3 Days in Saigon for First-Timers: Markets, Tunnels, and Street Food

Day 1 — Colonial District and Ben Thanh

Start in District 1, the slice of Saigon that still feels like someone's preserved postcard of 1900s Indochina. Begin at Saigon Notre-Dame Cathedral, a 19th-century pink sandstone Gothic landmark in the middle of a traffic circle. The interior is dim and cool; you'll see locals lighting incense. It's free to walk around outside, though entry inside may be restricted during services—check the door.

Walk across to the Central Post Office (Tong Cuc Pho Thong), another colonial gem built in the 1890s. The architecture is lavish: vaulted ceilings, mosaic floors, iron railings. It's still operational, so you can queue with locals buying stamps or grab a coffee at the small cafe. Spend 20 minutes inside; it's one of Saigon's most photogenic buildings and costs nothing to enter.

Head south to "Ben Thanh Market", the city's most famous wet market. It's a cavernous, air-conditioned maze of stalls selling everything: fabric, souvenirs, tourist knockoffs, and actual food. The ground floor is mayhem; the food court upstairs is where vendors sell grilled meat, noodle soups, and fresh fruit. Come hungry. A plate of grilled pork with rice is 40,000–60,000 VND (about $2–$2.50 USD). Don't skip the fresh sugarcane juice (nuoc mia) at one of the stalls—15,000 VND, squeezed in front of you.

End the day at the War Remnants Museum (open 7:30 AM–6 PM, 23,000 VND entry). It's a 10-minute walk from Ben Thanh. The museum houses aircraft, tanks, and exhibits on 20th-century Vietnamese history. It's crowded with both tourists and local school groups. Give it 90 minutes; the upper floors move quickly. Afterwards, walk back through the quieter streets to District 1's old apartment blocks—rue Pasteur, rue Catinat—which still have faded French shopfronts and feel genuinely lived-in.

Day 2 — Cu Chi Tunnels and the Mekong

Book a Cu Chi Tunnels tour the night before (most hotels can arrange it; cost is 450,000–700,000 VND per person for a half-day). You'll be picked up around 8 AM. The drive is 45 km northwest through congested Saigon suburbs, then into Ho Chi Minh Province.

The tunnels are a vast network of underground chambers dug over decades. A guide will take you through a preserved section—they're cramped, hot, and genuinely disorienting. You crawl or crouch through narrow passages; claustrophobes should skip the interior tunnels and stay aboveground. There are booby-trap displays (safe ones), a small museum, and a shooting range where you can fire vintage weapons if you want (extra cost). Most tours include lunch: a simple meal of rice, grilled pork, and cassava chips at a local guesthouse.

Return to Saigon by mid-afternoon (usually 2–3 PM). Freshen up, then book a sunset "Mekong River cruise"—yes, it's touristy, but it's the only way to see the Mekong Delta's light and water traffic from Saigon proper. Tours depart from District 1 docks around 4 PM and return by 7 PM (350,000–500,000 VND). You'll drift past floating fish farms, wooden sampans, and coconut-fringed banks. Drink a can of bia hoi (cheap local beer) on deck.

Dinner: Walk to "Pham Ngu Lao" backpacker street (just west of Ben Thanh) and eat at one of the casual open-air stalls. Try "com tam"—broken-rice bowls with caramelized pork, a scrambled egg, and daikon pickle. About 35,000 VND. Or grab "banh mi" at one of the carts: a French-Vietnamese sandwich (banh mi) with pate, cold cuts, and pickled vegetables for 25,000 VND.

Image by Diego Delso via Wikimedia Commons (CC BY-SA)

Day 3 — Cholon and Street Eats

Cholon is Saigon's Chinatown, 5 km southwest of District 1. It's older, dirtier, and more chaotic than District 1. Take a Grab (ride-app) there; it costs 30,000–50,000 VND depending on traffic.

Spend the morning wandering Nguyen Hue Boulevard and the surrounding cramped alleys. Cholon is a wholesale market disguised as a neighborhood—every storefront sells bulk goods: textiles, dried seafood, spices, cakes. The famous temples are Thien Hau (a Buddhist temple) and Giac Lam Pagoda (painted red and packed with statues). Both are free; bring respectful clothing and quiet footsteps.

Lunch at "Banh Mi Huynh Hoa", the legendary banh mi stand in District 1 (18 Le Thi Rieng, District 1). Yes, you'll need to backtrack east; it's worth it. Huynh Hoa is tiny—three small tables—and mobbed by locals. The banh mi here is crispy, stuffed with pate, fatty pork, and herbs, all for 20,000 VND. Go just before noon or after 1 PM to avoid the queue.

Return to Cholon in the afternoon. Hit Binh Tay Market (Cho Binh Tay), the main wet market, for the sensory overload: fish, meat, dried goods, noise. Browse the jewelry and herbal medicine sections on the upper floors. If you're interested in ceramics and traditional crafts, duck into the small shops on Tran Hung Dao Street.

Final dinner: Eat where locals eat. Head to the night market near Cholon's main intersection (around Tran Hung Dao and Luong Nhu Hoc) and grab noodles. Try "bun rieu"—a tangy crab and tomato broth with rice noodles—from a street stall for 30,000–40,000 VND. Or "hu tieu"—a southern clear broth with pork and shrimp—equally good and about the same price.

Walk back to your hotel via a "Grab" motorbike, or stay in Cholon another hour and catch sunset from a rooftop cafe. Most small cafes here serve "egg coffee" (ca phe trung), a Saigon invention: strong black coffee topped with a frothy egg yolk and condensed milk. It's dessert and caffeine combined. 35,000 VND.

Image by Diego Delso via Wikimedia Commons (CC BY-SA)

Practical notes

Saigon is humid, crowded, and overwhelming on day one. Wear comfortable shoes, carry water, and use a small backpack or crossbody bag (pickpockets exist). Most restaurants have English menus in District 1; in Cholon and Pham Ngu Lao, eat where you see locals queuing—language rarely matters. If you want to extend, swap Day 2 for a Mekong Delta boat tour and skip Cu Chi, or add a fourth day exploring the Ben Thanh area's small museums and cafes.