3-Day Small-Group Best of Ho Chi Minh: City Sightseeing, Cu Chi Tunnels and Mekong Delta Tour

Day 1: Ho Chi Minh City (L)

1. Ho Chi Minh City
   Pass by
   Meet your friendly guide upon hotel or airport pickup and set out on your private tour of Ho Chi Minh City. Travel in the comfort of an air-conditioned car or minivan to Chinatown to visit the district’s top attractions, including Quan Am Pagoda and Thien Hau Temple, before descending on Binh Tay Market and numerous teahouses in search of specialty goods.
   
   Enjoy lunch at a local restaurant and spend your afternoon with a sightseeing itinerary that hits major landmarks in the southern capital, once called Saigon. Peruse the popular exhibits at the War Remnants Museum (formerly the Museum of Chinese and American War Crimes) to learn about the impact of the Vietnam War on local inhabitants.
   
   Afterward, drive to the Reunification Palace (Independence Palace) and discover the history of this former presidential residence up until the Fall of Saigon, which ended the war.
   
   If time permits, make quick photo stops at Saigon Notre-Dame Cathedral and the Central Post Office, two architectural gems built by the French on Paris Square in the late 19th century.
   
   Then test your bargaining skills (with help from your guide) at Ben Thanh Market, the city’s lively central market. Marvel at the array of foods, textiles, cosmetics and other goods that are neatly divided among various sections.
   
   Your evening is free for you to spend at your leisure.
   
   Overnight: Choose your own accommodation in Ho Chi Minh City (own expense)
2. Phố Tau Sai Gon (Chợ Lớn Quận 5)
   30m
   Ho Chi Minh City’s Cholon is Vietnam’s largest Chinatown with roots dating back to 1778; it’s also a place of great historical and cultural importance
3. Ba Thien Hau Temple
   30m
   The Thien Hau Temple (Vietnamese: Miếu Bà Thiên Hậu), officially the Ba Thien Hau Pagoda (Chùa Bà Thiên Hậu, "Pagoda of the Lady Thien Hau"), is a Chinese-style temple of the Chinese sea goddess Mazu on Nguyễn Trãi Street in the Cho Lon ("Chinatown") of District 5 in Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam.
4. Binh Tay Market
   30m
   Binh Tay Market, constructed by the French in the 1880s, is located in the centre of Vietnam’s largest Chinatown district. Unlike Ben Thanh Market in District 1, this market mainly serves the local population with its extensive range of fresh fruits, vegetables, poultry, meat and seafood from regions across Vietnam.
5. War Remnants Museum
   45m · Admission ticket included
   The War Remnants Museum in Ho Chi Minh City first opened to the public in 1975. Once known as the ‘Museum of American War Crimes’, it's a shocking reminder of the long and brutal Vietnam War.
6. The Independence Palace
   45m · Admission ticket included
   Independence Palace (Dinh Độc Lập), also known as Reunification Palace (Vietnamese: Dinh Thống Nhất), built on the site of the former Norodom Palace, is a landmark in Saigon, Vietnam. It was designed by architect Ngô Viết Thụ and was the home and workplace of the President of South Vietnam during the Vietnam War. It was the site of the end of the Vietnam War during the Fall of Saigon on 30 April 1975, when a North Vietnamese army tank crashed through its gates.
7. Notre Dame Cathedral of Saigon
   30m
   Saigon Notre Dame Cathedral, built in the late 1880s by French colonists, is one of the few remaining strongholds of Catholicism in the largely Buddhist Vietnam. Located in Paris Square, the name Notre Dame was given after the installation of the statue ‘Peaceful Notre Dame’ in 1959
8. Saigon Central Post Office
   30m
   The Central Post Office in Ho Chi Minh is a beautifully preserved remnant of French colonial times and perhaps the grandest post office in all of Southeast Asia
9. Ben Thanh Market
   30m
   Ben Thanh Market in Ho Chi Minh City's District 1 is a great place to buy local handicrafts, branded goods, Vietnamese art and other souvenirs. Here, you’ll find eating stalls inside the market where you can get a taste of hawker-style Vietnamese cuisine or simply cool off with a cold drink when the bargaining becomes too much

Day 2: Ho Chi Minh City — My Tho — Ho Chi Minh City (L)

1. My Tho
   Pass by
   After pickup from your hotel in the morning, you’re taken on a 2-hour drive to My Tho, a prosperous town in the Mekong Delta that’s known for its extensive orchards and immense rice fields.
   
   Visit Vinh Trang Pagoda, a not-to-be-missed sanctuary teeming with flowers, shrubs and lotus pools among gorgeous gardens. After crossing a river bridge, walk with your guide through the intricately designed gate and stroll around the complex, where towering Buddha statues stand or sit amid the extensive grounds. Admire the decorative motifs of the structures made with mosaic tiles and carved and gilded wood, and perhaps meet some of the monks who maintain the peaceful temple.
   
   Then embark on a boat ride on the mighty Mekong River, enjoying lunch en route to an island, where you’ll visit a fruit orchard and learn about regional produce.
   
   Your day trip ends with return to Ho Chi Minh City and drop-off at your hotel.
   
   Overnight: Choose your own accommodation in Ho Chi Minh City (own expense)
2. Vinh Trang Temple
   30m
   The Vĩnh Tràng pagoda is one of the most well-known in the Delta and located approximately three kilometers from the center of Mỹ Tho city. Feast your eyes on this exquisite temple and surrounding ornate gardens

Day 3: Ho Chi Minh City — Cu Chi Tunnels — Ho Chi Minh City (L)

1. Cu Chi Tunnels
   1h · Admission ticket included
   Meet your guide at your hotel in the morning for a trip to the Cu Chi Tunnels, an amazing complex of underground tunnels used by guerrilla fighters during the Vietnam War.
   
   After the comfortable drive, your subterranean exploration begins with a short film documenting the role of the tunnels as a strategic military base by the Viet Cong. The vast underground network that once connected villages and housed living quarters, hospitals, conference rooms and kitchens is today preserved as a memorial park.
   
   Descend with your guide into a narrow passageway to explore a section of the labyrinth open to tourists, and get a picture of what life was like below ground during wartime.
   
   After you walk back to your private car from the forest, return to the city for lunch at a local restaurant, followed by free time for your own activities before you’re transferred to your hotel or the airport.

• Public transportation options are available nearby
• Suitable for all physical fitness levels
• Please advise any specific dietary requirements at time of booking
• Accommodation is not provided on this tour. You'll need to pre-arrange your accommodation. Please advise your hotel details at time of booking.