Two days is enough for one real day trip from Ho Chi Minh City, and the Cu Chi Tunnels paired with Tay Ninh’s noon Cao Dai ceremony is the most efficient single day on offer. Day 1 is arrival and settling into District 1; Day 2 is the long day trip. Longer versions of this plan extend the same spine rather than replace it. Book these before you go: A District 1 hostel or hotel, check rates on Agoda , which carries deeper Southeast Asia inventory than Western sites A combined Cu Chi Tunnels and Cao Dai Temple tour for Day 2, book at least a day ahead Or a Cu Chi Tunnels attractions page on Viator if you would rather compare operators directly Day Focus Travel time Est.

Three days from Ho Chi Minh City covers two of the four real day trips: the Cu Chi and Tay Ninh combo, plus a full Mekong Delta day at My Tho and Ben Tre. This extends the 2-day plan with a third day rather than replacing it, the same spine longer versions of this plan keep building on. Book these before you go: A District 1 hostel or hotel, check rates on Agoda A combined Cu Chi Tunnels and Cao Dai Temple tour for Day 2 A My Tho and Ben Tre Mekong Delta day trip for Day 3, or compare options on Viator Day Focus Travel time Est.

Five days from Ho Chi Minh City covers three of the four real day trips plus a slow day back in the city. This extends the 3-day plan with two more days rather than replacing it, the same spine the 6 and 7-day versions keep building on. Book these before you go: A District 1 hostel or hotel, check rates on Agoda A combined Cu Chi Tunnels and Cao Dai Temple tour for Day 2 A My Tho and Ben Tre Mekong Delta day trip for Day 3 Day Focus Travel time Est.

Six days from Ho Chi Minh City fits all four real day trips, including an overnight run out to Can Tho for the Cai Rang floating market. This extends the 5-day plan with a sixth day rather than replacing it; the 7-day plan finishes what this one starts. Book these before you go: A District 1 hostel or hotel, check rates on Agoda A combined Cu Chi Tunnels and Cao Dai Temple tour for Day 2 A My Tho and Ben Tre Mekong Delta day trip for Day 3 A Can Tho and Cai Rang 2-day overnight tour for Days 6-7, book a few days ahead Day Focus Travel time Est.

Seven days from Ho Chi Minh City fits all four real day trips plus the dawn payoff at Cai Rang. This extends the 6-day plan with the actual market morning rather than replacing it, the same spine every shorter version of this plan builds toward. Book these before you go: A District 1 hostel or hotel, check rates on Agoda A combined Cu Chi Tunnels and Cao Dai Temple tour for Day 2 A My Tho and Ben Tre Mekong Delta day trip for Day 3 A Can Tho and Cai Rang 2-day overnight tour for Days 6-7, book a few days ahead Or browse the Cai Rang Floating Market page on GetYourGuide for shorter dawn-boat add-ons Day Focus Travel time Est.

Four Real Day Trips From Ho Chi Minh City, Priced Base yourself in District 1 and four genuine day trips sit within reach: the Cu Chi Tunnels from 90,000 VND entry, the Mekong Delta’s canals at My Tho and Ben Tre, the beach at Vung Tau, and the Cao Dai Great Temple at Tay Ninh with its noon ceremony. None require a tour to reach cheaply, though a group tour usually beats the DIY bus on time, not always on price.

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.

Two days is enough for Ho Chi Minh City’s essentials on a real budget: the War Remnants Museum, the Reunification Palace and a proper street-food crawl, without the paid viewpoints or a day trip eating your time. Longer versions of this plan, 3 days through 7 days , extend the same route rather than starting over. Book these before you go: A District 1 hostel or hotel, check rates on Booking.

Three days covers Ho Chi Minh City’s core plus Cholon and one paid viewpoint, on a real budget. This extends the 2-day plan with a full day in District 5 rather than replacing it, the same spine longer versions of this itinerary keep building on. Book these before you go: A District 1 hostel or hotel, check rates on Booking.com , ahead of Tet or a dry-season weekend A street-food tour for evening two, roughly US$29-33 for 8-10 tastings A Landmark 81 SkyView or Bitexco Skydeck ticket if you are doing one of the two on Day 3, book online to skip the line Day Focus Est.

Four days lets the budget breathe. This extends the 3-day plan with a deliberately cheap fourth day rather than another paid sight, the one day in this itinerary designed to cost almost nothing. Book these before you go: A District 1 hostel or hotel, check rates on Booking.com , ahead of Tet or a dry-season weekend A street-food tour for evening two, roughly US$29-33 for 8-10 tastings A Landmark 81 SkyView or Bitexco Skydeck ticket if you are doing one of the two on Day 3 Day Focus Est.

Five days lets you add real museum time without derailing the budget. This extends the 4-day plan with a fifth day of District 3 and a modest-entry museum, the same route, one more layer. Book these before you go: A District 1 hostel or hotel, check rates on Booking.com , ahead of Tet or a dry-season weekend A street-food tour for evening two, roughly US$29-33 for 8-10 tastings A Landmark 81 SkyView or Bitexco Skydeck ticket if you are doing one of the two on Day 3 Day Focus Est.

Six days is enough to properly cover both sides of the river without adding a day trip. This extends the 5-day plan with a sixth day across in Thu Duc, and flags where the Cu Chi Tunnels would slot in if you have a seventh day free. Book these before you go: A District 1 hostel or hotel, check rates on Booking.com , ahead of Tet or a dry-season weekend A street-food tour for evening two, roughly US$29-33 for 8-10 tastings A Landmark 81 SkyView or Bitexco Skydeck ticket if you are doing one of the two on Day 3 A Cu Chi Tunnels tour if you are extending beyond this itinerary rather than resting on Day 6 Day Focus Est.

A full week covers Ho Chi Minh City properly on a real budget, both sides of the river, every core sight, and a slow departure day instead of a rushed one. This extends the 6-day plan with a genuine wind-down day rather than another paid attraction. Book these before you go: A District 1 hostel or hotel, check rates on Booking.com , ahead of Tet or a dry-season weekend A street-food tour for evening two, roughly US$29-33 for 8-10 tastings A Landmark 81 SkyView or Bitexco Skydeck ticket if you are doing one of the two on Day 3 A Cu Chi Tunnels tour if you are extending this week with the day-trip family rather than resting Day Focus Est.

Ho Chi Minh City Is Cheap. Here Is What That Buys You Ho Chi Minh City is one of the least expensive big cities left in Southeast Asia to visit properly, not just survive on rice and instant noodles. A full day of real food, a paid museum ticket and a couple of Grab rides across District 1 runs roughly 400,000-600,000 VND, about US$15-23. Skip the paid viewpoints and eat where locals eat, and that number drops further.