Ho Chi Minh City Shore Excursion: Private Saigon tour with lunch

Walk through colonial landmarks and a war museum, then eat lunch in Cholon's narrow streets

A private full-day tour of Ho Chi Minh City for cruise passengers, with a guide and air-conditioned transport, covering the War Remnants Museum, Reunification Palace, Notre Dame Cathedral, the Central Post Office, Saigon Opera House, and Cholon. Vietnamese lunch and all attraction entrance fees are included. Pickup and drop-off happen at your cruise ship, and you set the pace with your guide.

Step-by-step itinerary

Stops and time at each

1. Saigon Notre Dame Cathedral30m · entry included
2. Saigon Central Post Office30m
3. Reunification Palace45m · entry included
4. Saigon Opera House15m · entry included
5. War Remnants Museum45m · entry included
6. Cholon45m
7. Thien Hau Temple30m

Explore Historic Saigon and Food Highlights

• Visit Saigon Notre Dame Cathedral
• Tour Central Post Office
• Explore Independence Palace
• See People’s Committee Building
• Visit Saigon Opera House
• Tour War Remnants Museum
• Explore Cholon Chinatown
• Visit Ba Thien Hau Temple

The experience

The tour moves through Ho Chi Minh City's colonial core and its war history in one arc. You start at Saigon Notre Dame Cathedral, built in the late 1880s by French colonists: the all-red brick façade came from Marseille, and two bell towers still hold six bronze bells. Next door sits the Central Post Office, designed by Alfred Foulhoux and preserved from the late 19th century with arched windows and wooden shutters intact. Both sit in District 1, close enough to visit back-to-back.

The Reunification Palace is where a North Vietnamese tank crashed through the main gate in 1975, ending the war. Two of those original tanks still sit in the grounds. Inside, the palace reads like a time capsule: secret rooms, antique furniture, a command bunker, lush gardens. The War Remnants Museum displays the hardware of that conflict: a helicopter with rocket launchers, a tank, a fighter plane, a bomb weighing 6,800 kilograms. The photographs are graphic. Then you cross the city to Cholon, Ho Chi Minh's Chinatown, where the Thien Hau Temple sits in the narrow streets: a Buddhist temple dedicated to the Chinese sea goddess Mazu. Cholon's Binh Tay market fills the center, crowded and small-aisled, selling everything. The draw is the Chinese atmosphere that has held for hundreds of years, especially at night.

Lunch is Vietnamese traditional food, included in the price. Your guide speaks English and rides with you in an air-conditioned minivan. The tour runs between 6 and 12 hours depending on how long you linger at each stop. You set that with your guide. Pickup and drop-off happen at your cruise ship, and the operator will need your ship name, docking time, disembarkation time and re-boarding time when you book.

What’s included

• The tour includes private transport in an air-conditioned minivan with a professional English-speaking guide.
• Vietnamese traditional lunch.
• entrance fees to the War Remnants Museum, Reunification Palace, Saigon Notre Dame Cathedral, Saigon Opera House, Thien Hau Temple and Cholon.
• and pickup and drop-off at your cruise ship.

Before you book

Days and timesEvery day9 departure times: the first at 07:00, the last at 11:00

Book up to2h before

AgesAdult (11 to 85 years) · Child (3 to 10 years) · Infant (under 3): free

GroupPrivate

Live guideEnglish

Meeting point and pickupHotel pickup included.You can choose from 6 pickup points.

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

Prices and times updated 6 days ago

Good to know

Easy physical level

Operated by Maximus Travel Vietnam

Is this one for you?Book this if your ship docks in Ho Chi Minh and you want a private tour that moves at your pace: your guide coordinates timing with your ship's departure and adjusts the itinerary on the day.

Traveler reviews

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Top questions

Can children come?

Yes. Ticket types: Child (3 to 10 years); Infant (under 3): free.

What is the Reunification Palace and why do people visit it?

The Reunification Palace was the base of Vietnamese General Ngo Dinh Diem until 1963, and in 1975 a North Vietnamese Army tank crashed through its main gate, ending the Vietnam War. Today visitors walk through secret rooms, antique furniture, a command bunker and lush gardens. Two of the original tanks used in the capture sit parked in the grounds.

Can I see the War Remnants Museum on this tour?

Yes, the War Remnants Museum is one of the main stops. It displays American military equipment used during the Vietnam War (a helicopter with rocket launchers, a tank, a fighter plane and a single-seater attack aircraft) along with graphic photographs documenting the conflict between 1945 and 1975.

What is Cholon and what will I do there?

Cholon is Ho Chi Minh's Chinatown, with roots dating back to 1778. You'll walk through classical Chinese architecture, visit the Thien Hau Temple dedicated to the sea goddess Mazu, and explore the Binh Tay market at the center: a crowded, narrow-aisled market selling all manner of goods. The main draw is experiencing the authentic Chinese atmosphere that has existed here for hundreds of years.

How long does this tour take and can I adjust the schedule?

The tour runs between 6 and 12 hours depending on how long you spend at each stop. Since it's a private tour, you and your guide set the pace together, so you can linger longer at sites that interest you most or move through others more quickly.

Does the tour include lunch and entrance fees?

Yes, Vietnamese traditional lunch is included, and all entrance fees to the attractions are covered in the price. You only need to budget for personal expenses and any items you choose to buy.

How does pickup work for cruise ship passengers?

The tour includes pickup and drop-off at your cruise ship. When you book, you'll need to provide your ship name, docking time, disembarkation time and re-boarding time so the operator can time the tour around your ship's schedule.