Phu My Shore Excursion: Best of Private Ho Chi Minh City Tour
Description
Enjoy a private full-day tour in bustling Ho Chi Minh City, where your guide will take you to some of the best highlights that this shore excursion has to offer. Vietnamese Traditional lunch and attraction entrance fees are included in this tour.
Tour Options
Itinerary
Saigon Notre Dame Cathedral, built in the late 1880s by French colonists, is one of the few remaining strongholds of Catholicism in the largely Buddhist Vietnam. Located in Paris Square, the name Notre Dame was given after the installation of the statue ‘Peaceful Notre Dame’ in 1959. In 1962, the Vatican conferred the Cathedral status as a basilica and gave it the official name of Saigon Notre-Dame Cathedral Basilica. Measuring almost 60 metres in height, the cathedral’s distinctive neo-Romanesque features include the all-red brick façade (which were imported from Marseille), stained glass windows, two bell towers containing six bronze bells that still ring to this day, and a peaceful garden setting in the middle of downtown Ho Chi Minh City District 1.
The Central Post Office in Ho Chi Minh is a beautifully preserved remnant of French colonial times and perhaps the grandest post office in all of Southeast Asia. Located next door to Notre Dame Cathedral, the two cultural sites can be visited together and offers visitors a chance to imagine life in Vietnam during the times of the Indochinese Empire. The building was designed by Alfred Foulhoux and features arched windows and wooden shutters, just as it would have in its heyday in the late 19th Century.
Independence Palace was the base of Vietnamese General Ngo Dinh Diem until his death in 1963. It made its name in global history in 1975. A tank belonging to the North Vietnamese Army crashed through its main gate, ending the Vietnam War. Today, it's a must-visit for tourists in Ho Chi Minh City. The palace is like a time capsule frozen in 1975. You can see two of the original tanks used in the capture of the palace parked in the grounds. Independence Palace was the home and workplace of the French Governor of Cochin-China. It has lush gardens, secret rooms, antique furniture, and a command bunker. It's still in use to host important occasions in Ho Chi Minh, including APEC summits
The War Remnants Museum in Ho Chi Minh City first opened to the public in 1975. Once known as the ‘Museum of American War Crimes’, it's a shocking reminder of the long and brutal Vietnam War. Graphic photographs and American military equipment are on display. There's a helicopter with rocket launchers, a tank, a fighter plane, a single-seater attack aircraft. You can also see a conventional bomb that weighs at 6,800kg. American troops had used these weapons against the Vietnamese between 1945 and 1975.
The People’s Committee Building Saigon in central Ho Chi Minh City features well-preserved French colonial architecture in a spacious garden landscape. Originally constructed as a hotel in 1898 by French architect Gardes, it now serves as a city hall and one of the city’s most iconic landmarks. Occupying the end of Nguyen Hue walking promenade, it has three buildings with embossed statues of animals and people, intricate bas-reliefs on the walls, as well as a statue of Ho Chi Minh in front of the main building. The best time to visit is in the evening, as these features are beautifully illuminated with LED lights.
The Saigon Opera House in Ho Chi Minh is an elegant colonial building at the intersection of Le Loi and Dong Khoi Street in District 1, very close to the famous Notre Dame Cathedral and the classic Central Post Office. The restored three-storey 800-seat Opera House was built in 1897 and is used for staging not only opera but also a wide range of performing arts including ballet, musical concerts, Vietnamese traditional dance and plays. Performances are advertised around the building and information can be found in the state-operated tourist information centre close by.
Ho Chi Minh City’s Cholon is Vietnam’s largest Chinatown with roots dating back to 1778; it’s also a place of great historical and cultural importance. Chinese minorities hid here from the Tay Son and subsequently had to rebuild the area twice following attack with as many as 70% estimated to have died trying to escape on boats. Those who survived settled and began selling a variety of Chinese products. During the Vietnam War Cholon was a thriving black market for US soldiers trading in American Army issue supplies. The area today is a popular site for those on the tourist trail and also attracts many Taiwanese and Chinese visitors. Cholon is an interesting place to see classical Chinese architecture reminiscent of years gone by with plenty of Chinese restaurants. The Binh Tay market at the centre is busy, crowded and messy with small aisles selling all manner of goods.
Ba Thien Hau Temple in Saigon is a Buddhist temple dedicated to the Chinese sea goddess, Mazu. It’s believed that she protects and rescues ships and people on the sea by flying around on a mat or cloud. Mazuism is connected with traditions and beliefs from both Taoism and Buddhism. Mazuism is therefore an incorporation of different aspects and traditions which have merged to form a new belief. You will find this temple in ‘Cholon’ (Chinatown) in District 5, which is roughly a twenty minute drive from the city centre.
Ben Thanh Market in Ho Chi Minh City's District 1 is a great place to buy local handicrafts, branded goods, Vietnamese art and other souvenirs. Here, you’ll find eating stalls inside the market where you can get a taste of hawker-style Vietnamese cuisine or simply cool off with a cold drink when the bargaining becomes too much. The market is big, difficult to navigate at times and certainly best avoided during the hottest part of the day but all the same its well worth a look. When night falls, restaurants around the perimeter of the market open their doors creating a vibrant street side scene filling the air with the scents of wok-fried noodles, barbecued fish and meats. One of Saigon’s oldest landmarks, Ben Thanh offers a great atmosphere that is absolutely authentically Vietnamese.
Highlights
What's included
Pickup Locations & Times
Tour Guide will welcome you and your group in front of the port entrance with signboard name.
Traveller Ratings
Important Information
- Not recommended for travelers with spinal injuries
- Not recommended for travelers with poor cardiovascular health
- Not recommended for pregnant travelers
- Suitable for all physical fitness levels
Reviews(87)
Like some cruise ship passengers, I tried to cram what I thought we could do in the time possible being a first time visitor. Should have just told Mr. Minh what I like / wanted and let him do the rest, which, in the end we did. We went on a very hot March day and he accommodated us so that we enjoyed ourselves. In the end, we just went to see the War Remnants Museum, Saigon Post Office, lunch at an air conditioned and highly rated restaurant (great food), and enjoyed beverages at the Landmark 81 tower. Sounds short, but the experiences overwhelmed me and actually ended a little early at our request because we were emotionally tired and satisfied. Saigon is a great city to visit and a customized private excursion is a great way to see it efficiently. Mr. Minh was our guide who spoke English very well and knew the city inside and out. I don't remember the driver's name, but he was courteous and drove extremely safely. We felt we were in great hands at all times. Highly recommended.
Strongly recommend this tour and guide. Our guide, Ms. Nhu Y, was absolutely wonderful. When we booked the tour, we indicated that we didn’t want to go to one of the stops but we did want to do some shopping for some specialty items. The day before the tour Ms. Nhu Y contacted us to arrange the pickup, she also informed us she had three recommended places to shop for the items we were interested in and if those were not satisfactory, she could find more. She and her driver arrived early and the pickup at the cruise port was flawless. She was extremely knowledgeable, informative and professional. She made Vietnam and the city come to life. We saw all the sights we wanted to see. One of the high lights was when she took us to a local pho restaurant for lunch, absolutely delicious!!! We got back to the cruise port with time to spare.
We had a wonderful time with our tour guide - Hani. She was very patience , she explained everything very throughly , and I like how she keeps us on track and on time ! Although this is not our first time in Vietnam , Hani was a much better guide than our previous guide . I learned so much from Hani - I only wish I had more time or even another day with her . Thanks Hani for being our wonderful guide today ! We are very grateful and blessed to have you. Good luck with your future in tourism . We wish you the very best !! Hani - thanks for bringing me to the mall to pick up my makeup ! That was above and beyond your duty . Very much appreciated .
Strongly recommend this tour and guide. Our guide, Ms. Nhu Y, was absolutely wonderful. When we booked the tour, we indicated that we didn’t want to go to one of the stops but we did want to do some shopping for some specialty items. The day before the tour Ms. Nhu Y contacted us to arrange the pickup, she also informed us she had three recommended places to shop for the items we were interested in and if those were not satisfactory, she could find more. She and her driver arrived early and the pickup at the cruise port was flawless. She was extremely knowledgeable, informative and professional. She made Vietnam and the city come to life. We saw all the sights we wanted to see. One of the high lights was when she took us to a local pho restaurant for lunch, absolutely delicious!!! We got back to the cruise port with time to spare.
Barney was an excellent guide! I highly recommend him! We saw and experienced so many areas of Ho Chi Minh! Lunch and coffee in an authentic neighborhood was fantastic! Great driver, too!
If you ever had a feeling - how is all that can be had for so little - you know you got a great deal! We had a 10 hour private tour with Liam and Mr Son as a driver. They bought us cold water throughout the day, feed us lunch, bought coffee two times and gave us as much information or freedom to homage through the city as much as we wanted. They showed us places that you would never see on a big tour and accommodated every desire. At the end they asked if there is anything else we would want to do or see and we could not come up with anything else! This must have been the best trip ever. Thank you so much!
Amazing tour with our guide Liam and driver Mr. Son! So much information shared, sights seen, cultural experiences, local flavors and so much more. Liam was very accommodating, extremely knowledgeable, friendly and well versed in the history and culture of Saigon. He truly provided a customized experience and introduction not only to tourist attractions but to the way of life in this city. Loved visiting the pagoda, the war museum, post office, markets, independence palace, landmark towers, underground bunker, local life, food and so much more. Highly recommend and look forward to returning for more experiences!
Great experience and William was very informative about everything a very nice young man and helped us so much We had a wonderful day in the city and the driver was very nice too I rate excellent service from William Thankyou so much
It takes about an hour to an hour and a half to get from the port to Saigon but our guide Ryan and driver were both excellent in that they got us to all the important and interesting places to see ( and eat!) during the day. We visited the flower market and a Chinese temple, and the old original post office, plus the war remnants museum, a lacquer business where they should us the process of making lacquerware, we had time for coffee and were also taken to a typical Vietnamese restaurant for lunch and then a visit to Walking Street and a superb market and a visit to a lovely church on our way back to the ship. A really full day out with a lit of information given to us. I can really recommend this excursion .
This private tour with Y was amazing! She is Super Great!!! She is kind, knowledgeable and bent over backwards to accommodate our every request. She explained all the elements of the tour so well and made us feel at home in a country we were unfamiliar with. It was awesome to be catered to throughout the tour allowing us to be flexible with whatever we wanted to do such as shopping and stopping for coffee whenever we wanted. It was like being given a personal tour by a friend. Had the pho we’ve ever had!! Would 100% do it again!!
