Ho Chi Minh City
is buzzing with energy
Welcome to Ho Chi Minh City
Ho Chi Minh City (HCMC) is Vietnam at its most dizzying: a high-octane city of commerce and culture that has driven the country forward with its pulsating energy. A chaotic whirl, the city breathes life and vitality into all who settle here, and visitors cannot help but be hauled along for the ride.
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Ho Chi Minh City activities
Mekong Delta Tour from Ho Chi Minh City
Meet at Saigon Opera House prior to your 8am departure, and set out on your 8-hour tour from Ho Chi Minh City in an air-conditioned coach. After a 2.5-hour ride through the countryside, arrive in My Tho, a former naval base that is now a bustling port city in the Mekong Delta. As the terminus of the Mekong River, which winds through six countries from Tibet to Vietnam, this incredibly fertile region produces approximately half of Vietnam's total agricultural output, and life revolves around the the delta. Upon arrival into My Tho, board a private long-tail boat for a cruise on the Mekong River. On the boat ride, your local guide delves into the history of the region and steers you to an island with lush tropical gardens. Sample tropical fruit before continuing to another island in the Mekong Delta, where your guide will share stories of the area's cottage industry, coconut candy. Visit a coconut candy factory, where you'll hear the history of the industry and watch how this confection is made. As you continue your journey along the river, take the opportunity to stop at local villages and experience more of the traditional lifestyles, culture, and customs of the people who call the Delta their home. Purchase handcrafted souvenirs as you experience the more relaxed pace of the Delta, in stark contrast to the bustling streets of Ho Chi Minh City. Transfer from your boat to Xe Loi, a motorized cart that transports you to a bee farm, where you'll transition to a smaller rowing boat that allows you to get deeper into the smaller canals of the Delta. Sample local Mekong cuisine at the Diem Phuong Restaurant, where lunch is served. After lunch, once again board the air-conditioned coach for the return journey from My Tho to Ho Chi Minh City, where you'll be dropped back off at Saigon Opera House.Please note: Knees and shoulders must be covered, as the tour visits rural areas.
Cu Chi Tunnels from Ho Chi Minh City by Speedboat
Meet your guide and small group upon hotel pickup in the early or late morning (depending on selected departure time) and transfer by air-conditioned vehicle to Ho Chi Minh Pier. Then board a luxury speedboat made of high-quality teak and sink into soft furnishings as your vessel slips away. Relax like a VIP while your captain effortlessly speeds you over the Saigon River toward the countryside and to the infamous Cu Chi Tunnels. Within 15 minutes, the banks of the river change from city sprawl to lush jungle. Take advantage of great photo ops of life along the riverbanks as your eco-friendly boat navigates the shallow, jungle-fringed canals past water hyacinths, leaving a small wake that minimizes any impact on the local environment. During the 1-hour journey, your knowledgeable guide explains rural traditions and aspects of life along the waterway. Depending on departure option selected, enjoy unlimited refreshments with a light breakfast of sandwiches or pastries, fresh tropical fruits and Vietnamese iced coffee, or enjoy a late-morning snack, served on board.Arrive at the historic Cu Chi Tunnels before the larger bus groups, then watch a short introductory documentary before you follow your guide into the winding, underground network. You have approximately 2 hours to explore the Cu Chi site, which includes weapon and booby-trap exhibitions. Inside the narrow passageway of an authentic Viet Cong tunnel — part of a 75-mile-long (121-km) complex now preserved as a war memorial park — visit different underground bunkers featuring kitchens, meeting rooms, ammunition depots and hospitals. View a bullet-riddled tank and discover secret entrances hidden by fake termite mounds and other ingenious disguises. Learn how the VC defended the tunnels from American bombs and infiltrators, and marvel at a huge crater formed by an American B-52 bomber.Try the local cassava root that sustained Viet Cong guerrilla fighters for years during the Vietnam War (known in Vietnam as the American War) and attempt to imagine what living here was like. After your tour, you can feast on fried spring rolls, chicken and beef dishes, and soup as you enjoy an authentic, traditional Vietnamese lunch by the river. If you’ve selected the later tour, you’ll enjoy a provided dinner.After your meal, depart Cu Chi and return by speedboat to Ho Chi Minh City. Upon arrival at the central pier, you will be driven back to your hotel.
Cu Chi Tunnels Small-Group Tour from Ho Chi Minh City
Leaving the hustle and bustle of Ho Chi Minh City behind, take a 2.5-hour journey west towards the Cambodian border bound for the Cu Chi Tunnels. The Cu Chi tunnels were built by local fighters during the Indochina conflict as a base from which the Viet Cong could operate from close to the Southern Vietnamese capital. Initial construction started in 1948 when the Viet Minh required somewhere to hide from French air attacks and by 1965, the Cu Chi tunnel complex was estimated to consist of 200km's of tunnels. It included, hospitals, schools, meeting rooms, kitchens and sleeping quarters. Life was difficult for the inhabitants and to protect against outside intruders bobby traps were laid throughout the complex. Your local guide will take you on a fascinating tour around the Cu Chi Tunnels where you'll learn more about the conditions the Vietnamese people lived in, the hardships they faced and the amazing ingenuity employed to maintain life in the tunnels.
Private Ho Chi Minh City Arrival Transfer: Airport to Hotel
Travel from Ho Chi Minh Airport to your Ho Chi Minh City hotel in a private vehicle. Transfer services are available 24 hours a day, 7 days a week. When making a booking, you will need to advise your flight details and your accommodation details. Your transfer will be confirmed within 24 hours and you will be provided with a travel voucher to present to the driver. Vehicles used: Air-conditioned Sedan Car (1 to 4 people) At time of booking, YOU MUST include the following flight and hotel details: Arrival Flight Number Arrival Time Hotel Name (where you would like to be dropped off) Hotel Address Don't forget to book your Hotel to Airport transfer! Price is per person, based on 8 adults per car/vehicle.
Private Ho Chi Minh City Departure Transfer: Hotel to Airport
Travel from your Ho Chi Minh City hotel to Ho Chi Minh Airport in a private vehicle. Transfer services are available 24 hours a day, 7 days a week. When making a booking, you will need to advise your flight details and your accommodation details. Your transfer will be confirmed within 24 hours and you will be provided with a travel voucher to present to the driver. 24 - 48 hours prior to your Hotel to Airport transfer, you will be required to reconfirm exact pick up times and places (the contact number will be provided on your travel voucher). Vehicles used: Air-conditioned Sedan Car (1 to 4 people) Don't forget to book your Airport to Hotel transfer!Price is per person, based on 8 adults per car/vehicle.
Ho Chi Minh City Discovery Small-Group Adventure Tour
Your first stop is Giac Lam, built in the 17th century it is the oldest pagoda in Ho Chi Minh City. Continue to Chinatown with stops at Cholon and Binh Tay markets to see the locals bartering for wares. Next is Thien Hau temple, built in the early 19th century and dedicated to the Thien Hau the goddess of seafarers. Continue to Nha Rong wharf where Ho Chi Minh first left Vietnam in 1911. Your final stop before lunch is at the Ben Thanh Market, where you can practice your language skills and barter for goods. The market's original location was close to the Ben Nghe River before it was destroyed in 1859 during the French invasion of Saigon. It was rebuilt and moved to its present location in 1899. Following our market visit, we stop at Fito Museum, which displays over 3,000 objects relating to traditional Vietnamese medicine and dating back to the country’s foundation.Then, after a short bus ride to the city centre, we’ll enjoy a traditional local Vietnamese lunch of pho, or noodle soup – a must when you’re in Vietnam! After lunch you'll visit the War Remnants Museum, originally opened in September 1975, it displays old military equipment and other related items from the Vietnam War. In the courtyard you will find some larger exhibits including a F5A fighter and a UH1-Huey helicopter. Continue on foot past the Reunification Palace, Notre Dame Cathedral, the General Post office, and the Opera house which are all beautiful examples of architecture from the French colonial period. At the end your tour you are free to continue exploring the area or your guide will assist you in getting a taxi back to your hotel.