Today begins at 8:00 am when you meet your local, accredited, English-speaking guide and set off on a day tour of Ho Chi Minh City. Begin at a buzzing local market for the start of this insightful walking tour, and browse the stalls, watching the vendors peddle their wares and shoppers bargain for the freshest goods.
Walk onwards, stepping into the narrow yet safe alleys off the tourist trail. See family-run businesses lining the street, and learn how the city’s residents live – using their ground floors as shops or food stalls and residing upstairs. See vendors cooking fresh morning treats and locals queuing up to buy their breakfast.
Continue through neighbourhood alleys into a small temple honouring Vietnam’s five ‘mother goddesses’ and hear more about this unique belief.
Following this insight into the city’s spiritual side, wander onto wide streets lined with charming French-era villas and towering mahogany trees. Then step back onto the main boulevards to soak up the city’s contrasts of old and new before returning to the hotel.
This afternoon, depart from your hotel at 1:30 pm and with your guide, hop aboard a jeep then drive to a shophouse restaurant that played a significant role during Vietnam’s ‘American war’ years.
Once visited, drive past a shrine outside of the US Consulate before heading to the Central Post Office for a view of the former CIA building, where one of the last helicopter evacuations took place in 1975. Discover more about the story behind the iconic “Fall of Saigon” photo taken that day by Hubert Van Ess.
Continue to perhaps the city’s most famous landmark – the Reunification Palace. It was here another iconic photo was taken, tanks crashing through the gates of what was an important government building, signalling the end of the war. Now preserved as a museum and tourist attraction, the ‘war rooms’ in the basement plus the opulent lifestyle on display of former leaders are fascinating.
Continue past the memorial of Thich Quang Duc, a monk who immortalised himself in protest against the persecution of Buddhists in Vietnam. End the tour at a former ‘revolutionary’ hideout, once the secret base operations of the Viet Cong now a museum with hidden tunnels.
Visit the hideout, then sit for a refreshing drink whilst your guide explains the incredible story of this important house, including the failed attack on The Independence Palace during the Tet Offensive in 1968. Optional, try a local rice dish that Korean soldiers put their culinary twist on, by adding kimchi. The jeep will then return you to your hotel to enjoy the evening at leisure.
Included Activities
Guided day tour of Ho Chi Minh City.
Transport
Easy grade walking tour
Open air jeep