Full-Day Private Ho Chi Minh City Tour
Description
On this guided PRIVATE tour you’ll experience Vietnam’s rich tapestry of history, culture and lifestyles with a local guide. We’ll venture to ‘every corner’ of Ho Chi Minh City, soaking up the city’s iconic French colonial architecture and its bustling local markets. This tour includes visits to... • The City’s Biggest Flower Market • The Beautiful Thien Hau Temple • The Former CIA Building • The War Remnants Museum • The Independence Palace • Notre-Dame Cathedral • Opera House and City Hall • Vietnamese Coffee
Tour Options
Itinerary
Lets Go! We start our great day by heading for a beautiful stroll through the pretty Ho Thi Ky Flower Market, the biggest in Ho Chi Minh City! You’ll get to view the daily life of the city’s local traders as you are dazzled by the scents and kaleidoscope of colors while we navigate through the narrow winding streets of the market before we explore the Saigon Chinatown.
Gaze At Cholon - Chinatown Saigon Cholon, which directly translates to “Big Market”, was first established in the late 1700’s when a large number of Hoa, an ethnic Chinese minority residing in Vietnam. Thien Hau is widely considered the most beautiful temple in the area and really worth paying a visit! After visiting this legendary temple, we will head to Secret Weapon Cellar.
Secret Saigon Underground The NLF dug numerous secret cellars in the heart of Saigon to store weapons and explosives brought from rural bases such as Cu Chi for fighting against the South Government, particularly the 1968 Tet Offensive. Early in 1967 the house’s owner, Trần Văn Lai, dug two cellars underneath the house to store pistols, rifles, grenades and over 350kg of TNT were transported there in hollowed-out boxes and specially-adapted wickerwork baskets and plant pots. After visiting this historic place, we will head to the memorial of Thich Quang Duc who shocked the world by burning himself to death in 1963.
Next we will head back to the city center to visit the fascinating War Remnants Museum. This will be an emotionally hard-hitting experience given the graphic content of the museum. Yet, it will be a valuable stop for anybody wishing to learn more about different perspectives surrounding the Vietnam War and its continuing effects today.
Stop For A Tasty Local Lunch After the museum, we’ll take a well earned rest and enjoy a tasty Vietnamese Set Menu Lunch at an authentic restaurant. After we’ve fueled up on these delicious local dishes, it’s off to our first stop of the afternoon which will be the Reunification Palace. Here you’ll learn all about its important place in Vietnamese history.
An Afternoon Of Amazing Architecture Our next stop will be the famous Notre Dame Cathedral and Central Post Office. Your knowledgeable guide will explain all the history behind these two incredible buildings. Your guide will show you the historic CIA building where one of the last U.S Helicopters flew out of Saigon in 1975. Next, we’ll walk you to visit more HCMC highlights including the Opera House, Hotel Continental, Rex Hotel and City Hall as well as viewing the mighty Bitexco. In order to wrap up a wonderful day, we recommend you to come up to Rex Hotel rooftop for the legendary “Five O’clock Follies” cocktail or simply have a cup of coffee or tea at the Coffee Apartment. After the last stop we will get you safely back to your hotel in the comfort of our private vehicle. Don’t forget to give a hug to your lovely guide and ask for recommendations from our local expert!
Highlights
What's included
Pickup Locations & Times
Departure Point: We will collect you to any hotel located within Ho Chi Minh City. If you are staying out of the city we can collect you for an extra charge depending on the distance. Please get in touch for prices. Return point: We will return you to any hotel located within Ho Chi Minh City. If you are staying out of the city we can return you for an extra charge depending on the distance. Please get in touch for prices.
Traveller Ratings
Important Information
- Infants and small children can ride in a pram or stroller
- Suitable for all physical fitness levels
- Wheelchair access is available with a surcharge. Please contact us in advance before booking.
- Infant seat is available with a surcharge. Please contact us in advance before booking.
Reviews(38)
We booked a full-day private tour of Ho Chi Minh City with Maika Tours and had Chris as our guide and Minh as our driver. It was an excellent day and one of the highlights of our time in Vietnam. Chris has an incredible depth of knowledge about Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam's history, and modern Vietnamese life. It was clear he had a genuine passion for the history and a deep understanding of the events and people involved. He shared information in a way that was engaging, easy to follow and often very entertaining. Over the course of the day we saw a real mix of the city, from important historical sites through to more modern areas, and gained a much better understanding of both the history and the reality of life in Vietnam today. It was fascinating to see the contrasts within the city and hear Chris explain how Ho Chi Minh City has evolved over time. Chris has a great sense of humour and is very easy to get along with. He was engaging, respectful and happy to answer questions throughout the day. Minh was an excellent driver, and travelling around the city in a comfortable vehicle made the day very easy and enjoyable. The lunch included was absolutely outstanding and one of the best meals we had during our trip. By the end of the day we felt we had a far deeper appreciation of Vietnamese culture, history and life in Ho Chi Minh City than we could have gained on our own. I wouldn't hesitate to recommend Maika Tours. The tour was well organised, informative and very well run, and we came away with a much deeper understanding of the city and the country.
Fantastic tour while I was on a 12 hour layover. Perfect timing on airport transfers and while in the city I got to see all the highlights as well as eat great food and delish coffee. Highly recommend Tibiet as a guide! The driver was also awesome and Giang who helped me book was also prompt and communicative.
Just finished the full day city tour with tour guide Harry (Khoa Nguyễn) and driver Mr Minh. I would highly recommend this tour as an excellent introduction to Ho Chi Minh City. Harry was thoughtful, fun and knowledgeable…great company to spend the day with. Mr Minh was a very punctual and careful driver. The itinerary was well planned, the car was extremely comfortable and the lunch was delicious.
Fantastic experience with a knowledgeable guide. we saw the whole of the city and an awesome temple too.
If you’re looking for a well-organized, in-depth, and personal way to experience Ho Chi Minh City, this tour is a fantastic choice, offering the perfect mix of history, culture, and local life.
We had a great day on our tour with our guide, Chris, and his skilful driver, Minh. Chris was extremely knowledgeable about the history of the war and local sights, and we learnt a lot from him. The tour was really well organised, the car was super comfortable and spacious, and we enjoyed the variety of places we were taken. Lunch was delicious and the street coffee was a lovely experience. Chris was so friendly and good company, and Minh handled the Saigon traffic masterfully!!
We just completed our time in Saigon with Hin Chao as our guide and Leung (sp?) as our driver. Hin is a very attentive, knowledgeable guide, and saw to everything we might need to enjoy our time in HCMC. The traffic in HCMC (especially with all of the motorcycles) is very daunting, but Leung is an excellent driver so we were always safe. Thank you both.
What an amazing day exploring Ho Chi Minh City! This full-day private tour was the perfect way to experience the city's rich history, vibrant culture, and iconic landmarks — and having Sunny as our guide made it truly unforgettable. We visited all the highlights, including the powerful War Remnants Museum, the historic Reunification Palace, the beautiful Notre-Dame Cathedral, and the impressive Central Post Office. Each stop came alive thanks to Sunny’s in-depth knowledge, storytelling, and passion for Vietnamese history and culture. He explained everything clearly and with great enthusiasm, giving context that made each site even more meaningful. We also explored the bustling Ben Thanh Market, which was such a fun and colorful experience. Sunny helped us navigate it like locals, shared tips on what to buy, and even helped with bargaining! What stood out most was how personal and smooth the entire day felt. Being on a private tour meant we could go at our own pace, ask as many questions as we liked, and truly enjoy every moment. If you're visiting Ho Chi Minh City, this tour is a must — and Sunny is the best guide you could ask for. Friendly, knowledgeable, and incredibly thoughtful. Highly, highly recommended!
Dear Night Traveler, No words can describe exactly how happy we are when reading another 5-star review from you. That you mentioned every place of interest in detail in addition to your compliments for our guide Sunny in every review really makes all our efforts worthwhile. We feel so proud of the work we have done so far and serving amazing guests like you always encourages us to keep doing what we do and making it even better. We hope that all these beautiful memories will inspire you and your family to return to Vietnam one day so that we can have the chance to tell you more stories from other regions of our home country. We wish you all the best, keep up the greatest energy and passion to travel to more destinations. Just tell us anytime when you need advice on your next travel plan, we will be so happy to make wonderful moments happen again. The Maika Tours Team
We had a fantastic city tour in Saigon with our elderly parents, and it exceeded all expectations. Our guide, Tan David, was top-notch — incredibly knowledgeable, funny, and patient. He made sure my mom, who uses a wheelchair, was always comfortable and included. Even the driver went above and beyond to assist us. Booking with Guiang was a breeze, and they customized the entire tour to suit our parents’ needs. Truly outstanding service — highly recommended for families traveling with seniors!
Dear Denison C, We feel so warm and grateful reading your feedback, knowing that you and your whole family had meaningful moments in Ho Chi Minh City. Mr Tan will be so pleased to know his knowledge, warmth, and attentiveness made a lasting impression, and brought happiness for your parents. We also want to say thank you for mentioning Mr Giang's excellent coordination and that his thoughtfulness really made a difference to your overall experience. Our whole team at Maika Tours just feel so proud to make travel possible for everyone, and thank you again for trusting us. The Maika Tours Team
I traveled to Vietnam by myself and scheduled a full day private tour of Ho Chi Minh City with Maika Tours. Nam was my travel guide and did a great job showing me around, hitting all the main sites, while also taking me to non-touristy parts so I could get a more authentic experience. Nam was very professional and did his best to make sure that I was enjoying the tour. I enjoyed the tour so much that I decided to do another full day motorbike tour from HCM to the Mekong Delta with Nam the following day. That was also a great experience. I got a chance to see the country side while we stopped periodically along the way to take pics. Although I was a little nervous at first since I had never rode on a motorbike before, I was able to relax and enjoy the ride once we got out of the HCM City limits. All in all, it was another great day and I would highly recommend both tours.
Dear Rainy A, Thank you for being our valued customer. No words can describe how happy we are to know that you enjoyed the private tour in HCMC and decided to take the Mekong Delta tour right after. Mr Nam has always been our star guide and your compliments will definitely make his day. Riding a motorbike for the first time can be a bit nerve-wracking, but we’re glad you felt comfortable and could fully enjoy the scenic countryside. Again, your kind words and recommendation mean a lot to us. We wish you all the best for your next adventures and hope to welcome you back in the future. Safe travels! The Maika Tours Team
