How to spend a weekend in Ho Chi Minh City

Planning your trip

The best time to visit is during the dry season from November to April. December and February are ideal months because temperatures stay around 28°C and humidity is low. You should plan for a daily budget between $60 and $120. If you stay in District 1, your options include the Hong Hoa Hotel at $12 per night, La Maison d'Indochine at $45 per night, or the upscale Hotel des Arts Saigon at $180 per night.

Friday evening

Start your trip at Ben Thanh Market, where the surrounding streets transform into an open air food court starting at 6pm. You can find bánh mì here packed with succulent pork and pickled vegetables [S3, S5]. For drinks, you can visit Bùi Viện Walking Street for a chaotic atmosphere or head to Chill Sky Bar on the 26th floor of AB Tower on Lý Tự Trọng Street. If you choose the bar, note that it requires a smart casual dress code.

Saturday itinerary

Visit the Notre Dame Cathedral in the early morning for free entry [S3, S5]. Right across the street is the Saigon Central Post Office, which was designed by Gustave Eiffel and features tiled floors and old timey phone booths [S3, S5]. This site is also free to enter.

Next, head to the War Remnants Museum on Võ Văn Tần Street in District 3. It opens at 7:30am, costs $2 for entry, and usually takes 2 to 2.5 hours to tour. The museum includes three floors of photographs and military hardware in the courtyard, with exhibits regarding the American War.

Visit the Reunification Palace, a relic of wartime history that costs $5 for entry [S3, S5]. You can see its rooftop helipad and an underground Cold War era war room. Afterward, you can drink cà phê sữa đá at cafes near the palace or get a cold coffee at L'Usine.

Spend your afternoon walking along Đồng Khởi street, the main shopping thoroughfare characterized by French colonial facades [S3, S5]. You can also explore Nguyễn Huệ, one of the few pedestrian streets in the city. While there, visit Apartment 42, a former residential block that now houses boutiques, cafes, and shops.

For dinner, try elevated Vietnamese cuisine and original cocktails at Anan Saigon in a District 1 wet market, or choose family style dining at Cục Gạch Quán in a beautiful old house. You can finish your night with a one hour contemporary circus and cultural show by Lune Production at the Saigon Opera House.

Sunday itinerary

Start your morning at Tao Đàn Park in District 3, where you can see people playing hacky sack and exercising under trees near a small Buddhist temple. Continue to Tân Định Market on Hai Ba Trung in District 3. Afterward, visit the atmospheric Thiên Hậu Pagoda in District 5.

For lunch, try Phở Lệ on Võ Văn Tần Street or find hủ tiếu from street stalls for $1.50. You can also look for sidewalk options like cơm tấm (broken rice) or bún thịt nướng (grilled pork noodle bowls).

In the afternoon, visit the Fine Arts Museum, which is located in a graceful old mansion. If you want something different, the FITO Museum features traditional medicine exhibits.

End your weekend with a shellfish dinner at Ốc Oanh (534 Vĩnh Khánh) in District 4. You can order a spread of crab, scallops, molluscs, and freshwater snails cooked in butter, garlic, lemongrass, and chilli.

Sources

[S1] https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Weeknd, https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Weeknd [S2] https://www.weekend.com/, https://www.weekend.com/ [S3] https://vietnam.travel/things-to-do/ho-chi-minh-city-itinerary, https://vietnam.travel/things-to-do/ho-chi-minh-city-itinerary [S4] https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC0WP5P-ufpRfjbNrmOWwLBQ, https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC0WP5P-ufpRfjbNrmOWwLBQ [S5] https://thingstodoinhochiminhcity.com/itineraries/weekend/, https://thingstodoinhochiminhcity.com/itineraries/weekend/