Ho Chi Minh City on a Budget: Prices and Free Days
What Ho Chi Minh City’s Sights Actually Cost
Four of the nine sights ranked below cost nothing to enter. The rest sit between 40,000 VND for the city’s most important museum and 500,000 VND for its tallest viewpoint. Nothing here requires a tour operator, and the free options are not the consolation prize, Cholon and the Jade Emperor Pagoda hold up against anything with a ticket booth.
| Rank | Sight | District | Why go | Cost + time |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Jade Emperor Pagoda | District 1 | The most atmospheric temple in the city, and it costs nothing | Free (donations) - 30-45 min |
| 2 | Notre-Dame Cathedral + Central Post Office | District 1 | Two French-colonial landmarks side by side, though Notre-Dame’s interior stays closed | Free - 30 min |
| 3 | Ben Thanh Market (day + night) | District 1 | Orientation by day, the cheapest street food after 6pm | Free to browse - 30-60 min |
| 4 | Cholon: Binh Tay Market + Thien Hau Temple | District 5 | Vietnam’s largest Chinatown, priced for locals not tourists | Free - 1-2h |
| 5 | War Remnants Museum | District 3 | The one paid sight that fully earns its ticket price | 40,000 VND - 2-3h |
| 6 | Reunification Palace | District 1 | The 1975 surrender site, preserved like a time capsule | ~40,000 VND (65,000 combo) - 1-1.5h |
| 7 | Metro Line 1 to Thu Duc | District 1 to Thu Duc | The cheapest sightseeing ride in the city, though it skips most core sights | 6,000-20,000 VND - 30-45 min one-way |
| 8 | Bitexco Skydeck | District 1 | A cheaper city view than Landmark 81, once the country’s tallest tower | ~240,000 VND - 45-60 min |
| 9 | Landmark 81 SkyView | Thu Duc / Binh Thanh | Vietnam’s tallest building since 2018, the pricier of the two decks | 300,000-500,000 VND - 45-60 min |
Is Ben Thanh Market worth visiting if I am not buying anything?
Yes, for about 30 minutes. The building itself, 1,400-plus stalls under one roof since 1914, is worth the orientation walk even if the goods inside are priced for tourists rather than locals. The real value shows up after 6pm, when the streets ringing the market turn into a night market with cheaper food than the daytime stalls, running until roughly 10pm.
Which viewpoint is worth the money, Landmark 81 or Bitexco?
Neither is essential, but if picking one, Landmark 81 wins on pure stats: taller, newer, opened 2018, and it actually is the country’s tallest building, unlike Bitexco, which held that title until Landmark 81 overtook it. Bitexco’s real edge is its rooftop bar; a drink there with the view beats a ticket-only deck at a similar price. See current SkyView options .
The War Remnants Museum sits closest to District 1’s budget hotel strip; check District 1 hotel availability on Booking.com if you are basing a sightseeing day around this list. Official visitor details for the two paid history sites are on the museum’s own site and the Reunification Palace’s visitor page .
For a day-by-day plan built around this ranking, see our 3-day or 5-day budget itineraries, or the full guide for transport and visa costs. Skip both viewpoints entirely and you can see everything else on this list for well under 300,000 VND in a single day.