Ho Chi Minh Travel Guide: 3.5 Days of Food, Chaos & City Life

Welcome to our 17 day Vietnam travel guide!

Planning for a trip to Vietnam but don’t know where to begin? We’ve got you covered!

After a long hiatus on this blog from our Thailand backpacking article, we’re finally back with a Vietnam travel guide! Last December, we embarked on another backpacking adventure through Vietnam for 17 days (~2.5 weeks), and we’ll be sharing the breakdown of our route, expenses, and itinerary here.

This is Part 1 of our Vietnam travel series, so grab a coffee and let’s get started!

Disclaimer: Some of the links I’ve attached are affiliate links, so if you decide to purchase any of the items or book any of the experiences/ tours offered on those sites, we’ll receive a small commission at no extra costs to you! It would be a great way to support our blog and help us keep running it if you’ve found our content meaningful!

For some context, here’s how we approached this trip:

Have fun!
Aim to stick within the overall budget of S$1,000 per pax all inclusive of food, travel tickets, accommodations, tours, etc.
Daily budget is flexible as long as overall budget isn’t exceeded.
No fixed itinerary, but we have a list of places that we want to visit and types of local cuisines to check out.

Before we dive in, here’s an overview of the main cities together with the number of days that we stopped by when backpacking Vietnam for this Vietnam Travel Guide:

Ho Chi Minh (3.5 Days)
Hue (2.5 Days)
Hoi An (2.5 Days)
Da Nang (2.5 Days)
Sa Pa (2.5 Days)
Hanoi (3.5 Days)

Things to Note Before Backpacking Vietnam

Common to South East Asian countries, here are some rules to observe when visiting certain places in Vietnam. Also, here are some things you may want to take note of before backpacking Vietnam.

Prepare your travel documents in advance. You may need to apply for a single-entry VISA prior to entering Vietnam if you’re not holding a South-east Asian passport.
Pack for different weather. The weather is quite erratic across the country. It could be scorching (e.g., 31-35°C in Ho Chi Minh) but cold further up North (e.g., 5-10°C in Sa Pa).
No flipflops, sleeveless tops or shorts when visiting temples.
Avoid tap water. Buy water from the convenience store or supermarket whenever you can.
“Grab” or public buses are cheaper alternatives and don’t ever hop onto any public transport before bargaining! (E.g.: Taxis, Minivans, etc. especially at airport exits)
Don’t be afraid of crossing the streets. Do it like you own the road! The trick is to keep walking and not stop.
Get your peace of mind by purchasing travel insurance with adequate coverage for all your activities (e.g., trekking, water activities, cycling, etc.).
Tipping is not compulsory in Southeast Asia although it is much appreciated.

Vietnam Travel Guide City 1: Ho Chi Minh (4D3N)

We spent about 3.5 days in Ho Chi Minh city before moving off to Hue on the fourth day. Ho Chi Minh city, also known as Saigon, has been through many wars, and is a city filled with history. There are tons of monuments and museums to check out for the history nerds (ahem…like me).

After touching down, the first thing on our itinerary was to collect our sim cards first and check in! We got our sim cards via Klook and you can get yours too below by searching for “4G SIM Card (SGN Airport Pick Up) for Vietnam” or just “4G Sim Card Vietnam” will bring you to a list of results.

The whole process was really simple and fuss free and we could immediately collect it once we touched down at the airport. There’s a counter located just after you’ve cleared the immigration (right before the exit). It’s very obvious since its located along the row of sim card booths. You just let the staff know your booking details and you get your card immediately. The staff can also help you with the installation if you have any issues.

Getting from Saigon Airport to Ho Chi Minh City

Now that we’re connected, let’s get into the city!

Like every other country/city, here’s the annoying part; exiting the airport and having tons of people shouting and poaching you to take their taxi or mini bus/van or whatever private transport there is. Depending on your budget, here’s what you can expect to pay for each mode of transport to get into the city:

Airport Taxi (inclu airport surcharge and tolls): 300,000 VND (S$17)
Minivan (S$26 from third parties like Klook)
Yellow airport bus #49: 40,000 VND (S$2.28)
Yellow airport bus #109: 20,000 VND (S$1.14)
Blue/Green Public Bus #152: 5,000 VND (S$0.28)

The choice is pretty obvious… we took the public bus. No extra charges for our backpacks/luggages (if you have any) too.

You’ll board first and purchase the ticket (in cash) from the bus attendant on board. Depending on your location, it can range from 5,000 to 7,000 VND.

Don’t worry about not having small change.
These attendants hold onto thick stashes of cash and should be able to give you change if your note isn’t in the largest denomination.

Pro Tip:
Public bus #152 only runs up to 6pm so depending on when you arrive and factor in clearing customs, bag collection etc., its best to arrive in the morning!

Note:
Both airport buses run different routes so if you’re taking the airport bus, you’ll need to look up the bus stops or check with the attendant at the terminal.

However, they stop nearby/at most of the touristy attractions (e.g., Ben Thanh market, backpacker street [Pham Ngu Lao], etc.) so if you’re staying nearby, then it’s a great option to consider after the public bus stops running.

Ho Chi Minh Accommodations

An Nam Corner – Dreamer (3 nights)

Amount paid: 729,000 VND (S$41.50)
Address: 183/15 Bùi Viện, Phạm Ngũ Lão, District 1, Quận 1, Vietnam
Check-in From: 2pm
Check-out By: 12pm

It’s relatively affordable and located in a very convenient location, especially for those who love the nightlife. Just walk out of the street and across the road is the popular Bui Vien Walking Street filled with all the bars, pubs, clubs, whatever.

The room was also pretty cosy, but then again, we’re not very fussy about our accoms as long as it has WiFi and aircon.

Day 1 · Bui Vien, District 1

Vietnam Travel Guide: Ho Chi Minh Day 1

The first evening was spent exploring the area near us, which meant the Bui Vien walking district, and whatever’s in the area for dinner. Here’s a quick overview of our eventful afternoon:

First coffee fix at Circle K after checking in
Checked off Lau bo from our food bucketlist
Walked through Bui Vien Walking Street with loud music and flashy lights
Satisfied sweet tooth with Ca Phe Sua and coffee jelly at Highlands Coffee
Walked off the calories at Central Market to end off the evening

Circle K convenience store coffee

Got a quick coffee fix at Circle K to fuel our evening!

It was unexpectedly good and also ended up being 1-for-1? (we’re still wondering if we took someone else’s coffee order by mistake… but no one stopped us)

Cost: 15,000₫ (S$0.90)

Lau bo (Vietnamese Hotpot)

Decided to check off Lau bo from our food bucketlist and went ahead to Lau bo Ti chuot for a hotpot dinner despite the hot weather…

Unlike Chinese hotpot, the base was slightly sour. You are advised to cook the meat then wrap it in the rice paper, with rice noodles and veggies like a spring roll.

Location: 3 Đ. Cao Bá Nhạ, Phường Nguyễn Cư Trinh, Quận 1, Thành phố Hồ Chí Minh, Vietnam
Cost: 250,000₫ (S$14.40)
Operating hours: 6am – 12am daily

Bui Vien Walking Street

If you’re looking for the nightlife in Ho Chi Minh, you’ve come to the right place! There’s bars, clubs, pubs, etc. all in this one street.

Lights and music start going off at around 6pm and it starts getting busy around 7pm where there’ll be lots of bikes and people zooming through the streets.

Location: Pham Ngu Lao, District 1, Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam

Ca Phe Sua with Coffee Jelly @ Highlands Coffee

The Vietnamese version of Starbucks! We all know how Vietnamese coffee leans towards the sweeter side, but all foodies with sweet tooths rejoice!

You have to try their milk coffee with coffee jelly! (You might want to ask for less sugar/syrup though) This is always on my must-have list when in Vietnam! Couldn’t leave without getting at least one cup!

Location: Various locations countrywide
Cost: 49,000₫ (S$2.80)
Operating hours: 7am – 11pm (also varies depending on branch)

Central Market

Similar to Pratunam or Platinum Mall in Bangkok, Central Market is filled with many small shops with everything you need from counterfeit goods to shoes, clothes, electronics, etc.

Location: 4 Đ. Phạm Ngũ Lão, Phường Phạm Ngũ Lão, Quận 1, Thành phố Hồ Chí Minh, Vietnam
Operating hours: 10am – 10pm

Day 2 · Cu Chi Tunnels

Vietnam Travel Guide: Ho Chi Minh Day 2

We booked a half day tour of the Cu Chi Tunnels with the meeting time set at 8.30am so we set out to get fueled with some Banh Mi and coffee first! The tour doesn’t come with lunch but they can drop you off at Ben Thanh market if you’re headed in that direction. Here’s what we had planned for the day:

Early breakfast at Banh Mi Ba Huynh
Cu Chi Tunnels Half Day Tour
Late lunch at Com Tam Moc to check off broken rice from our food checklist
Check off the touristy attractions (i.e., Ben Thanh Market, Saigon Post Office, Notre Dame Cathedral, etc.)
Grab dinner somewhere along the way before heading back and chilling for the rest of the night

Banh Mi Ba Hyunh

One very very very big Banh Mi (dac biet) right there! We bought one which was more than enough to fill the both of us for breakfast!

There’s also a really interesting backstory to the origins of this Banh mi store – which was initially started by a trans couple.

(they broke up and one of them stole the recipe and opened another store so now they’re competitors selling Banh mis with the same recipe – though not sure if this is 100% factual)

Location: 185K Đ. Cống Quỳnh, Phường Nguyễn Cư Trinh, Quận 1, Thành phố Hồ Chí Minh, Vietnam
Cost: 59,000₫ (S$3.40)
Operating hours: 6am – 9pm daily

Banh Mi Ba Hyunh, with their really large and thick Banh Mis at only 3 dollars

Cu Chi Tunnel

We booked a half day tour to visit the Cu Chi Tunnels via Klook (linked below) to see and experience what it was like for the Vietnamese during the war against the French in the late 1940s.

Before you head to the Cu Chi Tunnel site, you’ll be introduced to a local handicraft workshop manned by the victims of the war. These families were affected by a chemical called “Agent Orange” used during the war which caused genetic mutations and affected their subsequent generations and offsprings (You can find out more at the War Remnants Museum).

Throughout the tour, you get the opportunity to crawl through the tunnels of varying lengths: 20m, 40m, and 60m to get a taste of what it was like back then. It was said that there was a guide for every vicinity as it’s very easy to get lost if you don’t know the way back then.

You’ll also get to take a look at some of the traps built back then to deter enemies and sample some tapioca at the end of the tour. At the end of the tour, the tour bus can drop you off at popular landmarks such as Ben Thanh Market or back at your pickup location.

Overall, it was a really insightful and enriching tour, to be able to learn so much about the history of the people and the predecessors in Ho Chi Minh. Would recommend to check if out if you have time or are interested in the history of the city!

Com Tam Moc

After crawling through tunnels and checking out historical traps, we’re starving! Having alighted at Ben Thanh Market after the tour, we checked out this “broken rice” store nearby to check yet another local dish off our food bucketlist.

Maybe check out another Com Tam store cos this was meh and kinda pricey…

Location: 85 Lý Tự Trọng, Phường Bến Thành, Quận 1, Thành phố Hồ Chí Minh, Vietnam
Cost: 182,000₫ (S$10.50)
Operating hours: 9am – 8.30pm daily

Vietnam Travel Guide: Com Tam, a dish made from broken rice grains, with various toppings depending on your order

Post Office, Notre Dame Cathedral of Saigon, and Book Street

Also popped by the iconic Ho Chi Minh Post Office and the bustling book street in the evening.

Location: 02 Công xã Paris, Bến Nghé, Quận 1, Thành phố Hồ Chí Minh 70000, Vietnam

Ho Chi Minh Post office and book street landmarks

Noodle Place

Not so great + pricey… should have left the Bun Bo Hue to Hue and tried something else.

Location: (too unimportant to remember the location)
Cost: 170,000₫ (S$9.70)
Operating hours: 9am – 8.30pm daily

Bun Bo Hue from a shop near the Bui Vien district

Day 3 · Thu Duc & War Remnants Museum

Vietnam Travel Guide: Ho Chi Minh Day 3

The third day was more of a chill day, where we wanted to check out this bouldering gym after all the eating the past 2 days… and check off all the other coffee places we wanted to try on our list, plus a side quest to the War Remnants Museum.

If you’re lazy to read through, here’s what we did for the day:

Got in our morning exercise at Vertical Academy
Grabbed some post-climbing Banh Mi from a random street side stand we found
Get our coffee fix at La Viet Coffee Saigon
Make a visit to the War Remnants Museum
Grab dinner somewhere along the way back to our hotel

Vertical Academy

Unfortunately for us, when we went there, they were in the midst of switching up the routes so there was only half a gym available.

Tip: Bring your own climbing shoes if you have one cos the ones we rented… had no friction at all… climbing barefoot felt so much easier than just sliding around on the wall…

Location: 789D Số 1, P, Thu Duc, Thành phố Hồ Chí Minh 70000, Vietnam
Cost: 340,000₫ (S$19.30)
Operating hours: 8am – 10pm daily

Vertical Academy climbing gym in Ho Chi Minh city

Random Banh Mi Street Stand

Just a random banh mi stand that we popped by at the end of the street to grab a quick bite for lunch… Simple, cheap, and good!

Cost: 20,000₫ (S$1.10)

Random Banh mi shop for lunch after climbing since there's nothing much to eat

La Viet Coffee Saigon

This cafe was recommended for its coffee so of course, we had to pay it a visit.

Since the weather was so hot, we got their iced coconut coffee, and lavender milk coffee, which both tasted pretty amazing (though we preferred the coconut coffee).

Location: 789D Số 1, P, Thu Duc, Thành phố Hồ Chí Minh 70000, Vietnam
Cost: 105,000₫ (S$6)
Operating hours: 8am – 10pm daily

Vietnam Travel Guide: La Viet Coffee Saigon Cafe, where we ordered the Lavender milk coffee and Iced coconut coffee

War Remnants Museum

You could easily spend half a day here just reading and taking in the history depicted in those few exhibition halls. If you have time, I’d recommend you to pop by and spend a few hours here.

It’s a really enriching and eye-opening experience, with so much to learn about what went on in the past!

Location: Phường 6, District 3, Ho Chi Minh City 700000, Vietnam
Cost: 80,000₫ (S$4.55)
Operating hours: 7.30am – 5.30pm daily

Street Stands Along Bui Vien Street

Now that we’re filled with knowledge for the day, it’s time to feed our bellies!

For dinner, we’re pooped so we decided to just walk around the area near our place, and check out some local food stands.

Vietnamese locals are so friendly, they’ll try to strike a conversation with you despite the language barrier! We’ve learned how to order noodle soup (Hu Tieu) and dry noodles (Mi Kho) from this friendly uncle who was sitting beside us chatting with the stand owner.

Location: Phường 6, District 3, Ho Chi Minh City 700000, Vietnam
Cost: 80,000₫ (S$4.55)

Evening dinner food stands along Bui Vien Walking Street where we order some Mi Kho (dry noodles) and Hu Tieu (noodle soup)

Day 4 · Ben Nghe, District 1

Vietnam Travel Guide: Ho Chi Minh Day 4

This was our last half a day in Ho Chi Minh city before we set off for the city of Hue in the afternoon via a domestic flight, so here’s how we spent the first half of our day:

Grabbed some Vietnamese noodle soup for breakfast at a random roadside stand
Get our coffee fix at The Workshop Coffee
Prices were high and we weren’t really satisfied with the coffee so we got another Hazelnut Latte Katinat Saigon Kafe which seemed popular amongst the locals

Random Streetside Hawker Stand

In the mornings, there’ll be lots of streetside stands set up along the roads for people to pop by for a bowl of noodles as breakfast before they head off to work.

Nothing very special but a bowl of warm noodles is always a great way to start off the day.

Location: Somewhere along this stretch of the street if you’re interested (Vinhomes Grand Park, Thủ Đức, Ho Chi Minh City 700000, Vietnam)
Cost: 50,000₫ (S$2.85)

Random food stand we found to get some noodle soup for breakfast

The Workshop Coffee

This cafe also had tons of recommendations for its extensive coffee selection so we decided to give it a go.

Not sure if we picked a coffee blend that wasnt to our liking, but it tasted quite sour and underwhelming… the cookie was also cold… (taken right out from the tupperware in the fridge and served, not even heated up)

Location: 27 Ngô Đức Kế, Bến Nghé, Quận 1, Thành phố Hồ Chí Minh 700000, Vietnam
Cost: 105,000₫ (S$6.00)
Operating hours: 8am – 9pm daily

Vietnam Travel Guide: The Workshop Coffee cafe where we got a frozen cookie and some sour coffee...

Katinat Saigon Kafe

Just like how we have our Local Coffee People, Kopifellas, Toast Box, etc., Katinat is the Saigon version of their local coffee stand!

We saw lots of office staff and students queuing so why not give it a shot if it’s popular amongst the locals? They have a wide selection of teas and coffees, but we got their Hazelnut Latte.

Great for those seeking a not-so-strong coffee or something to satisfy your midday sweet tooth!

Location: Multiple locations citywide (only in HCM)
Cost: 55,000₫ (S$3.15)
Operating hours: 6.30am – 11pm daily

Vietnam Travel Guide: Katinat Saigon Kafe, the go-to place if you're interested in checking out local tastes

Cost Breakdown for Ho Chi Minh

Expense	Cost (SGD)	Cost (VND)
Transport (inclu. plane tickets from SG to SGN)	S$163.50	2,867,562₫
Food & Water	S$93.50	1,639,684₫
Activities: 1. Cu Chi Tunnels Tour 2. War Remnants Museum Entry Tickets 3. Climbing Gym Pass	S$70.25	1,257,199₫
Accommodation (2 pax, 3 nights)	S$44.00	729,000₫
Total	S$371.25	6,493,445₫

Ho Chi Minh → Hue

Depending on the length of your trip, it’ll affect your considerations when deciding on the mode of transportation between cities. As we wanted to maximise the time we had to explore, we chose the fastest mode which was via a 1.5hr flight since it wasn’t that much more cost wise either.

By Plane:
Ho Chi Minh City (SGN) to Hue (HUI)
Price (One Way): S$46 per person (806,775₫)
Duration: About 1 hr 30 mins
Where we got our tickets: Baolau (cheapest option after comparing several sites)

If you’ve got more time to spare or on a tighter budget, you can consider other modes such as via overnight train or bus. It will take almost a full day of travelling as it’s quite a distance away.

By Overnight Train:
Ho Chi Minh Railway Station to Hue Railway Station
Price: Ranges from S$55 to S$97 depending on type of seat booked (Price list shown below)
Duration: Ranges from 18 to 22 hours depending on train booked
Tip: Bring your own Banh Mi or snacks and water up on board for the long journey ahead if you’re afraid of the food quality on board. You can pre-book your tickets on 12Go or Easybook.
Note: The timings and prices below may vary depending on the train service provider.

Train Number	Duration	Departure	Arrival	Hard Seat (S$)	Soft Seat (S$)	Hard Berth (S$)	Soft Berth (S$)
SE2	18h 24min	21:55	16:19	55	65	92	97
SE4	19h 41min	19:45	15:26	55	65	92	97
SE6	19h 52min	9:00	04:52	55	65	92	97
SE8	19h 34 min	6:00	1:34	55	65	92	97
SE10	22h 58min	14:00	12:58	55	65	92	97
SE12	22h	07:55	05:55	55	65	92	97

By Bus:
Binh Thanh District or Thu Duc District to Hue City (May differ depending on bus service provider)
Price: Around S$37
Duration: 25 hours
Tip: Bring your own Banh Mi or snacks and water up on board for the long journey ahead although the bus will stop at a few rest stops along the way where you can restock on food and water. You can pre-book your tickets on 12Go or Easybook.