Ho Chi Minh City Itinerary (4 days)

Trip Summary

• Trip length and when did I go? 4 days in August 2013
• How much did it cost me? MYR 500 

At A Glance

• Day 1 - Kuala Lumpur ‣ Ho Chi Minh City

 Fly from Kuala Lumpur to Ho Chi Minh City ‣  Shopping & dinner at Ben Thanh market ‣  Overnight in A&EM Le Prince Hotel

• Day 2 - Ho Chi Minh City

Ho Chi Minh City walking tour ‣  Notre Dame Cathedral ‣  Saigon Central Post Office ‣  Independence Palace ‣  War Remnants Museum ‣  Tao Dan Park ‣  Pham Ngu Lao ‣  Saigon Skydeck ‣  Overnight in A&EM Le Prince Hotel

• Day 3 - Ho Chi Minh City ‣ Mekong River Delta ‣ Ho Chi Minh City

 Full day Mekong daytrip ‣  Overnight in A&EM Le Prince Hotel

• Day 4 - Ho Chi Minh City ‣ Kuala Lumpur

 Ho Chi Minh City riverside ‣  Fly from Ho Chi Minh City back to Kuala Lumpur

Itinerary Map (click to view POIs and routes)

DAY 1

Arrival & Hotel Check-In

• 3.00 pm - Arrival at Tan Son Nhat International airport by flight (Air Asia)
• Immigration clearance
• Ride the blue bus with number 152 to Ben Thanh - 5,000 dong
• 4.00 pm - Arrival at Ben Thanh market area
• Check-in at A&EM Le Prince Hotel. Staying for 3 nights - Accommodation and flight was booked with Expedia (total cost - 3,000,000 dong)

Taking Bus 152 to Ben Thanh market

Ben Thanh Market

• 4.30 pm - Went to Ben Thanh market for a little sightseeing
• Decided to do our shopping on the last day as the market was closing to pave the way for the night market
• 7.00 pm - Walk around the night market to shop to scout for some souvenirs
• Dinner at a shop near the night market (Beef pho  - 45,000 dong) and some supper before going back to the hotel (Vietnamese baguette/banh mi - 15,000 dong)

Ben Thanh market entrance

Inside Ben Thanh market

Vietnamese coffee is sold in abundance here

The day market closes in the evening to make way for the night market

DAY 2

Notre Dame Cathedral & Saigon Central Post Office

• 8.00 am - Wake up and breakfast at the hotel
• Walk to Notre Dame Cathedral (under 30 minutes). Made a lot of photo stops along the way, hence it took a bit longer than it should
• 9.30 am - Photo stop at Notre Dame Cathedral - no entrance fees required
• 10.00 am - Walk over to the Saigon Central Post Office, located adjacent to the cathedral - also no entrance fees
• Browsed the souvenir shops in the post office, plenty of variety but they are pretty pricey especially when compared to the ones you can buy from Ben Thanh market

Walking around Ho Chi Minh City

Plenty of interesting sights can be seen while going on foot

Notre Dame Cathedral, Ho Chi Minh City

Saigon Central Post Office

Inside the Saigon Central Post Office

The souvenir shop inside the post office

Independence Palace & War Remnants Museum

• 11.00 am - Reach Independence Palace - admission is 20,000 dong
• Did a quick tour of the place. Points of interest to take note of are the rooftop and the 'bomb shelters' beneath the building. 
• 1.00 pm - Walk to War Remnants Museum (under 20 minutes)
• Arrival at War Remnants Museum - admission 15,000 dong 
• The museum displays can be really disheartening for some visitors, but that's the reality of war

Independence Palace

Tanks on display outside the Independence Palace

War Remnants Museum

Some of the displays here are pretty gruesome and not for the faint of heart

Make love, not war

Tao Dan Park & Pham Ngu Lao

• 3.00 pm - Walk to Tao Dan Park for an afternoon stroll
• Particularly loved the serenity of the park, which serves as a brief getaway from the hustle and bustle of the city
• 4.00 pm - Went to Pham Ngu Lao in search of cheap tours to Mekong Delta. Managed to find a tour package for $7 or 156,000 dong per person which I thought was a steal already (our hotel quoted us $20)
• There were half day tours for Cu Chi tunnels available but it didn't sound interesting to me, therefore I decided to skip it and do something else for our final day here
• 5.30 pm - Went back to hotel for a quick shower and relaxation

Pottery art by the street. It's tiny surprises like these that make my walk more enjoyable

Puppies!

A roadside stall selling bun bo hue, a popular Vietnamese cuisine

Tao Dan Park, one of Ho Chi Minh city's many municipal parks

Got a little lost, but managed to find Pham Ngu Lao on the way back

Saigon Skydeck 

• 6.30 pm - Walk to Saigon Skydeck (30 minutes on foot from our hotel)
• Grabbed a quick bite at a nearby stall (Vietnamese baguette/banh mi - 15,000 dong)
• Arrival at Saigon Skydeck - admission is $10 or 200,000 dong
• Best time to come here is just before sunset. Very breathtaking 360 degree views of the city can be seen from the skydeck
• 8.30 pm - Head back to Ben Thanh for dinner (Com chien, or fried rice with stir fried beef & garlic - 40,000 dong) 

Ben Thanh at night. Bitexco Financial Tower, Ho Chi Minh's tallest building and where Saigon skydeck is, can clearly be seen in the distance

It drizzled a little on my way there. They had raincoats, I didn't so I was practically drenched by the time I reached the tower

Saigon Skydeck entrance

Inside Saigon Skydeck

View of Ben Thanh from Saigon Skydeck

View of Ho Chi Minh city riverside from the skydeck

View of Ho Chi Minh city at night from the skydeck

DAY 3

Mekong Delta Day Trip

• 6.30 am - Wake up and breakfast at the hotel
• 7.00 am - Pick up at the hotel by bus. Bus took quite a while to ferry passengers around before finally departing for My Tho.
• 10.00 am - Short stop at Mekong rest stop

Vinh Trang Temple

• 11.00 am - Photo stop at Vinh Trang Temple. Particularly loved the aesthetics of this temple, which seems to be a blend of east and west

Vinh Trang temple, a unique blend of east and west

Monks having their meals. Everything is done in complete silence, so try to be respectful of local customs by not interrupting or being too noisy

My Tho & Unicorn Island

• 12.00 pm - Arrival at My Tho jetty, where we ride a boat across the Mekong river to Unicorn Island, our first stop in the Ben Tre region
• Got a glimpse into the lifestyles of rural village folk in the Mekong delta, which can be summed up as very basic but simple and carefree
• Walked around the village for a bit before being rowed out to the river by sampan

Taking the boat from My Tho across the Mekong river to Unicorn island

Our tour guide showed us the bee farm where honey is produced

Treated to a serving of tropical fruits and hot tea

Local folk serenading us with traditional Vietnamese music

Waiting for our sampan to take us back to the boat

A sampan ride through a crowded waterway. Our rower actually had time to swing by and showed us his home. Well sir, you just earned a tip.

Con Phung & Coconut Island

• 1.30 pm - Stopover at Con Phung island for lunch and sightseeing
• Lunch - Rice with vegetables and deep-fried spring roll (already included in the tour package)
• Visitors can partake in a few activities here, such as crocodile fishing or renting hammocks to take an afternoon nap. Opted to go for an afternoon stroll around the island to see the orchards nearby
• 2.30 pm - Stopover at Coconut Island to see how coconut candy is being made. Thereafter, we were taken for a ride on horse carriage around the surrounding village
• 3.30 pm - Back to My Tho jetty. Ride the bus back to Ho Chi Minh City
• 6.00 pm - Arrived back in Ho Chi Minh City

Crocodile fishing in Con Phung island

Crossing this rickety bamboo bridge isn't as easy as it looks

Watching the local folk make coconut candy in Coconut Island

Ending our trip with a horse ride around the village 

DAY 4

Riverside 

• 8.00 am - Wake up and breakfast at hotel
• 9.00 am - Last minute shopping at Ben Thanh market
• 11.00 am - Hotel check-out
• 11.30 pm - Walk to Ho Chi Minh City riverside for quick photo stops of the Mong Bridge (also known as the Green Bridge) and several other points of interest in the riverside area

Ben Thanh Market to Airport

• 1.00 pm - Ride the blue bus with number 152 back to Tan Son Nhat international airport for our flight back home - 5,000 dong

Bear versus buffalo, who wins?

Mong Bridge, a popular place for wedding photography

Ho Chi Minh City riverside

Waiting for the bus to take us back to the airport

Trip Cost & Expenses

How much?	What for?
VND 401,000	Ground Cost
VND 10,000	Bus 152 to & from Tan Son Nhat international airport
VND 156,000	Mekong Delta tour package
VND 20,000	Entrance ticket – Independence Palace
VND 15,000	Entrance ticket – War Remnants Museum
VND 200,000	Entrance ticket – Saigon Skydeck
VND 3,000,000	Flight & Accommodation
VND 3,000,000	Accommodation (3 nights) & return flight from & to Ho Chi Minh City
VND 100,000	Misc
VND 100,000	Food & Drink
VND 3,501,000	Total

How much did it cost me?

• In local currency: VND 3,500,000
• Conversion rate (at the time): MYR 1 = VND 7,000
• After conversion: MYR 500 (for 4 days)