Private Ho Chi Minh City Half-Day Tour
Description
Ho Chi Minh (formerly Saigon) as the city is still frequently referred to be Vietnam's largest city. It is a fast-paced city full of contrasts as street vendors selling fruit and vegetables can be seen next to glitzy western-style bars and boutiques. Saigon's history is only 300 years old. In 1859 the city was captured by the French and became the capital of Cochin China. From 1956 until its dramatic demise in April 1975 it was the capital of the US-backed Republic of Vietnam. Today, Ho Chi Minh City is very much the heart of Vietnamese business and entrepreneurs. A perfect overview of historical monuments and cultural sites of Saigon. This half-day tour of Ho Chi Minh City is the perfect introduction to the city and the country's colorful past. Visit Notre Dame Cathedral, Old Post Office, Reunification Palace, War Remnants Museum and Jade Emperor Pagoda.
Tour Options
Itinerary
is a must-visit destination for any traveller on their first trip to this city. Built around 1886 – 1891, the post office is both one of the oldest and yet most iconic buildings in the city.
Jade Emperor Pagoda is considered as The Ancient Pagoda With Chinese-Styled Design in Ho Chi Minh city. Built in 1892, the pagoda leaves a strong impression on tourists by a Chinese architectural style with colorful Yin-Yang roof and brick decoration. Though 100 statues in the pagoda made of cartridge papers are approximately 100 years old, they still look new and wonderful.
War Remnants Museum Ho Chi Minh City, one of the most famous history museums in Vietnam, will transform and challenge your history knowledge about the Vietnam War.
During the Vietnam War, the Independence Palace served as the residence and office of South Vietnamese President Nguyen Van Thieu. It was designated as a historical monument for having witnessed significant changes in Saigon's history and keeping the essence of Eastern culture.
Notre Dame Cathedral Vietnam is honored as one of the world's 19 most majestic cathedrals, the only representative from Southeast Asia. This long-lasting masterpiece, seen as the architectural symbol of Ho Chi Minh City, hosts a flock of new tourists every day who seek ancient grandeur, holiness, and enchanting photography spots.
Highlights
What's included
Pickup Locations & Times
We offer free pick up and drop off at hotel in Central of Ho Chi Minh city ( district 1, 3, 4). Pick up time: 7.30 am - 8.00 am
Traveller Ratings
Important Information
- Infants and small children can ride in a pram or stroller
- Public transportation options are available nearby
- Infants are required to sit on an adult’s lap
- Suitable for all physical fitness levels
- Please advise preferred departure time in the special requirements
- Children must be accompanied by an adult
- War remnants museum exhibits may be too graphic for some travelers.
Reviews(167)
We had a fantastic half-day tour in Ho Chi Minh City, made even more memorable by our guide’s thoughtfulness and flexibility. One thing that really stood out was how Typhoon Honey adjusted the schedule to give us extra time at the War Remnants Museum, recognizing how meaningful and impactful that visit was for us. We never felt rushed, and his willingness to adapt made the experience feel personal rather than scripted. Throughout the tour, Honey was knowledgeable, friendly, and easy to talk to, sharing helpful context about the city’s history and culture without overwhelming us. His pacing was perfect, and he made sure we were comfortable every step of the way. If you’re looking for a guide who genuinely cares about your experience and goes the extra mile to make it special, I would highly recommend this tour with Typhoon Honey, Thanks Honey!
Dear Kate, Thank you for such a thoughtful review. We’re really glad to hear your experience felt personal and not rushed. Our guide will be happy to know his care and approach made a difference. We truly appreciate the recommendation.
Khang took us on a private half day city tour and private half day food tour. He was so knowledgeable and passionate, friendly and respectful. I would highly recommend one of these private tours with Khang.
Dear Nanette, Thank you for sharing your experience! We're glad that you enjoy the experiences in Ho Chi Minh City with our passionate guide. Hope to see you again on another trip in Vietnam!
What an amazing tour! Phan was very knowledgeable and provided us a great insight into the Vietnam war! Would highly recommend this tour as a great introduction to the city.
Dear Daniel, Thank you for you recommendation! We're glad that you enjoyed the trip. Hope to see you again on another journey!
We toured around some of the main visiting points and a local much less crowded market. Typhoon Honey was our guide, very fun,very friendly,very knowledgeable. Our driver Son was well organized and we felt very safe on the bustling streets of Ho Chi Minh.
Dear Tawhai H, Thank you for your review, we're glad that you enjoyed the trip to Ho Chi Minh City. We hope to welcome you again on another trip!
Jason gave us a great overview of some of the major attractions in Ho Chi Minh City. His English was very good, and he came prepared with numerous English videos which were very informative. He also provided water, wet wipes and fans, all of which were very much appreciated. The Palace and War Remnants Museum were the highlights. Every US tourist should visit the War Remnants Museum to more fully understand the "justification" for our going to war, its impact, and its on-going consequences. Jack also helped us understand the various faiths practiced in Vietnam. He was enthusiastic and kept us all engaged - great experience!
Dear Janet, Thank you for sharing your experience. We’re glad to hear Jason helped give you a meaningful overview of Ho Chi Minh City and kept the tour engaging with his explanations and preparation. It’s great that the Palace and War Remnants Museum stood out to you, and that the insights into Vietnam’s history and different faiths added to the experience. We truly appreciate your thoughtful review.
Unfortunately, this tour was a complete no-show. No one came to pick us up, and we received no call, text, or any communication at all. We waited 45 minutes at the meeting point before realizing no one was coming, which completely ruined our afternoon. The help desk said the operator was stuck in traffic and after 45 minutes finally said they could not reach them, so they would cancel our tour. Viator issued a refund, but there was no acknowledgment of the inconvenience or the time we lost. Given that we’ve booked many tours through them, we believe some additional credit for a future tour would have been appropriate due to the significant disruption this caused. Very disappointing experience and lack of professionalism.
Dear Angela, Please accept our deepest and most sincere apologies for the "no-show" on your tour. We are truly devastated to hear that you waited 45 minutes at the meeting point; your time is incredibly valuable, and we feel terrible that it was wasted. We want to be completely transparent about what happened: we experienced a technical synchronization error between Viator and our internal system. Because of this, your booking did not appear on our schedule, and we only discovered the oversight the following morning. We also want to clarify that the information provided by the help desk regarding "traffic" was incorrect; as we didn't have the booking in our system, we were unfortunately unaware you were waiting. While Viator has processed your refund, we do not believe this is sufficient to make up for the disruption to your travel plans. I would like to offer a personal gesture of goodwill to ensure your next experience in the region reflects our true standards. Please reach out to me directly at bao@ginkgovoyage.com so I may personally handle this for you. We value your trust in the Viator community and hope for the opportunity to welcome you back properly. Warm Regards, Bao Huynh Sales & Operation Manager, Ginkgo Voyage
Typhoon Honey is very knowledgeable all the tours that we did. Great customer service! Thank you, we had an enjoyable and memorable day!
Dear Ruben T, Thank you for sharing your experience. We’re really happy to hear you had such an amazing day with Typhoon Honey and enjoyed his knowledge. We’d love to welcome you back to Vietnam again someday.
We had a wonderful experience with our guide, Typhoon Honey. He was not only very funny but very informative. He made it the best tour yet for us. Would highly recommend.
Dear Mary C, Thank you for your recommendation, we’re so happy to hear you had such a great time with Typhoon Honey. His humour and knowledge really do make the experience special. We truly appreciate the recommendation and hope to see you again on another tour.
There are about 20+ private tours of ho Chi Minh City/Saigon. Specifically, I was looking for car service and specific to that a driver which facilitates drop off with you and the English speaking guide. Makes it easy and busy traffic and this fit the bill perfectly. HAN was our Tour guide and she did a great job. Hit all the highlights as per the offering and had flexibility for more or less of what we wanted. I would recommend this tour.
Dear Martin Niemoller, Thank you for sharing your experience! We’re glad the private car service and English-speaking guide made getting around the busy city easy and comfortable. Great to hear that Han took good care of you and kept the tour flexible to your interests. We truly appreciate the recommendation and hope to see you again.
Typhoon Honey and Quan, the driver made a great team. Typhoon arrived early at our hotel to pick us up, and he was very friendly, informative and full of good cheer. It was a very enjoyable and efficient way to explore a city that we were unfamiliar with.
Dear Mikael S, Thank you very much for taking the time to share your experience. We’re happy to hear that Typhoon Honey and Quan made such a great team. We truly appreciate your recommendation and hope to see you again on another journey in Vietnam.
