai Temple & Cu Chi Tunnels - Full Day:
The package starts from Ho Chi Minh City, followed by visiting, Cao Dai Temple, Cu Chi Tunnels and back. Tourists who are interested in visiting religious places, temples with historical importance, it is worth visiting.

• Cat Tien National Park - 2 days:
The tour package designed for 2 days and straight away takes you to explore Cat Tien National Park located 160km away from Ho Chi Minh City.  You will get the rare chance meet exciting wildlife in the park. The park is sprawling over 278 Sq KM. 

• Bonsai River Cruise with Dinner - 3 hours:
It is a specially designed package for tourists who want to have a river cruise, with dinner on board and enjoy the nightlife.

• Ho Chi Minh & Mekong Delta Tour - 4 days:
The package consisting of 4 days and 3 nights tour plan, starting from Ho Chi Minh City and visiting Cu Chi Tunnels, Mekong Delta and back. The main attraction of the package is visiting the History Museum, the Notre Dame Cathedral, the former Presidential Palace, Opera House, Old Saigon Post Office, etc.

• Ho Chi Minh & Mekong Delta Tour - 3 days:
This tour package is a shortened version of 4 days travel package, trimmed to meet those tourists who do not have enough time to spend.

Few travel tips to know:

When on a Ho Chi Minh family tour you need to know some travel tips, which will come in handy. In Vietnam, the people consider their culture and religion very sacred. That is why they tend to get a little offended when foreigners do not respect their culture. However, you will want to know that the people of Ho Chi Minh are extremely friendly and helpful.

When you are on sightseeing and would like to wish or say hello, then make sure that you do not touch them. In Vietnam, touching somebody’s head is a bad manner. It is best that you do not touch anybody. Just a hello or Namaste is fine. Vietnamese people are particular about the way they dress.

They do not appreciate visitors in a too much-exposed dress. Being fully clothed is appropriate. Probably you can dress in shorts or T-shirts on the beaches. Otherwise when on sight-seeing in temples or the market place, full clothing is advisable. When you are visiting temples and sacred places, you will want to make sure that you remove your footwear.

Similarly, when entering somebody’s house, do not forget to remove your footwear. Vietnamese people are soft and polite. They expect the same from you unless you are calling somebody or talking to someone with hearing problems. Otherwise, you should talk politely when outside and not raise your voice.
The same is applicable when inside temples; you should not touch sacred items. There are some prohibited areas, and you should not try to enter there without permission. As a responsible visitor, you need to make sure that you do not take drugs with you and misbehave in public. As a precaution, remember carry water bottles while you are traveling in Vietnam.

Mosquito repellent, medications, and sleeping bag are necessary when trekking in remote forest areas. A flashlight will be very useful when you are exploring temples because the lighting is poor.

Conclusion

Hope you found this Ho Chi Minh travel guide helpful. It is important that you choose a good tour operator who can take care of all your travel requirements. The tour operator can provide you with packages with reasonable price and see that your family has a great time when visiting Vietnam.

Log in to the website of Holiday To Indochina to know more the fascinating country and exciting tour offers. Make sure that you have satisfied with information before booking any of the Vietnam tour packages. It could be about the cost of the travel packages, the ideal package for your family, the accommodation, and food, the travel arrangements, and sight-seeing tours depending on your requirements.