Choosing a tour in Ho Chi Minh City
Tours in Ho Chi Minh City fall into two groups. Some stay in the centre, such as walking, motorbike and food tours. Others leave the city for the day: the Cu Chi Tunnels, the Mekong Delta, the Can Gio mangroves or the coast. The two groups need different amounts of time, and the second kind often decides how your trip is planned.
A tour price is not the same as the entry fees. The museum tickets are sold per museum, the public water bus per ride, and transfer, guide and lunch are not automatically in an entry ticket. Look at each card below for what the tour includes, the start point and the length. Prices on the cards are in US dollars.
Our picks: tours and tickets
The most booked tours are Cu Chi and the Mekong Delta, plus the evening street-food rides. If you want something quieter, try Can Gio or the Cu Chi trip with its early or midday departure.
Hand-picked tours, booked through Viator and GetYourGuide. Prices are indicative starting prices in US dollars (as of October 2026). Tap a tour for live availability and the current price in your currency.
Can Gio mangrove forest and Monkey Island
- Boat trip in the mangroves
- All entrance fees
- Meals listed in the programme
Eight hours to Can Gio by air-conditioned minibus, with a boat trip, entrance fees, insurance and an English-speaking guide. A holiday surcharge can apply, so ask before booking.
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Twelve street-food tastings by motorbike
- Dinner with twelve tastings
- Helmet and accident insurance
- Vegetarian option
An evening ride with a driver, so you do not drive, with a rain poncho if needed. For a female rider in an ao dai, book at least six hours ahead.
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Ten tastings on foot through small eateries
- Ten dishes, snacks and drinks
- Local beer included
- Hotel pickup and drop-off
The price covers an English-speaking guide, taxi or Grab rides between stops and accident insurance.
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Half-day city highlights and Chinatown
- Car or motorbike by option
- English-speaking guide
- Bottled drinking water
The car option covers the central sights, Ben Thanh Market among them, and the motorbike option goes to Chinatown. Entrance fees at the stops are extra.
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My Tho and Ben Tre with sampan and local lunch
- Boat trips and insurance
- Vietnamese lunch
- Fruit tasting and water
A Mekong Delta day with an English-speaking guide. The vehicle drops you at Ben Thanh Market or the operator's office.
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Cu Chi: war history and life underground
- Entrance fees included
- Cool towels and mineral water
- Minivan with hotel pickup
Two departures, early morning and around midday. Pickup and drop-off cover selected District 1 hotels.
Check availability →Ho Chi Minh City tours and day trips
Walking tours, food tours by motorbike, Cu Chi Tunnels, Mekong Delta and Saigon River cruises, with live prices and availability.
Tour types compared
What each kind of tour involves, using the usual distances and hours in 2026.
| Tour | From the centre | A typical day | Check before you book |
|---|---|---|---|
| Walking tour in District 1 | In the centre | Palace, post office, cathedral from outside, Nguyễn Huệ | Whether palace and museum tickets are included |
| Cu Chi Tunnels | About 55 to 70 km, 1 to 2 hours by road each way | Open 07:00 to 17:00; Ben Dinh and Ben Duoc are separate sites | Entry fee, guide and transport |
| Mekong Delta from Mỹ Tho | 86 km | A typical trip leaves around 08:30 and returns about 17:00 | Lunch, boats and which stops are visited |
| Can Gio mangroves | Over the Bình Khánh ferry, about 15 minutes plus waiting | Boat through the mangroves, a visit to the wildlife areas | Which sites are included; swimming is not promised |
| Vũng Tàu by speedboat | Fast boat link from Saigon | A day on the coast | Current timetable and ticket price |
For most first-time visitors, one day of walking through the centre plus one full-day trip to either Cu Chi or the Mekong Delta works best. Add the second trip only if you have a third day.
Ho Chi Minh walking tour and city tours
Seeing the centre with a guide.
Walking tours
The old District 1 is compact. A guided walk links the Reunification Palace, the Central Post Office, Notre-Dame Cathedral from the outside and the Nguyễn Huệ street. The palace costs VND 80,000 for adults in 2026, and the War Remnants Museum VND 60,000. See what is on the things to do page.
Motorbike and food tours
On a motorbike tour you usually ride as a passenger. If you drive yourself, you need a valid licence of the right class, and in 2026 an international permit under the 1968 convention together with your national licence. A permit under the 1949 convention is not enough. Street food stops are covered on the food tour page.
Evenings
Bui Vien is a walking street from Friday to Sunday, 19:00 to 02:00. Pickpocketing happens in busy tourist areas, so carry valuables away from the street side. See nightlife.
Day trips out of the city
Where the longer tours go.
The Cu Chi Tunnels are a memorial and historic site with two visitor areas, Ben Dinh and Ben Duoc. Read the Cu Chi Tunnels page for fees and how to get there. The Mekong Delta day trip usually combines a temple, a motor boat, small rowing boats in canals and a lunch, but the program changes from tour to tour. A busy floating market is not part of every trip, and Cần Thơ has its own guide at visitcantho.org. More on the Mekong Delta page.
The Can Gio mangroves became a UNESCO biosphere reserve in 2000. Wild monkeys and birds cannot be promised, and bird numbers depend on the season. Read the Can Gio page before you choose a tour there. For other places within a day, see day trips.
More places to plan
Related guides on this site.
Ho Chi Minh City tours: frequently asked questions
Which tour should I book first?
Pick the trip that needs the most time first. Cu Chi and the Mekong Delta each take a full day, while the centre can be done on foot in a day on its own.
Can I do Cu Chi and the Mekong Delta on the same day?
That is a lot. Cu Chi is 55 to 70 km away and the Mekong trip to Mỹ Tho is 86 km in the other direction, each with 1 to 2 hours of driving one way. Plan them for separate days.
What is usually not included in the price?
Check each card for entry fees, lunch, drinks and optional activities. Entry fees such as museum tickets are separate products, and extra activities at a site are paid on the spot.
Do I need to book in advance?
Availability is shown on the cards. Booking ahead is the safer choice for a fixed date, especially around holidays.
Is the Mekong trip suitable for children?
On some day trips, children aged 2 to under 6 pay 75 percent of the adult price. Boat rides are short, but the day is long, so plan breaks.