Ho Chi Minh City attractions

Dong Khoi Street (Đường Đồng Khởi), with its elite boutiques, French architecture, and trendy cafés, is the premier commercial center of the city andthe place to see and be seen. Stores range from high-quality silk sellers to high-end luxury brands. City highlights such as Notre Dame Cathedral and the Central Post Office are both within easy walking distance.

Often referred to as the “rice bowl of Asia” for its emerald-green rice paddy fields, the Mekong Delta is surrounded by fertile land. On Vietnam’s mighty Mekong, sleepy floating communities live alongside an abundance of tropical fruits, buffalo wallowing in paddy fields, and mangroves rich with birdlife.

One of Vietnam’s tallest buildings, the Bitexco Financial Tower dominates Ho Chi Minh City’s skyline—its unusual tapering structure pierced by a circular observation deck and helipad. Designed by the American architect Carlos Zapata, the 68-floor building offers sweeping views across the city.

Near Tay Ninh town, in Long Hoa village, this temple is considered the greatest of all Vietnam’s Cao Dai temples. Founded in 1926, the Cao Dai Temple (Tòa Thánh Tây Ninh) complex functions as a Holy See for the Cao Dai religion (Caodaism), Vietnam’s third most popular belief system after Buddhism and Catholicism. Visitors are welcome at prayer sessions in the Great Temple.

Located southeast of Ho Chi Minh City, close to where the Saigon River meets the South China Sea, the low-lying Can Gio island houses a UNESCO Biosphere Reserve. This is an important natural wetland with attractions like Monkey Island, Rung Sac Military Base, Vam Sat Salt-Marsh Forest Ecological Tourist Center, and a crocodile farm.

At the heart of Cho Lon, Ho Chi Minh City’s Chinese district, sits Binh Tay Market (Chợ Bình Tây). Built in 1928 after the original bazaar burned down, Binh Tay is the city’s largest market teeming with vendors selling a mind-boggling array of wares, including pottery, flowers, and cheap souvenirs, as well as piping hot noodles and wholesale produce.

The Dam Sen Water Park (Công Viên Nước Đầm Sen) is a fun place to spend a few hours when the weather’s hot in Ho Chi Minh City, which is most of the time! Kids in particular will love the waterslides, wave pool, and watery rides. There are landscaped gardens, lounge chairs, and food outlets to keep parents happy, too.

With dusty jars of ingredients, an altar devoted to two long-dead doctors, a disturbing selection of historical medical instruments, and more, the Museum of Traditional Vietnamese Medicine (Fito Museum is one of Ho Chi Minh City’s quirkiest museums. A documentary introduces the tradition, while the souvenir shop offers unusual gifts.

Spanning around 25 acres (10 hectares) in the heart of Ho Chi Minh City, Tao Dan Park is a fresh green space where locals exercise, particularly tai chi in the morning, aerobics after work, and badminton on weekends. Besides the pool, tennis courts, and sculpture garden, many travelers love the bird café, where local men bring pet birds.

From the giant bearded god towering over the water park to slides that emerge through a dragon’s mouth, Suoi Tien Theme Park takes its Buddhist theme to the limit. Local families flock here for games, local eats, swimming, child-centric rides, the zoo, and the grounds. Most overseas travelers visit to enjoy the bizarre design.

Ho Chi Minh City’s answer to Bangkok’s Khao San Road, Pham Ngu Lao Street boasts dozens of affordable guesthouses, cheap pubs, and backpacker-focused restaurants. In fact, Saigonese know it simply as the backpacker district. Despite the noise, traffic, and chaos, Phạm Ngũ Lão is a mecca for travelers looking to experience Saigon’s unfiltered energy.

One of the oldest art museums in Ho Chi Minh City, the Museum of Fine Arts occupies a gorgeous colonial-era building from 1929. The collection starts with sculptures from the early Funan and Cham kingdoms, dating back as far as the fourth century, but it’s also home to intriguing modern art pieces, many focused on the Vietnam War.

Built in 1744, the Giac Lam Pagoda is one of the oldest temples in Ho Chi Minh City. A Buddhist structure designated as a historic site by the Vietnamese government, the site boasts an impressive sanctuary filled with gold figures and a fat laughing Buddha. The large gardens surrounding the pagoda also contain a sacred bodhi tree.

The gateway to the Vietnamese city once known as Saigon, Ho Chi Minh City Cruise Ports sit along the Saigon River and serve as jumping-off points for exploring the nation's largest and most dynamic city. Ocean cruises normally dock at Phu My and sometimes Cai Mep, both about 40 miles (65 kilometers) east of the city, while river cruises typically dock at My Tho, about 47 miles (75 kilometers) to the south.

Paris Square (Công Trường Công Xã Paris) serves as the perfect hub for travelers looking to explore the key landmarks of Ho Chi Minh City in a single stop. The Saigon Opera House, Notre Dame Cathedral, and Central Post Office are all within walking distance, and the tree-covered parks, Versace Plaza, and bustling cafés make for great people-watching.

The Quan Am Pagoda is a Chinese-style temple in Cholon, Ho Chi Minh City’s Chinatown area. It’s a very colorful place, devoted to the Goddess of Mercy, Quan Am. The Quan Am Pagoda is one of the city’s most popular Buddhist sites, and it is worth making a trip to Cholon to see.

Opened in 1999, the Vietnam Cookery Center was one of the first Ho Chi Minh City cooking schools to offer Vietnamese food classes with English translation. Set in a colonial-era building in the heart of downtown Saigon, the hands-on classes with regularly changing menus draw travelers from around the world.

Established in 2006, the Cu Chi Wildlife Rescue Station rescues animals from the illegal animal trade in Ho Chi Minh City and the surrounding region in Vietnam. These animals, including gibbon, langur, bears, loris, wildcats, and some rare endangered species, are rehabilitated and returned to the wild. Other species benefiting from these rescue efforts include pangolin, cobras, turtles, and numerous types of birds.Visitors to the rescue station can head to the multimedia display center to learn about the illegal wildlife trade, hunting, and the efforts being made to protect Vietnam's natural biodiversity. Travelers can also observe some of the animals currently in recovery or rehabilitation from a safe distance. A visit to the center is often combined with a trip to the nearby Cu Chi Tunnels.Please note Cu Chi Wildlife Rescue Station is currently closed indefinitely.

Within the Can Gio Mangrove Biosphere Reserve on the Saigon River and not far from the ocean, Vam Sat’s mangrove ecosystems welcome bats, crabs, and a spectacular array of birdlife, including storks, kingfishers, and pelicans. A lookout tower offers views of the area, while a small crocodile farm is popular with locals.