Private Ho Chi Minh City Shore Excursion: 8 Stops with Lunch

Eight landmarks, one guide, lunch in between: the day Ho Chi Minh City reveals itself

A private full-day guided tour of Ho Chi Minh City from the cruise port, visiting eight major landmarks including the War Remnants Museum, Reunification Palace, Jade Emperor Pagoda and Ben Thanh Market. Vietnamese traditional lunch and all entrance fees are included, with pickup and dropoff at the port and a private English-speaking guide throughout.

Step-by-step itinerary

Stops and time spent at each

1. Saigon Notre Dame Cathedral30m
2. Saigon Central Post Office30m
3. Reunification Palace1h 30m · entry included
4. War Remnants Museum1h 30m · entry included
5. Saigon Opera House15m
6. Cholon1h
7. Thien Hau Temple30m
8. Ben Thanh Market45m
9. Jade Emperor Pagoda30m

Explore Ho Chi Minh City highlights

• Visit Saigon Notre Dame Cathedral
• Tour Saigon Central Post Office
• Explore Independence Palace
• Visit War Remnants Museum
• See People’s Committee Building
• View Saigon Opera House
• Discover Cholon Chinatown
• Visit Ba Thien Hau Temple
• Shop at Ben Thanh Market
• Explore Jade Emperor Pagoda
• Tour secret weapon bunker

The experience

The tour runs eight to twelve hours depending on how long you linger at each stop, and the guide picks you up directly from the cruise port. You move through the city's colonial core first: the Saigon Notre Dame Cathedral, built in the late 1880s with red brick imported from Marseille and still standing 60 metres tall, sits next to the Central Post Office, a grand remnant of French Indochina with arched windows and wooden shutters that look unchanged since the 19th century. Both stand in District 1, close enough to visit together and get a sense of what Saigon looked like under colonial rule.

From there the itinerary branches into Vietnam's modern history. The Reunification Palace, once the seat of the South Vietnamese government, still holds the two original tanks that crashed through its gates in 1975, ending the war. The building itself is a time capsule with secret rooms, antique furniture and a command bunker. The War Remnants Museum displays the hardware of that conflict (a helicopter with rocket launchers, a fighter plane, a conventional bomb weighing 6,800 kilograms) alongside photographs that document the war's toll. These two stops anchor the day's heavier moments.

The afternoon shifts to the city's living culture. Ben Thanh Market in District 1 is one of Saigon's oldest landmarks, crowded and difficult to navigate but worth the effort for local handicrafts, Vietnamese art and the eating stalls inside where you can taste hawker-style cuisine. Cholon, the sprawling Chinatown with roots back to 1778, contains the Thien Hau Temple, a Buddhist temple dedicated to the Chinese sea goddess Mazu, and the Binh Tay market at its centre: busy, messy, full of small aisles selling everything. The Jade Emperor Pagoda, a Taoist, Buddhist and Confucian site founded by a Chinese merchant, rounds out the spiritual and cultural stops. Vietnamese traditional lunch is included partway through the day, and the guide handles all entrance fees and the logistics of moving between sites.

What’s included

• Private pickup and dropoff at the cruise port.
• bottled water throughout the day.
• private professional English-speaking guide.
• all entrance fees and taxes.
• a comfortable vehicle sized to your group.
• Vietnamese traditional lunch.

Before you book

Days and timesEvery day12 departure times: the first at 07:00, the last at 14:00

Book up to3h before

AgesAdult (12 to 80 years) · Child (5 to 11 years) · Infant (under 5): free

GroupPrivate

Live guideEnglish

Meeting point and pickupHotel pickup included.You can choose from 11 pickup points.

Cancellation and refundsFree cancellation up to 24 h before the start. After that, no refund.

Prices and times updated 5 days ago

Good to know

Low physical effort

Operated by Maximus Travel Vietnam

Is this one for you?This is a private tour, so you move at your own pace with one guide instead of joining a larger group: ideal if you want to linger at any stop or ask detailed questions without keeping others waiting. The eight-to-twelve-hour window gives you flexibility to spend more time at the War Remnants Museum or Cholon if those interest you most, or move faster through others. The guide adjusts to what you want to see.

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Top questions

Can children come?

Yes. Ticket types: Child (5 to 11 years); Infant (under 5): free.

What is the Reunification Palace and why is it significant?

The Reunification Palace was the home and workplace of the French Governor of Cochin-China and later the seat of South Vietnamese General Ngo Dinh Diem. In 1975, a North Vietnamese Army tank crashed through its main gate, ending the Vietnam War. Two of those original tanks are now parked in the palace grounds. The building remains a time capsule from that era, with secret rooms, antique furniture, lush gardens and a command bunker still visible inside.

What will I see at the War Remnants Museum?

The War Remnants Museum displays military equipment and weapons used during the Vietnam War, including a helicopter with rocket launchers, a fighter plane, a single-seater attack aircraft and a conventional bomb weighing 6,800 kilograms. The museum also contains graphic photographs documenting the conflict between 1945 and 1975.

Is Ben Thanh Market a good place to buy souvenirs?

Ben Thanh Market is one of Saigon's oldest landmarks and a popular spot for local handicrafts, branded goods, Vietnamese art and souvenirs. The market is large and can be difficult to navigate, but eating stalls inside serve hawker-style Vietnamese cuisine, and restaurants around the perimeter open at night, creating a vibrant street scene with the scents of wok-fried noodles and grilled meats.

What is Cholon and what can I do there?

Cholon is Ho Chi Minh City's Chinatown, Vietnam's largest, with roots dating back to 1778. The area contains classical Chinese architecture, the Thien Hau Temple dedicated to the sea goddess Mazu, and the Binh Tay market at its centre, which is busy and crowded with small aisles selling a wide variety of goods. Cholon is particularly atmospheric at night and attracts many Taiwanese and Chinese visitors alongside tourists.

Does the tour include lunch?

Yes, Vietnamese traditional lunch is included in the tour price, served partway through the day as part of the itinerary.

Will I need to pay extra for entrance fees?

No, all entrance fees and taxes for the attractions are included in the tour price. The guide handles all payments at each stop.